Before you jump into studying to become an American Heart Association Instructor you should go to your local AHA center and meet the team. Find out what types of courses they particularly need trainers in as this would be a good place to start gaining the qualifications you need. You will have a better chance of being appointed to the AHA instructor network if you can help them out by resolving their shortage of trainers than if you take a course that they already have sufficient instructors in.

Some instructors think that you need to have passed their ACLS training but unless you want to teach that particular subject this is not a requirement for most courses. People assume you are going to teach CPR but the AHA or Red Cross if you prefer to teach their classes both teach a lot more than that and you can become an instructor in a variety of courses and not just one.

Some people will prefer to teach CPR to the general public. Other candidates may have a background in hospitals or medicine and be more interested in teaching other healthcare providers more skills. It really depends on what motivates you or what subjects you enjoy the most. If you love kids, you may like to work with teenagers who want to pass their babysitting course.

Regardless of where your interest lies all would be American heart Associations Instructors have to pass the AHA core instructor course first. The only exception to this rule is if you have already passed the American Red Cross course as the two organizations recognize each others courses as being similar in quality and content. As you are training to become an instructor your course will cover the art of training in detail. The course complies with the international standards set for training the trainers. So the subjects you can expect to cover include setting and marking assessments and evaluations, presenting material and preparing courses.

Do you have to attend a class to become an AHA instructor? Not to pass the core instructor course as you have a choice of studying online, via a DVD course or attending a traditional class. You may think it would depend on your learning style as to which one you prefer to take. If time is an issue either the online or DVD course may be the preferred option as it is easier to fit these types of training around your current job/lifestyle than trying to find time to attend a scheduled class. But you have to check with your local AHA center as some of them will only employ instructors who have graduated from the classroom style training.

Once you have passed the core instructor training, your next step will depend on which subject or subjects you wish to teach. For example if you want to teach basic life support you need to have a valid BLS certificate. Once you complete the training to become a BLS instructor and have had your skills assessed at a practical exam you are good to go. If you want to teach either the ACLS certification or PALS courses you will have to hold a valid BLS certificate, be affiliated with your local AHA center and have passed these certifications as well.

Why not try this joining the American Heart Instructor Network, you will gain great experience as a trainer which you can use in other careers and at the same be instrumental in increasing the numbers of people currently qualified to save a life!