1. What courses do I have to take to become an American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED instructor?
We highly recommend that you begin by taking basic classes, specifically Standard First Aid with AED and Infant/Child CPR. These help you develop your skills and also enable you to see how Red Cross courses are taught. They are not, however, a requirement to become an instructor. You are required to take the following classes:
Please see the attached instructor training process for more information: |
 How Do I Become An American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor? |
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2. I want to become an ARC instructor. Do I have to have current CPR and First Aid certification in order to take instructor courses?
No, you don't need to be certified. These basic courses are not required to become an instructor, but they are highly recommended. Not only do they give you a chance to acquire course skills and knowledge - they also show you how American Red Cross courses are run, which is very helpful when you go to teach one yourself. |
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3. My basic CPR certification has expired. Do I need to renew it in order to teach?
No. As long as your instructor authorization is still valid, you can teach. |
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4. How long is an instructor's authorization valid?
The initial authorization is valid until the second December 31 following the completion of instructor training, or, if the training took place in the last three months of the year, until the third December 31 following the training. Reauthorizations are valid for two years, and always end on December 31. |
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5. What do I have to do to become reauthorized?
You must teach or co-teach at least one course of record during your authorization period. |
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6. Can I co-teach a basic CPR class with a fellow instructor and use that class to recertify myself in CPR?
No. You can't be both a student and an instructor in the same class. In order to recertify in CPR, you can take a basic, Review, or Challenge course. |
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7. I'm an instructor in Greater New York. I want to teach in a chapter outside of this unit. What should I do?
This is called extended authorization. To get extended authorization into another chapter, you should contact them and make arrangements to have them endorse your instructor certificate. They will call us to verify your current authorization status. When you teach a course in that chapter, be sure to submit the original and one copy of the Course Record form along with appropriate fees to them. |
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8. I'm currently a Red Cross instructor in Greater New York, but I'm moving and want to transfer my authorization to another chapter. What should I do?
You need to call the chapter you'd like to transfer to and ask them to send us a written request to transfer your records. After we receive this request and send your records, the new chapter will review them and complete the transfer. In the meantime, if you wish, you can get extended authorization to teach in that chapter. |
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9. I'm an instructor from outside this chapter, but I'd like to make this my home chapter. How do I do that?
Bring or mail in your current instructor certification, and we'll begin by extending your teaching authorization to this chapter. After that, you'll need to fill out the Health & Safety Services Instructor Request for Transfer form. We will send it to your previous chapter, and when we receive your records, we'll complete the transfer. |
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10. How do I extend my authorization to teach in ARC/GNY?
You can either mail us your current instructor certificate or go to one of our local area offices. |
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