When it comes to going down a path beyond the bedside, many simply fail to start. Being raised around business owners has shown me that delay results in death of ideas and passion. It can be easier to start with the familiar. For that reason, many professionals start as a CPR instructor. Once they gain comfort in a role outside of the usual bedside setting, taking on the next project may not seem as challenging.
After becoming certified to teach CPR they can contract themselves out at any number of facilities, gyms or other workplaces.
Take my husband for instance. He is a Maintenance Supervisor, yet his job requires CPR certification. He took the course from a gentleman who was an independent CPR trainer.
While there are many ways to go about this, I will speak to the process via the American Heart Association. Becoming an American Heart Association (AHA) instructor is easy after consulting with an AHA Training Center first. You will need to find out whether the Training Center (TC) is accepting new instructors and the TCC's (Training Center Coordinator) preferred course delivery.
The steps are simple – get started today!
Be accepted by your local AHA Training Center before enrolling in an Instructor Course and have a completed Instructor Candidate Application on file with that Training Center.
Have current AHA provider status in the discipline for that Instructor Course and be proficient in all the skills of that discipline. Disciplines include ACLS, BLS, PALS, PEARS and Heartsaver.
Successfully complete the discipline-specific classroom Instructor Course.
Successfully be monitored while teaching your first course within six months of completing the discipline-specific classroom Instructor Course. Training Center Coordinators can require additional monitoring.
Once you become an instructor, you will have access to the most current emergency cardiovascular care science, course updates, training resources and tools through the online AHA Instructor Network.