American Heart Association Challenge Courses

What was a Challenge Course?
A “challenge” occurs when a student requests to complete course testing requirements without participating in an AHA classroom or online course. Instructors must follow all course testing requirements as defined in the appropriate Instructor Manual for the course testing requirements being challenged.

They have been official banned by the American Heart Association and are not considered valid courses. If you take a “Challenge Course”, this course will not be accepted by your employer and you would have to retake the course.

Even though the Challenge Classes have been banned by the American Heart Association, there are still a few companies in the Bay Area who teach this course. Here are a few reasons why you would not want to take one of these courses:

1. Course is not valid.
   If you take a Challenge course, your certification card would not be valid.
2. Pay Again
   Since the course is not valid. You would have to pay again and spend more time to take the proper class.
3. Your employer
   If you take a Challenge class, your employer would know that you took this shortened training. I don’t think they would be very pleased that you tried to get a quick course, instead of taking the proper training. Also, medical professionals have lost their jobs due to obtaining false certifications.
4. Your profession
   If your profession requires you to be trained in BLS, ACLS, or PALS, you should be proud to take the proper training.
5. Verification
   If you have any questions, you can call the American Heart Association at 888-242-8883.