The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Red Cross (ARC) offer three primary levels of resuscitation training for healthcare professionals. These courses have recently been updated to reflect the 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).

Below is a summary of each program to help you understand their focus, requirements, and target audiences.

Basic Life Support (BLS)

BLS Training

The Foundation of Resuscitation

BLS is the entry-level certification for healthcare providers. It focuses on high-quality CPR and basic life-saving skills that can be applied both in-hospital and in pre-hospital settings.

  • Primary Focus:
    • High-quality chest compressions
    • Bag-mask ventilation
    • Early use of an AED.
  • Key Skills:
    • Single-rescuer and multi-rescuer CPR (Adult, Child, and Infant).
    • Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking).
    • Recognition of life-threatening emergencies.
  • Who Should Take It:
    • Nurses
    • Physicians
    • Paramedics
    • Emergency Medical Technicians
    • Dental professionals
    • Healthcare students.
  • Certification Length: 2 years.

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)

EMR Training

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training is an entry-level emergency medical certification program that prepares individuals to provide immediate lifesaving care in the first few minutes of an emergency. EMR training focuses on rapid patient assessment, basic airway management, bleeding control, CPR/AED use, and stabilization techniques until more advanced medical personnel arrive.

This training is ideal for first responders such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, industrial personnel, and community members who may be first on scene. EMR courses emphasize hands-on skills, real-world scenarios, and adherence to current prehospital care standards to ensure responders can act confidently and effectively in emergency situations.

Stop The Bleed

The Stop the Bleed course is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond effectively in life-threatening bleeding emergencies. This hands-on training teaches participants how to recognize severe bleeding, apply direct pressure, pack wounds, and properly use a tourniquet to control hemorrhage until professional help arrives.

Participants will gain confidence in their ability to act quickly and decisively in emergencies, whether at home, work, or in the community. The course emphasizes practical skills, real-world scenarios, and evidence-based techniques to ensure that students are prepared to make a critical difference when seconds count.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)

Complex Adult Emergency Care

ACLS builds upon the foundation of BLS. It is designed for healthcare providers who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies in adults.

  • Primary Focus:
    • Advanced interventions
    • Team dynamics
    • Pharmacological treatments.
  • Key Skills:
    • Airway management and rhythm recognition (ECG).
    • Management of ACS (Acute Coronary Syndromes) and Stroke.
    • Pharmacology for cardiac arrest, bradycardia, and tachycardia.
    • Post-cardiac arrest care.  
  • Prerequisites:
    • Proficiency in BLS skills
    • ECG rhythm recognition
    • Basic pharmacology
    • Precourse Self-Assessment (passing score of 70%) is mandatory.
  • Who Should Take It:
    • ER and ICU staff
    • Rapid response teams
    • Physicians
    • Paramedics and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians
    • Advanced practice providers.  
  • Certification Length: 2 years.

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Specialized Care for Infants and Children

PALS mirrors the advanced nature of ACLS but is tailored strictly to the unique physiological and developmental needs of pediatric patients (infants and children).

  • Primary Focus:
    • Recognition and treatment of pediatric respiratory failure
    • Shock
    • Cardiac arrest.
  • Key Skills:
    • Pediatric assessment (the “Systematic Approach”).
    • Advanced airway and pediatric drug dosages.
    • Effective communication and high-performance team dynamics for pediatric codes.
    • Post-resuscitation care for children.
  • Prerequisites:
    • Proficiency in BLS skills
    • ECG rhythm recognition
    • Basic pharmacology
    • Precourse Self-Assessment (passing score of 70%) is mandatory.
  • Who Should Take It:
    • Pediatricians
    • PICU/NICU nurses
    • Paramedics
    • Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians
    • Anyone caring for children in a clinical setting.
  • Certification Length: 2 years.

Note: Most AHA courses are available in two formats: Instructor-Led Training (ILT) (traditional classroom) and Blended Learning (HeartCode) (online theory followed by an in-person skills session).

While the BLS, ACLS, and PALS programs are for medical professionals, the AHA Heartsaver portfolio is designed for non-healthcare providers. These courses are intended for anyone with little or no medical training who needs a certification for their job, regulatory requirements (like OSHA), or personal preparedness.

Like the advanced courses, Heartsaver programs have been updated to the 2025 AHA Guidelines.

Heartsaver Program Options

The Heartsaver curriculum is modular, allowing students to take only the sections they need.

Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED

This is the most comprehensive “all-in-one” option.

  • What it covers: CPR and AED use for adults (with optional child/infant modules), and first aid basics for medical emergencies, injuries, and environmental situations.
  • Best for: Corporate employees, security guards, airline personnel, and lifeguards.

Heartsaver CPR AED

  • What it covers: Focused strictly on cardiac arrest and choking. It teaches high-quality CPR and how to use an AED effectively.
  • Best for: Personal trainers, coaches, and office staff who do not require first aid certification.

Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED

  • What it covers: Specifically tailored to emergencies involving children and infants. It includes illness/injury prevention and how to handle common childhood emergencies.
  • Best for: Childcare workers, babysitters, teachers, foster parents, and camp counselors.

Heartsaver Bloodborne Pathogens

  • What it covers: How to protect yourself and others from being exposed to blood or blood-containing materials in the workplace.
  • Best for: General industry workers and anyone required by OSHA to have this specific training.