Certifications › Life support cards
Course card · American Heart Association · American Red Cross (its own BLS course)
BLS — Basic Life Support
BLS is the CPR, AED and airway course for healthcare professionals, covering adults, children and infants. The AHA BLS Provider eCard runs two years, and the Red Cross’s own BLS certification also runs two years; each issuer requires an in-person skills check for its card, and many postings name AHA.
Named in 12,365 of 29,080 postings on this site as of 11 Nov 2026, mostly Registered Nurse (9,098), LPN / LVN (1,160) and Certified Nursing Assistant (808).
The facts, from the issuer
- What it is
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AHA BLS trains you to recognize life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality CPR, ventilate appropriately and use an AED early.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare professionals trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality CPR, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED.”
- Who it is for
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AHA aims BLS at healthcare professionals and other staff who need CPR and basic cardiovascular life support skills, in or out of hospital.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“Healthcare professionals and other personnel who need to know how to perform CPR and other basic cardiovascular life support skills in a wide variety of in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings.”
- Length
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Red Cross BLS can be done in one day: about 4-5 hours instructor-led, or 1-2 hours online plus a 2-3 hour skills session for blended learning.
American Red Cross — BLS Certification · checked ·
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“instructor-led courses take approximately 4-5 hours, while blended learning options combine 1-2 hours of online coursework with a 2-3 hour in-person skills session.”
- How long it lasts
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Finish the online part and the hands-on skills session and you get an AHA BLS Provider eCard valid for two years.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“Students who successfully complete the cognitive portion and the hands-on session (skills) will receive an AHA BLS Provider course completion card (eCard), valid for two years.”
- Renewal
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For current Red Cross BLS holders: Red Cross recertification extends the certification two years and is for people whose Red Cross BLS is current or expired no more than 30 days.
American Red Cross — BLS Renewal · checked ·
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“extend your certification for two years . These courses are intended for individuals whose BLS certification is still current or will expire within 30 days.”
- Cost
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AHA sells HeartCode BLS Online (the online portion only) for $38.00; the hands-on skills session is sold separately by Training Centers.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“for more details or to schedule a hands-on session. × $38.00 Instock”
- What does not count
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The AHA online portion alone does not earn a card; you must also complete a hands-on session with an AHA Training Center.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“After completing the online portion of this course, you must complete a hands-on session (sold separately) with an AHA Training Center to obtain a course completion card.”
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The Red Cross online-only BLS option has no skills check and gives a certificate of completion that may not meet workplace requirements; blended and classroom formats give the 2-year certification.
American Red Cross — BLS Training: For Healthcare & Public Safety · checked ·
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“Demonstration of skill proficiency is NOT available Start your course immediately 2-year Red Cross Certificate of Completion may not meet workplace requirements”
- Find a class or test site
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Book the AHA hands-on skills session through an AHA Training Center near you.
American Heart Association — HeartCode BLS Online · checked ·
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“Contact an AHA Training Center in your area for more details or to schedule a hands-on session.”
Where to take it
Start with the issuer’s own class or test-site search:
- Class search: AHA Find a Training Center (ahainstructornetwork.americanheart.org)
- Class search: Red Cross Find Classes Near You (Red Cross courses) (redcross.org)
Classes in our training directory that teach BLS: 14 listed in 6 states. Pick a state, enter a ZIP, or use your location. Your ZIP and location are not sent anywhere: the page downloads, from this site, the ZIP-area file for the first two digits of your ZIP and the class lists for nearby states, and works out distances in your browser.
Distances are straight-line from the ZIP or city centre (U.S. Census 2024 gazetteer), not drive times. Listings come from state approved-program lists, issuer directories and providers' own pages. A listing is not a partnership; confirm dates, price and seats with the provider.
Related
- Career pathway: Travel nurse
- Career pathway: Construction and plant turnaround medic
- Career pathway: Motorsports and event medic
- Current Registered Nurse jobs
- Current LPN / LVN jobs
- Current Certified Nursing Assistant jobs
- ACLS — Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
- PALS — Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- PEARS — Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization
Every fact above was read on the issuers’ own pages on the date shown, with the exact words quoted. Anything the issuer does not publish is left out, so a missing fee means the issuer leaves pricing to the class provider or did not publish one. Employers decide which cards they accept; check the posting.