Baystate Health AHA Training Center
We are your source for information about American Heart Association (AHA) courses offered at Baystate Health.
Baystate Health requires most team members to achieve certification in one or more of several AHA courses as part of a basic foundational resuscitation knowledge and skill set.
We offer more than one version of each course.
Review the courses below and if you have questions about which course is right for you, please ask your manager/educator or contact us.
Basic Life Support (BLS)
The AHA’s BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED. Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). (Description from the American Heart Association website)
1. Initial BLS Course
For students who have never taken a BLS course OR whose certification has expired
You should expect to spend around 4.5 hours in the classroom with our excellent instructors.
2. Renewal BLS Course
For experienced students who need to renew their BLS certification
You should expect to spend around 4 hours in the classroom with our instructors.
3. HeartCode BLS Course
Primarily for experienced students, but sometimes used by novices
This is a blended course that includes both online and in-person learning. Most of the didactic portion happens online as a self-paced learning experience. After completion of the online portion, you should expect to spend around 2 hours in the classroom for a skill assessment session.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
The AHA’s ACLS course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). (Description from the American Heart Association website)
1. Initial ACLS Course
For students who have never taken a ACLS course OR whose certification has expired
You should expect to spend around 15 hours in the classroom over the course of 2 days with our excellent instructors.
2. Renewal ACLS Course
For experienced students who need to renew their ACLS certification
You should expect to spend around 8.5 hours in the classroom with our instructors.
3. HeartCode ACLS
Primarily for experienced students, but sometimes used by novices
This is a blended course that includes both online and in-person learning. Most of the didactic portion happens online as a self-paced learning experience. After completion of the online portion, you should expect to spend around 2 hours in the classroom for a skill assessment session.
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
PALS is geared towards healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.Reflects science and education from the American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). (Description from the American Heart Association website)
1. The initial PALS Course
For students who have never taken a PALS course OR whose certification has expired
You should expect to spend around 17 hours in the classroom over the course of 2 days with our excellent instructors.
2. Renewal PALS Course
For experienced students who need to renew their PALS certification
You should expect to spend around 9 hours in the classroom with our instructors.
3. HeartCode PALS
Primarily for experienced students, but sometimes used by novices
This is a blended course that includes both online and in-person learning. Most of the didactic portion happens online as a self-paced learning experience. After completion of the online portion, you should expect to spend around 2.5 hours in the classroom for a skill assessment session.
Course Schedule
If you are not able to see a list of courses on this page, view the schedule here.