If you have an interest in life saving techniques and have a strong medical background, a great work from home idea is to become an instructor for the Basic Life Support course. Training is not difficult to attain, and the demand for this skill is very high. Many medical professionals including physicians, nurses, and physical and occupational therapists are required to obtain this certification, and renewal is required every two years. Certification is also desirable for other professions, such as day care providers and police officers.

Basic Life Support is designed to teach participants cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillator (AED) and foreign body airway obstruction techniques for victims of all ages. Courses explain the difference between adult and pediatric CPR. They also demonstrate techniques such as two rescuer CPR and use of a bag valve mask.  A BLS Provider course is intended for participants that have never taken BLS or have not taken BLS for several years.

A BLS Healthcare Provider course is specifically geared to health care professionals and is designed to provide them with the ability to recognize life-threatening emergencies, use an AED, provide CPR, and relieve choking in an efficient and timely manner.

A health care professional or BLS Provider that has a thorough understanding of BLS techniques and wishes to obtain instructor status will need to be accepted into BLS Instructor training. Some courses are referred to as American Heart Association Instructor training. The aim of instructors is to teach BLS for the Healthcare Provider as well as First Aid courses and CPR or Heart health courses.

Acceptance into a BLS Instructor program usually requires experience as a BLS Provider for a certain period of time. It may require a current AHA provider card received 60 days prior to the course. Letters of recommendation are likely to be a requirement. The instructor course typically lasts two days.

A good BLS instructor is able to teach skills while generating enthusiasm and motivating participants to handle emergency situations. The American Heart Association has a mission to reduce disability and death caused by heart disease and stroke. The more instructors that are trained in BLS, the more people in the community will be adequately trained to handle life-threatening emergencies.

Chances are, once you get the word out that you are a BLS instructor, you can start your own training business, and you will have plenty of people interested in taking the class from you. This skill is always in great demand, and it’s a great opportunity for health professionals to offer a valuable service from home.