The Irish Heart Foundation’s Heartsaver AED & Cardiac First Response (CFR) Community Instructor Course is for laypeople who would like to learn how to teach these courses:
This instructor course is dual-certified by IHF and PHECC. The Cardiac First Response Community Course is the required standard of training for any group wishing to link to the National Ambulance Service as a Cardiac First Responder Group. The Heartsaver AED and CFR Community Add-on Course, includes the Heartsaver AED Course as its basis with an additional CFR Community module. The additional CFR portion of the course includes:
Pre Course Considerations
Instructor candidates must hold current AHA Heartsaver AED Provider certification and PHECC CFR Community certification at the time of attending the instructor course
Instructor Competencies
Heartsaver AED & CFR Community Instructors must be proficient in all Heartsaver and CFR C skills and able to teach IHF/ AHA/ PHECC courses correctly and as they were intended – with a high standard of ethics and professionalism. Instructors must be able to test candidates effectively. Instructors also need to be able to manage space, time, materials and paperwork in compliance with IHF, AHA and PHECC, and their own training site’s guidelines.
Post Course Certification Requirements
Following the 2-day Instructor course, candidates must attend 3 Provider courses within 90 days (3 months) of the initial instructor course date:
Successful instructors who are signed off by an IHF BLS Faculty member will receive an IHF/AHA Heartsaver AED Instructor Card and an IHF/PHECC CFR Community Instructor card, both of which are valid for two years.
Maintaining Instructor Certification
Heartsaver AED & CFR Community Instructor certification is valid for two years from the date of the initial instructor course. To be eligible to re-certify, instructors must teach on a minimum of four IHF/ AHA/ Provider Courses including courses with a CFR add-on. Recertification should be conducted before the current instructor card expires. To re-certify, the instructor must successfully demonstrate all Heartsaver AED and CFR Community provider skills, complete any relevant updates as required (e.g. guidelines updates) and should be monitored by an IHF BLS faculty member while teaching on any of the IHF Heartsaver AED Provider courses (Heartsaver AED, Heartsaver Online, Heartsaver AED & CFR Community Add-on). Instructors will only be able to recertify as a CFR Instructor through the IHF CPR programme as long as they also retain current Heartsaver Instructor Certification. If this certification has lapsed, instructors will not be able to renew with IHF but may be able to recertify as a CFR Instructor with another PHECC recognised Training Institution.
