The AHA does not mandate a minimum age requirement for learning CPR. The ability to perform CPR is based more on body strength than age. Studies have shown that children as young as nine years old can learn and retain CPR skills. Please speak with an AHA Instructor or Training Center if you have any concerns. Find an AHA Training Center near you.
The science in the official AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC shows that victims have a greater chance of survival from cardiac arrest when high-quality CPR includes use of an AED.
Family & Friends® CPR provides basic CPR training in a dynamic group environment using the research-proven practice-while-watching method. Find an AHA Training Center near you. You may also be interested in learning basic CPR skills using the AHA’s CPR Anytime kit, which you can share with family, friends and loved ones.
Heartsaver® CPR AED is probably best for you. The AHA offers this course in both AHA Training Centers offering Heartsaver classes, and hands-on skills sessions for blended learning courses.
Our Heartsaver Courses are for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card for job, regulatory or other requirements. While these courses are designed to meet OSHA requirements, OSHA does not review or approve any courses for compliance.
First responders or professional rescuers generally include fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. These types of prehospital professionals usually need to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course. Check with your employer or licensing authority and learn more about our BLS course options.
The AHA’s Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Course is designed to meet regulatory requirements for childcare workers in all 50 United States. The AHA offers this course in both blended learning and classroom-based formats. Find an AHA Training Center near you offering Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED classes and hands-on skills sessions for blended learning courses.
For American Heart Association courses that include psychomotor skills such as CPR, students must complete a hands-on skills session to obtain an AHA course completion card. With AHA blended learning, students will practice and test skills to ensure competency during the hands-on skills session. The AHA offers a variety of blended learning and eLearning courses. Visit ShopCPR.Heart.org to learn more. For blended learning courses, a student completes part of the course in a self-directed manner online, followed by a hands-on skills session in person with an AHA Instructor or using a Voice Assisted Manikin (VAM) where available. AHA eLearning courses are fully self-directed, and do not require a separate hands-on skills session.
No, first aid is not included in the AHA’s BLS courses. The AHA offers a variety of courses that will prepare you to respond to a first aid emergency, including
Heartsaver First Aid
Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED
Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED
Find an AHA Training Center near you offering first aid courses and hands-on skills sessions for blended learning courses.
No, BLS is not included in AHA’s ACLS courses. However, it is expected that healthcare providers taking an ACLS course come to class already proficient in BLS skills. However, the AHA has provided its Training Centers with sample agendas that allow BLS skills to be incorporated into advanced courses. Check with your Training Center about this option. View our courses or Find an AHA Training Center near you.
Students in ACLS courses are not required by the AHA to have a current BLS Provider card, but they are expected to be proficient in BLS skills. Training Centers may require students to have current BLS Provider card. Find an AHA Training Center near you.
In CPR and first aid training, An infant is younger than one year
A child is older than one year and has not reached puberty
An adult is anyone who has gone through or is going through puberty