Do nurses need both ACLS and BLS certification?

Most bedside nurses need both. Hospitals set BLS as a requirement for any staff member who touches patients, and they set ACLS for nurses in emergency, critical care, cardiac, telemetry, and recovery settings. Nurse practitioners and charge nurses on those units usually hold both cards. These are employer rules rather than license rules, so check your unit handbook before you book anything.

Do ACLS and BLS cards expire after two years?

Yes. The American Heart Association issues provider cards that are valid for two years, and the expiration date is printed on the card. Renew before that date, not after. If your card lapses, most employers require you to repeat the full provider course, which costs more class time and money than a renewal class.

Is an online-only ACLS course valid?

Not by itself. The AHA HeartCode ACLS and HeartCode BLS programs use blended learning, so you complete the online module first and then attend a required in-person skills session with an instructor and manikins. The online piece can be finished in about 1 to 2 hours for BLS. A card that arrives with no hands-on session is not a provider card.

Is a Red Cross BLS card accepted the same as an AHA BLS card?

Most employers accept either, but some departments are specific. The American Red Cross offers a BLS course for healthcare providers and issues a two-year certificate of completion. Red Cross also notes that its classes may be eligible for continuing education credit. Read your job offer or unit policy, because a hospital that names one card will sometimes reject the other.

Which certification do hospitals actually ask new nurses for?

BLS first, then ACLS if your unit needs it. New graduates usually start with BLS because it is the baseline for any patient care role. ACLS usually comes later, often with a promotion, a transfer, or an agency contract. Most hospital job postings settle the question before you even ask a manager, so read the posting carefully and ask your recruiter.

ACLS vs BLS Certification 2026 Which One You Need

Q: How long is an ACLS course compared to a BLS course?

The American Heart Association lists a full BLS provider course at about 4.5 hours with breaks, including skills practice and testing. The AHA lists its ACLS update course at 8.5 to 9.5 hours with breaks. A first time ACLS provider course runs longer because it adds full skills practice, and most nurses add study time on top to learn heart rhythms.

ACLS vs BLS Certification 2026 Which One You Need

The variable that decides your course is your job role and the care setting where you work. The American Heart Association lists about 4 to 4.5 hours for a BLS provider class and 8.5 to 9.5 hours for an ACLS update class. Both completion cards stay valid for two years. Here is how acls vs bls certification breaks down, so you can book the right course this week and study in the right order.

New nurses ask this question in their first week on a new unit, usually right after a nurse manager hands them a renewal form. The two credentials look similar on a resume, but they test different skills and cost different amounts of time and money. Short version first, then the detail.

How to choose between acls vs bls certification

Basic Life Support, usually called BLS, teaches the core lifesaving skills. You learn high-quality chest compressions, how to use an automated external defibrillator, mouth-to-mouth and bag-mask ventilation, choking relief, and how a team works together during a cardiac arrest. Every healthcare provider course ends with a hands-on skills check on a manikin.

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, usually called ACLS, builds on top of BLS. It adds reading heart rhythms on a monitor, knowing which drugs to give and when, managing the airway, and running a full resuscitation team through a megacode scenario. The American Heart Association says the ACLS course builds on the foundation of BLS skills and puts a strong focus on team performance.

Point of comparison	BLS	ACLS
Full name	Basic Life Support	Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
Core skills	CPR, AED, airway, choking	Rhythms, drugs, airway, team code
AHA class length	About 4.5 hours for a provider course	8.5 to 9.5 hours for an update course
Card validity	Two years	Two years
Common workplace	Any patient care area	Emergency room, ICU, telemetry, cath lab
Hardest study part	Staying calm and calling for help	ECG rhythms and drug doses

Who needs ACLS and BLS certification for their job?

Short answer: almost every bedside nurse needs BLS, and nurses in critical care areas usually need ACLS on top. Hospitals set these as job requirements, not license requirements, so the exact rule comes from your employer handbook. Most hospital job postings settle the acls vs bls certification question before you ever ask a manager.

Expect BLS for staff who touch patients, including nursing assistants, medical assistants, dental hygienists, and new graduates. Expect ACLS for emergency room nurses, intensive care nurses, cardiac and step-down units, catheterization labs, recovery rooms, and nurse practitioners who run a code. Traveling and agency nurses should ask before their first shift, because most agencies require both cards to be current.

If you are still working toward your nursing credential, our guide to CNA Certification Cost by State 2026: Programs and Fees explains the shorter route into healthcare work.

What does each course cover and how long do you study?

The American Heart Association lists the full BLS provider course at about 4.5 hours with breaks, including skills practice and skills testing. The BLS renewal class is a little shorter at roughly 4 hours. The online portion of the blended HeartCode BLS course takes about 1 to 2 hours, and you finish it with an in-person skills session.

The AHA lists its ACLS update course at 8.5 to 9.5 hours with breaks. That number does not include the extra hours most people spend learning heart rhythms before class, so set aside study time on top. A first time ACLS provider course runs longer than the update course because it adds the full skills practice.

Plan for one weekend of study before an ACLS class and one evening before a BLS class. If you are taking a blended course, the online module fits around shifts better than a full classroom day.

How does the skill check work?

Both AHA provider courses end with two tests. The written exam covers the algorithms and the pharmacology, and the skills check puts you on a manikin with an instructor watching. For BLS you run a one-rescuer and a two-rescuer adult cardiac arrest scenario with an AED. For ACLS you add ECG rhythm recognition, a megacode team scenario, and medication decisions. Every critical step has to be done correctly, which is why practicing on a manikin before the day matters.

The American Red Cross also offers a BLS course for healthcare providers, and it issues a two-year certificate of completion. Red Cross notes that its classes may also be eligible for continuing education credit. Many employers accept either card, but some departments are specific, so check the name on your job offer.

How much does each certification cost in 2026?

The American Heart Association sells HeartCode BLS Online for $38 and HeartCode ACLS Online for $178 through its ShopCPR store. Classroom courses cost more because your local training center adds the instructor, the manikins, and the skills session. Those classroom fees vary a lot by region, so read the full breakdown on our ACLS Certification Cost 2026 Online: AHA Pricing page and our BLS Certification Cost 2026 Near Me: AHA Pricing page before you pay a training center.

One money-saving tip. If you need both cards, ask the training center whether it runs a combined calendar day, because you cover one trip and one missed shift instead of two. Buying both HeartCode online modules at the same time also spreads the study across a few weeks.

When do you need both cards and how do you renew?

You need both when you work where patients can arrest at any moment and you are expected to lead the response. That covers critical care, emergency, cardiac, and post-anesthesia nurses. Nurse practitioners and charge nurses on those units usually need the same pair. Pediatric-heavy units add PALS, which is a separate AHA course.

Renewal is every two years for both cards. The AHA prints the expiration date on the card, so book the renewal before that date, not after. A renewal class is shorter than the first provider course, and the AHA lists the BLS renewal at about 4 hours with breaks. If your card expires, most employers require you to repeat the full provider course, which costs more time and money. Settle acls vs bls certification once for your career, because both cards renew on the same cycle.

Credentials travel with you on the pay scale, and location matters more than the card. Our RN Salary 2026 by State: Top 20 List shows the state spread, and Best Laptops for Nursing Students 2026 covers the gear you need for online classes and exam prep.

Photo: JamesRein, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/first-aid-puppet-exercise-aed-4089599/)

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Written by

Fazlur RahmanAI, Entrepreneurship, EdTech

Fazlur Rahman is the founder of Tutorsbot, building AI-powered tools for learning and career growth. He writes about applying AI in real products and the practi… Read more

Fazlur Rahman is the founder of Tutorsbot, building AI-powered tools for learning and career growth. He writes about applying AI in real products and the practical side of building an ed-tech startup.