Hosting a Group Class: Setup and Participant Preparation
How do you host a group CPR class? Name a lead organizer and backup, confirm a room with space to work on the floor and access to power, tell us about site access in advance, send each participant the preparation for their course, and keep a roster by session and course. The checklist and templates cover each step.
What this guide is: a practical guide for the person hosting an on-site group class with QKC Health: who does what, the room and site, participant messages, course-specific preparation, and attendance, with a printable checklist, message templates, preparation sheets, and a roster. It draws on QKC Health's Terms of Service and class pages and on American Heart Association course information.
What it is not: a booking, a quote, or a promise of dates, times, group size, or room requirements. We confirm bookings and the setup of your class in writing. Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.
Who Does What When You Host a Group Class
Write a name next to each role, with a backup for the lead organizer. In a small group, one person can hold several roles.
This guide starts where planning ends. If you have not requested training yet, gather your answers with the Group CPR Training Planner, then request group training through our contact page. Under QKC Health's Terms of Service, a form submission or call is a request, not a booking: a booking is confirmed only when we confirm the course, date, time, and location in writing. Once that confirmation arrives, these roles keep the class on track.
Lead Organizer and Backup
Owns the booking with QKC Health. Checks the written confirmation of course, date, time, and location, tells us about any change, and makes the final call on questions. The backup steps in if the lead is away before or on the day.
Site Contact
Is on site on the day and reachable by phone. Meets the instructor, handles security or front-desk check-in, shows the way to the room, and knows where the power outlets and restrooms are and who to call in facilities.
Room and Access
Reserves the room and checks it against QKC Health's Terms: space for participants to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power. Arranges parking, building access, and a step-free route, and tells us about site access restrictions in advance.
Participant Communications
Sends the confirmation, the attendance check, the reminder, any change notice, and the after-class message. Uses the course preparation sheets so each person gets the instructions for their own course.
Accommodation Requests
Receives requests for accommodations, notes what is needed (not why), and passes each one to QKC Health in advance. Does not ask for or keep health details: participants can share those directly with the instructor or with QKC Health.
Attendance and Records
Keeps the roster by session and course, runs sign-in on the day, records who attended, and hands records on after the class. Stores the roster where only the people who need it can see it.
How to assign the roles
- Choose people who are available in the weeks before the class and on the day itself, not only the person who first requested training.
- Name a site contact for each building if you train at more than one site.
- Give QKC Health one main contact and one backup, so questions and changes go through one channel.
- Tell participants one place to send questions and one person to receive accommodation requests.
- Write every name on the host checklist and share it with everyone who holds a role.
Your organization decides which course each person needs. If you are still sorting people into courses, see Which Course Does Your Team Need?
Host Checklist for a Group Class
Tick each task as you go, or print the list. Timing follows QKC Health's Terms of Service: a confirmed booking can be canceled or rescheduled at no charge seven or more days before the class.
Group class host checklist
Work through each stage in order. Where a task depends on what we confirm, the written confirmation is what counts.
Ticks are not saved when you leave or reload the page.
Printable host checklist with Who, Due, and Notes columns
The same stages as the checklist above, with columns to assign each task, set a due date, and add notes, plus a contacts table and space for the class details as QKC Health confirmed them in writing.
The message templates, course preparation sheets, and organizer roster mentioned in the checklist are in the sections that follow.
Preparing the Room and the Building
QKC Health's Terms set the basics for the room. Confirm everything else about the space and the setup with QKC Health when you book.
What QKC Health's Terms ask for
For on-site training, QKC Health's Terms of Service ask you to provide a room large enough for participants to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power, and to tell us in advance about any site access restrictions so we can plan around them.
Our instructor brings the training equipment: manikins and AED trainers, and for ACLS, cardiac monitors and airway supplies. You provide the room and access to it. For how on-site training works overall, see workplace CPR and first aid training.
What to confirm with QKC Health when you book
We do not publish a room size or layout, so describe your space and ask what works. Send:
- The room's approximate size, the floor surface, and whether tables and chairs can be moved out of the way.
- How many participants will be in the room for each session.
- Where the power outlets are.
- When the room is free, including before the start if the instructor needs setup time.
- Any question about what the instructor needs from the room, such as a table for equipment.
Keep the written answer with your booking confirmation. If you train at more than one site, repeat these checks for each building.
Building access, parking, and security
- Where the instructor should park, and the closest entrance for bringing in equipment.
- Security or front-desk check-in: whether visitors must be listed in advance or show ID.
- Building hours, and who unlocks the room if the class runs outside normal hours.
- Parking and entrance directions for participants, especially at a site where they do not usually work.
Send these details to QKC Health in advance, as the Terms ask, and include the participant directions in your confirmation message.
Accessibility
- A step-free route from parking and the entrance to the room, with a working elevator if the room is not on the entrance level.
- An accessible restroom nearby, and clear signs to the room.
- Seating for anyone who needs it.
- Messages and handouts in a format that works for each person, such as large print or an accessible digital file, when someone asks.
For accommodations that affect the class itself, such as an interpreter or a different way to take part in an activity, tell us in advance. QKC Health's Terms say it will do what it reasonably can to arrange an accommodation, and the AHA's course pages tell students to ask their Training Center about accommodations. If participants would learn better in a language other than English, ask us before you book: the AHA refers questions about courses in other languages to the Training Center.
Restrooms, a quiet space, and comfort
- Know where the nearest restrooms are and tell participants.
- Set aside a quiet, private spot nearby, so a participant can speak privately with the instructor or take a short break.
- Choose a room where the group will not be interrupted, with comfortable lighting and temperature.
- Point people to drinking water, and check your building's rules on food and drink in the training room.
Participant Messages: What to Send and When
Send class details only after we confirm the booking in writing, then keep everyone up to date with short, specific messages.
Send every message from one organizer address, and use BCC or individual messages so participants do not see each other's email addresses. The short versions below show what each message needs to say: replace the words in parentheses, and attach the course preparation sheet for each person's course.
Class confirmed
When to send: after we confirm the course, date, time, and location in writing. Not before: a request is not a booking.
Your (course name) class is confirmed for (date) at (start time) in (room, building, and address). The class is hands-on: you will kneel on the floor and do chest compressions on a manikin, so wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can kneel and move in. If you are pregnant, recovering from injury or surgery, or living with a condition that may be affected by physical exertion, please consult a healthcare professional before attending. Your preparation sheet lists what to do and bring for your course. If you need an accommodation to take part, tell (accommodation contact) what you need by (date); you do not need to say why. Parking and check-in: (directions). Questions: (organizer and contact details).
Attendance check
When to send: early enough that replies come back more than seven days before the class, while a cancellation or reschedule is still free under the Terms.
Please reply by (date) to confirm that you will attend the (course name) class on (date). If you cannot attend, or your preparation will not be finished in time (for example the AHA online part before a skills session), tell (organizer) by then so the group can be adjusted.
Reminder
When to send: shortly before the class.
Reminder: your (course name) class is on (date) at (start time) in (room). Please bring (what your course asks for, such as your current or most recent card, or your online course completion certificate). Allow time for (parking and security check-in). (What QKC Health told you about late arrivals.) If you can no longer attend, tell (organizer) as soon as possible.
Change notice
When to send: as soon as we confirm a change in writing, or when your room or access arrangements change.
There is a change to your (course name) class: (what changed) is now (new details). Everything else is the same as in the earlier message. Please reply by (date) to confirm you can still attend.
After the class
When to send: after the class.
Thank you for taking part. Participants who met the AHA performance requirements receive an AHA course completion card. Watch for an email from eCards@heart.org inviting you to claim your eCard, and check your spam or junk folder. Claim the card, save a copy, and note the Renew By month on it. If anything on your card is wrong, tell (organizer) so it can be passed to QKC Health.
If QKC Health has to cancel or reschedule, for example because of instructor illness or severe weather, its Terms say it will offer the next available date or cancel the booking at no charge if you prefer. Send a change notice as soon as the new arrangement is confirmed.
Participant message templates
Full versions of these messages with subject lines and fill-in fields in square brackets, plus a reply to an accommodation request and a message for anyone who missed the class. Edit them in Word or copy them into your email.
Download the participant message templates (Word document, 19 KB)
Accommodation Requests Without Health Details
Name one person to receive requests. Ask what someone needs to take part, never why.
QKC Health's Terms ask you to tell us in advance about any accommodation a participant needs, and we will make reasonable efforts to arrange it. You can also discuss accommodations with QKC Health by phone at (212) 548-3284.
How a request should work
- Say in the confirmation message who receives requests, and by when.
- Ask what the person needs to take part, such as a step-free route, seating, large print, an interpreter, or a different way to do an activity. Do not ask for a diagnosis or any other health details.
- Pass the need to QKC Health in advance, then tell the participant what QKC Health can arrange.
- On the roster, record only whether a request was passed on to QKC Health: yes or no. Keep the request itself out of shared files.
Health details go to the instructor, not the organizer
QKC Health's Terms ask participants to tell the instructor about any condition relevant to their safe participation, so the session can be adapted. QKC Health's Privacy Policy says participants are never required to share this information, that an instructor does not need a diagnosis to adapt an activity, and that a participant who would rather not put health details in writing can tell the instructor on the day or call QKC Health. If a participant starts to tell you about a condition, thank them and point them to the instructor or to QKC Health.
Inside your organization, follow your own policies on accommodations and on the privacy of employee or member information. Your HR team or leadership decides how requests are handled internally.
Course-Specific Preparation for Participants
Each course asks something different of participants. Send each person the sheet for their own course, and check the items that need checking.
For every course
QKC Health's Terms of Service describe CPR, BLS, ACLS, and first aid training as hands-on: participants kneel on the floor, perform chest compressions on a manikin, and take part in scenario practice, which involves physical exertion. The Terms ask you to make participants aware of this before the class. Anyone who is pregnant, recovering from injury or surgery, or living with a condition that may be affected by physical exertion should consult a healthcare professional before attending.
Tell everyone to wear comfortable clothes and shoes they can kneel and move in, and to bring what their course asks for in the table below.
On narrow screens, scroll the table sideways. After tabbing to it, use the arrow keys.
| Course | Participants do or bring | Roster status when ready |
|---|---|---|
| Heartsaver CPR AED | No prior training, medical background, or online pre-work needed | Nothing to check |
| Heartsaver First Aid or Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED | No prior training or medical background needed | Nothing to check |
| BLS Provider | No prior certification or online coursework needed; current BLS Provider Manual | Manual arranged |
| BLS Renewal | Bring a current or most recent BLS Provider card | Card checked |
| ACLS Provider | Current BLS Provider card; AHA precourse self-assessment | Card and precourse certificate checked |
| ACLS Renewal | Bring a current or most recent ACLS card; AHA precourse self-assessment | Card and precourse certificate checked |
| BLS Skills Session | Finish HeartCode BLS online; bring the completion certificate | Online certificate received |
| ACLS Skills Session | Finish HeartCode ACLS online; bring the certificate or confirmation email | Online certificate received |
Summarizes QKC Health's class pages and, for the ACLS precourse self-assessment, the AHA's 2025 ACLS course FAQ. Confirm the details of your class with QKC Health.
What the organizer checks
- Renewal courses. QKC Health's BLS Renewal Course and ACLS Renewal Course pages say renewal is for a current or recently expired card, ask participants to bring their current or most recent card, and say that a card expired for an extended period means the full Provider course. The pages do not define "recently expired", so ask us about anyone whose card has lapsed before you place them in a renewal session. Someone who cannot find their card should contact us before the class.
- Skills sessions. QKC Health's BLS Skills Session and ACLS Skills Session pages say these sessions are only for people who finished the AHA's HeartCode online course, and that without proof of completion a participant cannot take part in skills testing. The AHA requires a hands-on skills session before it issues a card for courses that include CPR skills, so the online part alone does not lead to a card. Ask each person to confirm the online part is finished well before the session.
- ACLS Provider. QKC Health's ACLS Provider Course page lists a current AHA BLS Provider card as a prerequisite. The AHA's 2025 ACLS course FAQ says students must complete the ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment with a score of at least 70% before the course and bring the printed results to class.
- Heartsaver and BLS Provider. QKC Health's Heartsaver CPR AED, first aid, and BLS Provider Course pages say no prerequisites are needed, so no previous card or online completion certificate is needed. Confirm how participants will receive the current manual or workbook; BLS classroom students need their own current BLS Provider Manual.
QKC Health class pages
Each class page describes its course, including what to bring where the course asks for something:
- Heartsaver CPR AED
- Heartsaver First Aid
- Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED
- BLS Provider Course
- BLS Renewal Course
- BLS Skills Session
- ACLS Provider Course
- ACLS Renewal Course
- ACLS Skills Session
Related guides
- Full BLS and ACLS preparation for participants, including provider manuals and review topics: BLS and ACLS Pre-Course Checklists
- How the course pathways differ: Group Class Formats: Classroom Training and Skills Sessions
- When someone's preparation will not be finished in time: Scheduling Group Training Across Shifts and Locations
Confirm the course and card your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state rules require before you register.
Course preparation sheets
One participant handout per course or pathway, each on its own page, with spaces for the date, start time, location, and organizer contact. The BLS and ACLS sheets are short and point to the full pre-course checklists.
Download the course preparation sheets (Word document, 25 KB)
Rosters, Sign-In, Late Arrivals, and Absences
Keep one roster by session and course, use it for sign-in, and know what the Terms say before anyone is absent.
Build the roster
List each session exactly as QKC Health confirmed it in writing, then list each participant under a session and course. Record only what you need: a name or initials, the course, the session, the preparation status, whether an accommodation request was passed on (yes or no, with no details), and attendance.
Ask us what participant details we need for our course roster and the course cards, and how to send them. The AHA's eCard lookup uses the participant's name and the email address used for the course, so ask participants to give an email address they check.
Sign-in on the day
- Print the roster for each session, or use it on a laptop at the door, and mark who attended.
- Ask us before the class whether the instructor also keeps a sign-in sheet or course roster, so participants are not asked for the same details twice.
- Keep printed lists with the site contact during the class, and file or shred them afterward.
Late arrivals
QKC Health's Terms of Service do not set a rule for late arrivals. Under the Terms, course completion depends on meeting the AHA performance requirements during training, so ask us before the class what happens if someone arrives after the start, and put the answer in your reminder.
Substitutions
The Terms do not address one participant taking another's place. If someone cannot attend and a colleague could go instead, ask us first, and check that the new person needs the same course and has completed the required preparation, such as the AHA online part before a skills session.
Absences and the confirmed group fee
Under QKC Health's Terms of Service, participants who do not attend a group class do not reduce the confirmed group fee. If fewer people attend than the confirmed minimum, the class runs as scheduled and the confirmed minimum is invoiced. If nobody is present at the confirmed time and location, the class is treated as delivered and invoiced in full. A confirmed booking can be canceled or rescheduled at no charge seven or more days before the class; fewer than seven days before, a cancellation or reschedule may be charged up to the full course fee. The planner's summary of the Terms covers the other booking policies.
For people who miss the class, see Scheduling Group Training Across Shifts and Locations for ways to fit them into a later group.
After the class: handing records on
Attendance is not the same as completing the course. Under QKC Health's Terms, AHA course completion cards are for participants who meet the AHA performance requirements. Mark attendance on your roster, then use After the Class: Course Cards and Team Training Records to collect card details and hand records to HR or compliance, and How to Track Employee CPR, BLS and ACLS Renewals to plan the next round. Delete working lists you no longer need.
Organizer roster workbook
A roster by session and course with preparation status, accommodation routing (yes or no only), and attendance, plus a summary that counts people per session and course and flags any session below three. It works offline in Excel and sends nothing anywhere.
Hosting a Group Class: Frequently Asked Questions
Under QKC Health's Terms of Service, you provide a room large enough for participants to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power, and you tell us in advance about site access restrictions such as security check-in or parking. Our instructor brings the training equipment. Confirm the room and setup with QKC Health when you book.
We do not publish a room size or layout. Its Terms of Service ask for a room large enough for participants to work on the floor during skills practice, with access to power. When you book, describe the room's approximate size, the floor surface, the furniture that can be moved, and how many people will attend each session, and ask us to confirm the setup in writing.
No. Ask participants what accommodation they need, not why. QKC Health's Terms ask participants to tell the instructor about any condition relevant to their safe participation, and QKC Health's Privacy Policy says participants never have to share it and can tell the instructor in person on the day or call QKC Health. On your roster, record only whether a request was passed on.
It depends on the course. We ask BLS Renewal and ACLS Renewal participants to bring their current or most recent card, and skills session participants to bring their AHA online course completion certificate. ACLS Provider lists a current BLS Provider card as a prerequisite, and the AHA requires a precourse self-assessment before ACLS classroom courses. Everyone should wear clothes they can kneel and move in.
QKC Health's Terms of Service do not set a late-arrival rule. Course completion depends on meeting the AHA performance requirements during training, so ask us before the class what happens if someone arrives after the start, and include the answer in your reminder message to participants.
QKC Health's Terms of Service do not address substitutions, so ask us first. Check that the new person needs the same course and has completed the required preparation, such as finishing the AHA online part before a skills session or bringing a current or most recent card to a renewal course.
After we confirm the course, date, time, and location in writing, because a form submission or call is only a request. Then send an attendance check early enough that replies come back more than seven days before the class, while a cancellation or reschedule is still free under the Terms, and a short reminder shortly before the class.
Sources
This guide summarizes the QKC Health policies and class pages and the official American Heart Association sources listed below. They were checked on October 17, 2026.
- Terms of Service, QKC Health
- Privacy Policy, QKC Health
- Workplace CPR & First Aid Training in Connecticut, QKC Health
- Heartsaver CPR AED Certification in Connecticut, QKC Health
- First Aid Training & Certification in Connecticut, QKC Health
- BLS Provider Course, QKC Health
- BLS Renewal Course, QKC Health
- BLS Skills Session, QKC Health
- ACLS Provider Course, QKC Health
- ACLS Renewal Course, QKC Health
- ACLS Skills Session, QKC Health
- Course FAQs, American Heart Association
- BLS Course Options, American Heart Association
- ACLS Course Options, American Heart Association
- 2025 ACLS Course FAQ (PDF), American Heart Association
- How to Claim and View Your AHA eCard, American Heart Association
- Course Card Information, American Heart Association
Last updated:
Disclaimer
General information only. This guide is general educational information about American Heart Association (AHA) courses. It is not medical, legal, or OSHA compliance advice. It does not replace hands-on CPR, BLS, or first aid training, and reading it does not certify you in any course. In an emergency, call 911.
Accuracy. We strive to keep this guide accurate and current, but AHA guidelines, course content, card rules, and certification requirements can change, and we cannot promise that every detail is complete, current, or free of errors.
Check the official source. Before you rely on anything here, confirm course, card, and guideline details with the AHA at cpr.heart.org, and confirm what you are required to hold with your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state agency. If this guide differs from an official source, follow the official source. You are responsible for confirming which course and card you need before you register.
Spot an error? If anything on this page, or anywhere on our site, looks incorrect or out of date, please call us at (212) 548-3284 or send us a message through our contact page so we can review it and update it.
About the AHA. QKC Health LLC is an AHA Authorized Training Center. This guide is written and published by QKC Health, not by the AHA, and the AHA has not reviewed or endorsed it.
The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA courses and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the AHA. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course materials, do not represent income to the AHA.
Outside links and terms. Links to the AHA, OSHA, and other outside websites are provided for convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content. Your use of this guide is subject to our Terms of Service, including its Limitation of Liability section and its notices for New Jersey and New York residents.
Printed from qkchealth.com/resources/hosting-group-cpr-class/. General information only, not medical, legal, or compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the AHA (cpr.heart.org) and with your employer, school or program, licensing board, or state agency. Full terms: qkchealth.com/terms. More free tools and guides: qkchealth.com/resources/group-training.