Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification Course

This lesson introduces the basics of Basic Life Support (BLS) and the Chain of Survival. You’ll learn how the heart and lungs work together, what happens during cardiac arrest, and why quick action is critical. The lesson covers recognizing an emergency, starting high-quality chest compressions, using an AED, giving rescue breaths, treating choking, and working effectively as part of a rescue team to improve a person’s chance of survival.

Early, effective BLS greatly increases the chances of survival for adults in cardiac arrest, which is why rescuers are taught to follow the Adult Chain of Survival step by step. For children and infants, emergencies are most often caused by breathing problems that lead to cardiac arrest, so the Pediatric Chain of Survival places strong emphasis on prevention as the most important first step.

This lesson explains the latest BLS updates from the 2025 ILCOR CPR and ECC guidelines. It highlights the importance of early CPR by bystanders, the addition of recovery as a key step in the Chain of Survival, the specialized care needed after ROSC, the long-term support required for survivors, the value of debriefing rescuers, and special considerations for cardiac arrest during pregnancy.

This lesson explains the Simple Adult BLS Algorithm, guiding you through recognizing an emergency, activating help, performing high-quality CPR, using an AED, and continuing care until advanced medical help arrives.

This lesson outlines the steps for providing one-rescuer BLS/CPR to an adult, including scene safety, assessing responsiveness and breathing, calling emergency services, starting CPR, and using an AED as soon as it becomes available.

This lesson explains how to perform effective two-rescuer CPR, including how to share tasks, switch roles regularly to avoid fatigue, use an AED as a team, and minimize interruptions in chest compressions to maintain high-quality, life-saving care.

This lesson explains how to provide effective adult ventilations during CPR using a pocket mask for one rescuer and a bag-mask device for two rescuers. It emphasizes proper mask seal, airway-opening techniques, breath timing, and coordination with chest compressions to maximize resuscitation effectiveness.

This lesson explains the Adult Basic Life Support (BLS) algorithm, guiding you through scene safety, checking responsiveness, activating emergency services, assessing breathing and pulse, performing high-quality CPR, and using an AED. It emphasizes the importance of early action and high-quality compressions to improve survival in adult cardiac emergencies.

This lesson explains what ventricular fibrillation is, how an AED works, and why early defibrillation is critical in cardiac arrest. It provides clear, step-by-step instructions for using an AED safely and effectively during CPR, including preparation of the chest, pad placement, analyzing rhythm, delivering a shock, and resuming compressions.

This lesson highlights the key differences between adult and child BLS, including compression ratios, depth, when to call EMS, and the importance of early intervention for breathing problems as part of the Pediatric Chain of Survival.

This lesson explains how to respond to an unresponsive, non-breathing child when you are alone or with another rescuer. It covers checking responsiveness, breathing, and pulse, when to start CPR, the correct compression-to-breath ratios, when to call EMS, how to use an AED, and how to coordinate roles in two-rescuer pediatric CPR.

This lesson introduces the pediatric BLS algorithm for infants and children, outlining how to recognize an emergency, activate help, assess breathing and pulse, perform high-quality CPR, and use an AED appropriately. It emphasizes early intervention and pediatric-specific techniques to improve survival and outcomes in young patients.

This lesson explains how to safely and effectively use a mask to give rescue breaths to children, including choosing the correct mask size, opening the airway properly, delivering controlled breaths, and avoiding complications like stomach distention and vomiting.

This lesson explains how and when to safely use an AED on children and infants, including pad selection and placement, pediatric settings, and the step-by-step process for delivering shocks and coordinating CPR to improve survival in pediatric cardiac emergencies.

This lesson explains the difference between basic ventilation methods and advanced airways during CPR. It highlights when to use mouth-to-mouth, mask, or bag-mask ventilation, why advanced airways should be placed early, and how the compression-to-breath ratio changes once an advanced airway is in place.