American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) Course (2024)

Program Description

American Red Cross Basic Life Support (5.00 clock hours)

The American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) course provides participants with the knowledge and skills they need to assess, recognize and care for patients who are experiencing respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, airway obstruction or opioid overdose. When a patient experiences a life-threatening emergency, healthcare providers need to act swiftly and promptly. The course emphasizes providing high-quality care and integrating psychomotor skills with critical thinking and problem solving to achieve the best possible patient outcomes.

Target Audience

This CE/CME activity is accredited by the DHA J-7 Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO). This activity provides continuing education for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, dentists, dental hygienists, and dental technicians. A certificate of attendance is available for other attendees.

Learning Objectives

  1. Apply concepts of effective teamwork when caring for a patient experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
  2. Integrate communication, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills during a high-performance BLS team response.
  3. Apply a systematic, continuous approach to assess, recognize and care for adults, children and infants experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
  4. Perform a rapid assessment for responsive and unresponsive adults, children and infants.
  5. Effectively care for adults, children and infants in respiratory arrest.
  6. State the principles of high-quality CPR for adults, children and infants.
  7. Identify BLS differences among adults, children and infants.
  8. Provide high-quality chest compressions for adults, children and infants.
  9. Deliver effective ventilations to adults, children and infants using a pocket mask and bag-valve-mask (BVM) resuscitator.
  10. Demonstrate effective use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for adults, children and infants.
  11. Provide high-quality BLS care for adults, children and infants in single- and multiple-provider situations.
  12. Deliver effective abdominal thrusts, back blows and chest thrusts for adults, children and infants with airway obstruction.
  13. State the principles of care for a patient experiencing an opioid overdose.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 5.00 AAPA
    DHA J-7 CEPO has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 5.00 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Physician assistants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
  • 5.00 ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit
    DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers will be provided a certificate of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers may receive a maximum of 5.00 hours for completing this Enduring Material (Home Study) activity.
  • 5.00 ACPE Pharmacist
    UAN JA4008136-0000-24-047-H05-P
    No valid paper/electronic statement of credit will be offered. DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to provide continuing education for Pharmacists. This knowledge based activity will provide a maximum of 5.00 contact hours of pharmacy continuing education credit. Participant CE records will be electronically communicated to CPE Monitor. There is no cost to participate in this activity.
  • 5.00 ACPE Pharmacy technician
    UAN JA4008136-0000-24-047-H05-T
    No valid paper/electronic statement of credit will be offered. DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to provide continuing education for Pharmacy Technicians. This knowledge based activity will provide a maximum of 5.00 contact hours of pharmacy continuing education credit. Participant CE records will be electronically communicated to CPE Monitor. There is no cost to participate in this activity.
  • 5.00 ADA
    The Defense Health Agency J-7 Continuing Education Program Office is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at ADA.org/CERP.
  • 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. DHA J-7 CEPO designated this Enduring Material (Home Study) activity for a maximum of 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 5.00 ANCC
    The DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Joint Accreditation/ Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) to provide this Continuing Nursing Education Enduring Material (Home Study) for a maximum of 5.00 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 5.00 Certificate of Attendance
  • 5.00 IPCE
    This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners can receive up to 5.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change. In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by DHA, J-7, CEPO. DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP), and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to provide continuing education for the health care team.
Course opens: 
02/01/2024
Course expires: 
12/31/2024

DHA J-7 staff, Military Training Network, Planning Committee Members and reviewers have no financial or non-financial interest to disclose. All faculty members have no financial or non-financial interest to disclose.

Available Credit

  • 5.00 AAPA
    DHA J-7 CEPO has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 5.00 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Physician assistants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
  • 5.00 ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit
    DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers will be provided a certificate of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers may receive a maximum of 5.00 hours for completing this Enduring Material (Home Study) activity.
  • 5.00 ACPE Pharmacist
    UAN JA4008136-0000-24-047-H05-P
    No valid paper/electronic statement of credit will be offered. DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to provide continuing education for Pharmacists. This knowledge based activity will provide a maximum of 5.00 contact hours of pharmacy continuing education credit. Participant CE records will be electronically communicated to CPE Monitor. There is no cost to participate in this activity.
  • 5.00 ACPE Pharmacy technician
    UAN JA4008136-0000-24-047-H05-T
    No valid paper/electronic statement of credit will be offered. DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to provide continuing education for Pharmacy Technicians. This knowledge based activity will provide a maximum of 5.00 contact hours of pharmacy continuing education credit. Participant CE records will be electronically communicated to CPE Monitor. There is no cost to participate in this activity.
  • 5.00 ADA
    The Defense Health Agency J-7 Continuing Education Program Office is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at ADA.org/CERP.
  • 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    DHA J-7 CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. DHA J-7 CEPO designated this Enduring Material (Home Study) activity for a maximum of 5.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 5.00 ANCC
    The DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Joint Accreditation/ Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) to provide this Continuing Nursing Education Enduring Material (Home Study) for a maximum of 5.00 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 5.00 Certificate of Attendance
  • 5.00 IPCE
    This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners can receive up to 5.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change. In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by DHA, J-7, CEPO. DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry's Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP), and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to provide continuing education for the health care team.
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Accommodations for Learners with Hearing Impairment

Captions and transcripts are available upon request for all CE/CME live events and on-demand courses sponsored by J-7 CEPO.

Live events:
To request real-time, streaming closed captions, please contact CEPO at least three business days before an event begins. If CEPO cannot arrange for live event captioning, then a video recording and transcript of the audio will be provided after the event. 

On-demand "Home Study" courses:
You may request a transcript (a written account of a pre-recorded video’s audio content) upon registering for a CEPO Home Study course. 

CEPO can typically deliver a transcript within ten business days.

For more information, or to submit a request, please contact CEPO at dha.ncr.j7.mbx.cepo-cms-support@health.mil.