BLS Instructor Course

Who is this course for?

If you work in healthcare, are confident in your Basic Life Support (BLS) skills, and want to share that knowledge with others, this course is for you.

Becoming an instructor is the logical next step in your professional development. It gives you three concrete benefits:

• Professional growth. Teaching is the best way to reinforce your own clinical skills. Instructors are required to stay current with the latest resuscitation guidelines.

• Additional income. A certified BLS Instructor teaches both at our center and independently, at their own workplace or with partner organizations.

• International recognition. The AHA instructor card is recognized both nationally and internationally.

This course is designed for:

• Intensivists, anesthesiologists, and emergency medicine physicians

• Nurses and paramedics

• Emergency medical service crew members

• Faculty at medical universities and colleges

• Heads of continuing medical education (CME) and quality departments in clinics

• Simulation center staff
  

Prerequisites: what you need to get started

The following mandatory prerequisites are defined by the AHA Program Administration Manual (PAM) and the BLS Instructor Essentials Faculty Guide. Admission to the course is possible only when all requirements are met.

Important: Under AHA rules, an instructor must be aligned with a specific authorized Training Center. Only an instructor aligned with a Training Center is authorized to teach courses and issue certification.

Course structure: 5 stages to the AHA standard

Our program fully complies with the AHA international standard and consists of five sequential stages.

Stage 1. Selection and registration

You complete the registration form on this page. Our coordinator will contact you within 1 to 2 business days, verify the validity of your Provider certification, and send you the Instructor Candidate Application. Your agreement with MediClubGeorgia is also put in place at this stage.

Duration: 2 to 5 business days.

Stage 2. Online module (AHA BLS Instructor Essentials Online)

You complete the theoretical material independently, at a time that suits you and without leaving home, on the official AHA platform at elearning.heart.org.

The module has two parts:

• Core module: the structure of the AHA training network, the core instructor competencies, and the instruction cycle. You complete this module once, and it applies across all disciplines.

• Discipline module (BLS-specific): the specifics of the BLS Provider course, its materials, videos, and checklists.

The module ends with a test. A score of at least 84% is required to pass. The exam follows the open resource principle: you may refer to the Provider or Instructor Manual, your own notes, and the AHA guidelines, but discussion with other candidates or with the instructor is not permitted.

On successful completion, you receive a certificate of completion, which is required for admission to the hands-on session.

Stage 3. Hands-on session at our center

An intensive, one-day in-person training at MediClubGeorgia, led by a member of our Training Center Faculty (TCF).

Duration: approximately 5.5 hours without breaks, approximately 6 hours including breaks (based on the recommended agenda in the AHA BLS Instructor Essentials Faculty Guide).

Ratio: one faculty member to a maximum of 7 candidates. This guarantees that every candidate receives individual feedback.

The session covers 16 lessons, including:

• The structure of the AHA training network and instructor resources (Instructor Network, Atlas)

• Preparing and organizing a BLS Provider course

• Adult BLS with 1 rescuer and with 2 rescuers

• Teaching the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)

• Child and infant BLS

• Airway obstruction (choking)

• The High-Performance Teams activity

• Skills testing, exam administration and remediation

• HeartCode BLS and blended learning

• An overview of Heartsaver courses

• Course administration and record keeping

The session ends with a written exam. A score of at least 84% is required.

Stage 4. Monitoring during a live course

The first BLS Provider course you teach is observed by a member of our Training Center Faculty, who assesses you using the official AHA Instructor Monitor Tool.

Deadline: monitoring must take place within 6 months of successfully completing the hands-on session.

The observer's role is strictly to observe. They do not intervene in the course or correct you in front of students, which keeps the working environment natural.

Three assessment areas:

Each item is rated as one of four options: "Yes", "Yes with req.", "No", or "Not Observed".

Administrative competencies (accurate rosters, grade reports, and evaluations) are assessed separately by the Training Center Coordinator using the Instructor/TCF Renewal Checklist.

The completed Instructor Monitor Tool is submitted to the Training Center within 10 business days of the monitored course.

Stage 5. Awarding instructor status (onboarding)

Following successful monitoring, MediClubGeorgia issues your instructor card within 10 business days of receiving the completed monitor form. The card's issue date is recorded as the month and year in which monitoring was successfully completed.

At this stage you also:

• Receive your personal Instructor ID, without which certification cannot be issued

• Complete your alignment on Atlas

• Go through our internal orientation: completing rosters, issuing eCards, retaining documentation, and our Quality Assurance (QA) rules

From this point, you are a fully authorized AHA BLS Instructor.

What happens if monitoring identifies a shortcoming?

AHA rules provide for remediation, meaning additional preparation. No one is removed from the program. Depending on the type of shortcoming, the observer chooses one of the following paths:

In every case, an individual plan is drawn up.

Price and what is included

Course price: 1500 GEL.

What instructor status gives you?

Once you hold AHA BLS Instructor status, you are authorized to teach BLS Provider courses and to issue official eCards. There are two ways to do this.

Model 1. Based at MediClubGeorgia

You teach courses at our training center, using our equipment, our schedule, and our participant flow. We handle administration, registration, and card issuance. You are paid per course taught.

Model 2. Independent Affiliate

You deliver training at your workplace, in your own clinic, or at other organizations, while the issuance of official certification and quality control are handled through the MediClubGeorgia Learning Resource Center (MCG ITC). See the full terms on the [Independent Instructor] page.

This model is particularly convenient if you:

• Work in a clinic that needs to certify its staff regularly

• Run your own training or simulation center

• Want to deliver courses in the regions

What the center handles on your behalf: processing rosters on the AHA platform, issuing eCards, retaining documentation, exam security, quality audits, and delivering AHA updates to you on time.

Maintaining and renewing your status

The instructor card is valid for 2 years. For the full procedure, see the [Instructor Status Renewal] page.

To renew, and in line with the AHA Instructor/TCF Renewal Checklist, all of the following must be met within the two-year cycle:

Waiver of the 4-course requirement: the AHA allows this requirement to be waived or extended in exceptional circumstances, for example, a prolonged absence from work due to illness or injury, or where objectively few courses were held in your region. The decision is made by the Training Center Coordinator in consultation with AHA staff, and the supporting rationale is kept in your personal file.

The instructor card supersedes the Provider card. For as long as your instructor card is valid, your Provider status in the same discipline is considered current. The AHA does not require a separate Provider card. Note that an individual employer or regulatory body may still require a valid Provider card.

Why MediClubGeorgia?

MediClubGeorgia offers you not a one-off training course but a long-term partnership.

A focus on teaching methodology. Our goal is to turn you into a professional trainer, not simply to hand you a set of algorithms. You will learn audience management and the modern methodology of effective feedback and debriefing, proven in simulation-based education.

Continuous support. After the course, our team provides ongoing academic and administrative support: course planning, equipment questions, documentation, and timely delivery of AHA updates.

Experienced faculty. Teaching is delivered in full compliance with AHA standards, under the direct mentorship of Training Center Faculty (TCF) members.

Modern equipment. Manikins with feedback devices and AED trainers, in the quantities recommended by the AHA.

A transparent process. You know from the outset which stages you need to complete and within what timeframes.