Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

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Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)® Certification and Recertification

Offered by the Clinical Training Center at Boston Medical Center

Logo: American Heart Association (AHA) Authorized Training Center

The American Heart Association (AHA)’s ACLS® course has been updated to reflect new science in the 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. This course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR.

This advanced course highlights the importance of high-performance team dynamics and communication, systems of care, recognition and intervention of cardiopulmonary arrest, immediate post-cardiac arrest, acute dysrhythmia, stroke, and acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Target Audience: MDs, PAs, RNs, NPs, paramedics, respiratory therapists, technicians, etc.

The Certification and Recertification Process

An example certificate of completion

The process of ACLS® certification and recertification is simple. Classes are taught in a blended format. There are four steps:

  1. Online Precourse Assessment: Once you register for the online portion, you will be assigned an online Precourse Assessment that must be passed with a score of greater than 70%. This helps ensure that you have the baseline knowledge of ECG interpretation, pharmacology, and basic resuscitation to be successful in the course.
  2. Online Lessons: You will complete the online video-based lessons that introduce you to new updates in the science of resuscitation and review the ACLS algorithms (bradycardia, tachycardia, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and cardiac arrest resuscitation).
  3. Skills Session: You will register for and attend an ACLS® hands-on Skills Session.
    1. Each session is 8 hours, including a 30-minute lunch and morning and afternoon breaks.
    2. During this session you will work in small groups to extensively practice the algorithms you learned online.
    3. Employees of BMC Brighton and BMC South must attend skills session classes either on the campus at which they work or at the BMC main campus. (All BMC Health System employees are welcome to attend classes at the BMC main campus.)
    4. Skills sessions for outside students (non–BMC employees) are held only at the BMC main campus.
  4. Final Exam: You will take the 50-question final exam at the end of the Skills Session day.
    1. This exam can be completed on your laptop, a tablet, or smartphone.
    2. Paper exams will be available for those learners who do not bring a device.

Your completion card will be emailed the next business day following your successful completion of the final exam.

Registration Links

Register for and complete the online program:

Register for ACLS® Certification and Recertification (Online Portion)

Register for a Skills Session. Please note:

  • All BMC Health System employees, as well as registered outside students/non–BMC employees, may attend skills sessions held at the BMC main campus. However, skills sessions held at BMC Brighton and BMC South are open only to employees of those campuses.
  • The skills sessions are held in various locations around the BMC campuses. When you register, please make note of the location at which your session will be held.
  • On the day of your hands-on skills session, check-in starts at 7:45 a.m. and instruction begins promptly at 8 a.m. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you will be turned away.

Register for ACLS® Skills Sessions at BMC (main campus) (for anyone)

Register for ACLS® Skills Sessions at BMC Brighton (for employees of BMC Brighton only)

Register for ACLS® Skills Sessions at BMC South (for employees of BMC South only)

Adding on Basic Life Support Certification during ACLS®

Optionally, if you complete the HeartCode® BLS course’s online portion prior to the ACLS® skills session, we will issue both a BLS and an ACLS® completion card. No preregistration is required.