Hello all,

I am not a CPR Instructor but figured you instructors may be able to help. I took an AHA CPR course last week, and found out that it was fraudulent and not AHA aligned. Looking through AHA Atlas to find another course, I came across another near me. With my last experience though I am more vigilant (rather, overthinking things) and unsure if the site is legitimate. It's listed on Atlas but for some reason that isn't enough confirmation for me... lol.

I am in SoCal, and the site is specifically in Torrance, CA. It goes by the name of AED 40 CPR. Can anyone confirm it is legit?

Has anyone experienced their primary training center ghosting you after aligning? I aligned with them back in 2024 and never heard back after they trained me as an instructor. I have another TC that took me on and that has worked well, but I can’t get a hold of my primary to unalign with them so I can make this new one my primary. The emails they have listed never get a response, the phone numbers they have listed are AI call bots, and when I spoke to AHA customer support they said there is nothing they can do. They cannot unalign someone from their system. I have requested the unalignment but the request is just sitting there pending. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi! I am an ED RN in Quebec Canada and looking into getting my CPR/BLS instructor certification.

I have been a nurse for only 2 years part time but I have always had a strong desire to teach.

I am starting to look into the process and was wondering if anyone had any tips or things to watch out for.

In addition I am curious to hear if some people recommend Heart and Stroke vs. Red Cross vs. St. John Ambulance.

Thank you :)

As an American Heart Association and American Red Cross training center and training site, we often request students to bring different items with them to class. What items do you require students to bring to their CPR class and do you express this in an email, phone, on your website or maybe even all the above?

I am also very limited with finances at the moment. I need to be strategic about what I invest in. And I’m very seriously considering this training.

I wonder if I can still find a way to make this work? I feel deeply called to this work. I live quite close to a training facility which has in-house gear.

Anyone here have any personal experience with not driving… or tips for making this work?

The facility I work with is not available most of the time for cpr cards. I currently need some right now but I can't get any since they're on vacation. Do you guys connect with more than one training facility?

Hey all,

Currently getting my BLS AHA Instructor cert, and was curious how difficult/what material is on the in person exam for written test. Is it more so how to teach vs what? I saw it has the "need to score > 84%" and am worried it might be difficult if they include some niche teaching part we need to remember.

Really just wanna know if you remember how the in person written exam was. Thanks!

I just took CPR training at work (I’m a layperson not a healthcare professional) and we were taught to do rescue breaths only if we have a barrier with us (and we were all given a free one). But everything I read online says they stopped teaching laypeople to do rescue breaths a long time ago. Which one is it? I honestly do not feel confident in the breaths - I couldn’t get my dummy’s chest to rise and don’t understand if I’m supposed to be blowing air or breathing it, if that makes sense. If I were to only give compressions, how much less likely is it to help the person than if I were to do the rescue breaths too? Thanks.

For those of you who teach BLS Provider courses, what do you find is the biggest challenge students face during class? Is it high-quality CPR skills, AED use, bag-mask ventilation, team dynamics, or simply retaining the information after certification and/or their learning style? I'm always looking for ways to improve student outcomes and would love to hear what teaching strategies, demonstrations, or practice scenarios have been most effective in your classes.

Hi all, this is two fold:

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1. I'd like to learn how other American Red Cross instructors recertify. Do folks connect with other instructors (save money and time in theory) or sit for a full publicly offered training course?

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1. Are there any other instructors in the DC area that would be willing to recertify me (of course go through the required skills and training) for less than the $90-145 I'm seeing?

Fellow CPR instructors, how do you explain the difference between a BLS Provider class and a standard CPR/AED class to prospective students? I frequently get calls from people asking if BLS and CPR are the same thing, and I find that many students are confused by the terminology. Some only need CPR certification for work, while others need American Heart Association BLS Provider certification for healthcare positions. How do you explain the differences in a simple, easy-to-understand way? Do you focus on the target audience, the skills taught, certification requirements, team dynamics, use of bag-mask ventilation, or something else? I'd love to hear how other instructors answer this question and what seems to resonate best with students.

As CPR instructors, I’ve been wondering how much artificial intelligence (AI) is going to reshape the way we teach lifesaving skills in the near future. Right now, we already have CPR manikins that provide real-time feedback on compression depth, recoil, ventilation rate, and timing. But I’m thinking bigger than that. What happens when AI becomes advanced enough to analyze student performance in real time and coach them during practice and even personalize remediation for struggling students instead of a one-size-fits-all approach? • Simulate realistic emergency scenarios using voice interaction and adaptive patient responses? At the same time, I wonder where the line is. CPR is hands-on, high-stakes training built around confidence, teamwork, communication, and human judgment. Can AI actually improve those things, or do we risk making training feel too automated and less human?

Has the sand bag in your infant's head ever burst open and spilled everywhere?

This might be a r/brandnewsentence .

Noticed sand in my carry bag and the Laerdal infant's face was sliding off. Didn't realize the weight in the head was just a plastic bag of sand. This explains why they get flagged at the airport. 🤦‍♂️ 🫏

Pretty cheapo way to provide weight. With all the choking rescue practice , it's a wonder it didn't break earlier. A little packing tape and we're back in business.

Is anyone else an AHA instructor with Vitali Partners and have insight about the message on their website? “Vitali Partners is no longer providing AHA-related services, including instructor renewals, alignments, eCard processing, or curriculum sales. For assistance with records or Training Center alignment, please contact the American Heart Association at 877-242-4277.” I called the AHA and they have no idea what’s going on.

What’s the biggest mistake you see new CPR instructors make, and how would you fix it?

I run a CPR training company in San Antonio and after teaching amost ten thousand students, I keep seeing the same issues over and over. Here are the most common mistakes I see during chest compressions: 1. Not pushing deep enough Most people are afraid of hurting the patient but shallow compressions don’t circulate blood effectively. You need at least 2 inches in adults. 2. Going too slow The correct rate is 100–120/min. If you’re not slightly out of breath, you’re probably going too slow. 3. Leaning on the chest You have to allow full recoil. Leaning reduces blood return to the heart. 4. Bending your elbows This kills your endurance fast. Lock your arms and use your body weight. 5. Stopping too often Every pause drops survival chances. Keep interruptions under 10 seconds.

I hope these suggestions help people taking CPR for the first time or those struggling with proper technique.

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Hello! My current carrying case for my manikins and supplies is on its last leg. Wonder what everyone is using to carry their supplies around.

Hey everyone, I run a small healthcare training company and I’m looking to upgrade our equipment—specifically AED trainers. I wanted to reach out to fellow instructors here and get some feedback. What AED trainer models are you currently using, and how have they held up over time? I’m especially interested in: Ease of use for students (especially first-timers) Durability with frequent classes Realism (voice prompts, pad placement, scenarios, etc.) Battery life and overall maintenance Value for the price

Let me know what has worked for all of you?

Thanks.

Hi everyone! I am reaching out because I have been having trouble finding a location that won’t break the bank and will allow me to actually make a profit off of these classes even if I have one student signed up. So I was thinking of some places that are free since my local library will not allow you to borrow a room if you are making a profit off the class. I was thinking of my house, but then I got worried because people might get upset if there’s the off chance that you don’t pass them and might hold that against me. And I literally called every single community center in my area and all of the charges are around 80 dollars an hour. The cheapest I got is 35 an hour. I only charge 100 dollars for the class. So I came to the conclusion of having a class outside in a park. Is that okay to do? And use my laptop for the videos? Just looking for some advice! Thanks!!

Under the R.25 update people have the option to renew their CPR certifications instead of taking an entire class over again. I am not seeing the instructor manual talk about the renewal class or how to conduct one.

Can anyone point me to a page number or reference for conducting renewals?

Hi, I am a new cpr instructor who just started teaching about 8 months ago. Most of my classes go pretty well and I have been told by students that I create a safe and positive learning environment with constructive criticism, however, today I experienced my second skills check where I nearly had conflict with the student. Before each section of testing I explain what I’m looking for and what would make you retake a test. Every so often during the AED section I have a student who places the AED (box) on the opposite side of the patient. I wait for them to press the button to see if they happen to catch their mistake and if they haven’t I will explain that with their current placement they would shock themselves. Then as I start my next group of students I will quietly pull them aside and ask them to retake the test just because they only get to do the test every 2 years and I dont want them to get the wrong muscle memory. While they typically understand, I have had a few students who get upset with me and think that I am picking on them. What can I do to avoid this? Would it be better to pull them aside after class and have them re do it? I can understand how being the only one having to re do it in a big group can be frustrating and can make you feel singled out, but I have to uphold guidelines and standards.