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  • BLS for Healthcare Providers

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    Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Red Cross is designed for healthcare and public safety clinicians and meets a variety of certification and licensing requirements.

    BLS Training has been taken by millions of individuals across thousands of healthcare organizations, EMS agencies and the Military Training Network. This evidence-based course features updated materials, current scientific guidelines, practical teaching tools and offers opportunities for Continuing Education (CE) credit.

    Our BLS curriculum includes all standard scientific learning objectives necessary in professional resuscitation courses, but also allows students to develop their critical thinking, teamwork, and clinical decision-making skills, and work on reflection and debriefing, which serves to strengthen their overall learning and work experience. In addition, our courses are modular and flexible, and offer medical directors, educators and Red Cross training partners the ability to tailor courses to their local protocols, and their students' specific needs.

    Ways to Train

    • In-Person Classes: Designed for those who learn best in a traditional classroom setting, class participants attend lecture and skills sessions with other students in a designated physical location.
    • Blended Learning: Created for those who need additional flexibility, our blended learning courses combine online presentations of "lecture" materials, with interactive scenarios that help improve clinical decision-making skills and in-person skills sessions. Our interactive coursework can be self-paced and modular, so you can train on your schedule. For participants who are recertifying, computer-adaptive testing allows eligible learners to demonstrate competency and complete training in up to 50% less time without compromising accuracy or integrity.

    Note: The American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) course is designed to train healthcare clinicians including nurses, physicians, EMS professionals, CNAs, and other healthcare and public safety personnel to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, children and infants. Content in this program is consistent with:

    • The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) 2025 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR)
    • American Red Cross Healthcare Guidelines
    • 2025 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for CPR and ECC

    Earn Your BLS Certificate

    Sign up for a BLS course – and gain the skills you need to help your community and reach your career goals. From CPR administration and AED usage to critical thinking and problem solving, whether you choose an in-person only class or prefer a blended (online and in person) approach to learning, our best-in-class instructors will help you understand how to use the latest techniques in basic life support. To join our program, simply find a class in your area and complete the registration process.

    FAQs

    What is the difference between BLS vs. First Aid?

    Basic Life Support (BLS) is the foundation of resuscitation training for healthcare clinicians including nurses, physicians, EMS professionals, and other healthcare and public safety personnel. BLS program content includes single-and multiple-responder CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automatic external defibrillator) use, as well as how to care for a patient who has an obstructed airway (choking).

    The Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED portfolio of courses has been the go-to program for thousands of businesses and training organizations for over a century. These programs are the foundation of safety training and our courses satisfy OSHA-mandated, workplace and other regulatory requirements.

    BLS vs. CPR: What is the difference?

    When lives are on the line, it is critical that healthcare and professional responder staff have the skills and confidence to act in the moments that matter. Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) is meant for healthcare clinicians and first responders. This comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum goes beyond a cardiac focus, making our programs unique and more robust. Red Cross BLS courses meet competency verification, education, credentialing and privileging requirements.

    CPR classes are the foundation of workplace safety training, giving immediate responders a mastery of lifesaving techniques and the confidence to act when moments matter, be the cardiac emergency be at home, at school or in their community.

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