Your AHA BLS card has an expiration date printed right on it, and if your employer keeps a copy on file, they usually want the new one before the old one runs out. If you live or work in Spring Grove, Fox Lake, or Round Lake, renewing does not have to eat your day off. The renewal class runs 45 to 60 minutes and you walk out with a new two year card in your hand.
Here is how renewal actually works, what it costs, what you have to do before you show up, and what to do if your card already expired.
Renewal or Full BLS Provider: How to Tell Which One You Need
There are two ways to end up with a current BLS card, and picking the wrong one costs you either time or money.
- BLS Renewal, $79, 45 to 60 minutes. This is the skills session only. It requires that you finish HeartCode Part 1 online first and bring the completion certificate with you.
- BLS Provider, $85, 90 minutes. This is the full class, start to finish, in person. No online work needed beforehand.
The gap between the two prices is small on purpose. If you have not already paid for HeartCode, or you do not want to sit through an online module, the full BLS Provider class is often the simpler choice. If your job already bought you a HeartCode key, or you have the certificate sitting in your email from a previous cycle, renewal is faster and cheaper.
If you are not sure which one your employer is asking for, text a photo of the request and we will tell you which class matches it. Guessing is what causes people to show up with the wrong paperwork.
HeartCode Part 1 Comes First
This is the single thing that trips people up. BLS Renewal is the hands on half of a two part course. The first part is the AHA HeartCode online module, and you complete that on your own before class. When you finish it, you get a completion certificate.
Bring that certificate to your renewal session. Printed or on your phone, either is fine, as long as it is readable. Without it, there is nothing to attach the skills check to, and the renewal class is not the right class for you that day.
If you read that and realized you have not done the online part, you have two options: finish it before your appointment, or switch your booking to the full BLS Provider class and do everything in one 90 minute visit. Either works. Just tell us which one you want so the right amount of time is set aside.
What the Renewal Session Actually Looks Like
It is hands on work, not a lecture. You will run through compressions on an adult manikin, then infant and child, bag mask ventilation, AED use, and team scenarios. Your instructor is Ray Mamerow, a certified American Heart Association instructor with more than 30 years in healthcare who has been teaching CPR since 2010.
Classes are small and nobody gets put on the spot in front of a room of strangers. If a skill is rusty, you practice it until it is not. That is the point of the session. You can read what past students say on the testimonials page.
Your two year AHA card is issued at the end of class. You are not waiting on it to come in the mail, and you are not chasing anyone down for it a week later.
If Your Card Already Expired
It happens, usually because the date sneaks up during a busy stretch at work. Do not panic about it. Get in a class and get current again. If you are past the date and your employer needs proof quickly, emergency scheduling is $150 and is often available the same day or the next day.
There is also no waiting list here, which is the main reason people drive from Fox Lake and Round Lake instead of waiting two weeks for an opening somewhere else. Classes run seven days a week, roughly 9:00am to 6:30pm, and weekend sessions are available on request.
Getting Here From Spring Grove, Fox Lake, and Round Lake
Classes are held at 28959 Pilgrims Pass, Lakemoor, IL 60051. From Spring Grove, Fox Lake, Round Lake, Johnsburg, McHenry, Volo, or Wauconda it is a short drive, and a lot shorter than heading toward the city for a class you could take fifteen minutes from home.
- Bring your HeartCode Part 1 completion certificate.
- Wear clothes you can kneel on the floor in.
- Bring your old card if you still have it, so the renewal cycle is easy to confirm.
- Plan for 45 to 60 minutes, not a half day.
Every price is listed openly on the class prices page, so you know what you are paying before you book. If you have a group renewing at the same time, a whole shift or a whole office, onsite group training at your location is quoted per group at group rates.
Book Your BLS Renewal
Pick a time that works around your shift and lock it in at calendly.com/links4life. If you would rather ask a question first, or you are not certain whether you need renewal or the full class, call or text 815-690-0664 and get a straight answer. You can also reach out through the contact page.
Renew before the date on your card, not after. It is a shorter conversation with your employer that way.
Leave a Reply