ACLS certification: cost, renewal & jobs
ACLS is the advanced resuscitation credential for critical-care staff. It needs a current BLS card, costs a few hundred dollars, and is valid for 2 years.
What's ACLS certification?
ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) certification proves you can manage a cardiac arrest or another life-threatening emergency as part of a resuscitation team. It goes past basic CPR: you read heart rhythms on a monitor, run the algorithms for cardiac arrest and unstable arrhythmias, give emergency drugs, manage an advanced airway, and often lead the code. The American Heart Association (AHA) course is the one most US hospitals name. A first-time provider card is valid for 2 years.
ACLS vs BLS
ACLS and BLS are 2 different courses, and ACLS is the more advanced one. BLS is the basic CPR every clinical worker needs. ACLS adds the skills used by the team running a code, and most training centers require a current BLS card before you can take it.
| BLS (Basic Life Support) | Entry-level CPR for all clinical staff: chest compressions, AED use, bag-mask ventilation, and choking response. About $80 to $100, roughly 3 to 4 hours, no prerequisite. |
|---|---|
| ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) | For staff who run resuscitations. Adds ECG rhythm recognition, emergency pharmacology, advanced airway management, and team leadership. A few hundred dollars, one to two days, and a current BLS card to enroll. |
Start with our BLS / CPR certification guide if you still need the prerequisite card. The pediatric version of ACLS is PALS, which covers the same advanced skills for infants and children. Our PALS certification guide covers how PALS compares with ACLS.
Who requires ACLS
Employers ask for ACLS on roles that respond to cardiac emergencies. In our listings that means registered nurses in emergency, intensive care, telemetry, cath lab, and rapid-response settings, plus respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, and some licensed practical nurses in acute care. What these jobs share is that a patient can code and you're on the team that responds. Nurses in lower-acuity units, outpatient clinics, and most retail health roles usually don't need it.
Requirements and eligibility
- A current BLS provider card. The AHA and the Red Cross both expect you to be proficient in basic life support first, and most training centers require a current card to enroll.
- The ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment, passed at 70% or higher. The AHA requires it before the class, and you bring the printed result with you. It covers rhythm recognition, pharmacology, and practical application.
- No license or degree of your own. Students and new graduates can take ACLS, though the skills assume some clinical background.
- No minimum age set by the AHA.
- Completion of an accredited ACLS course, in a classroom or a blended format.
- A passing score on the hands-on skills test and the written exam.
Cost, format, and renewal
A full ACLS provider course runs about $200 to $350, and renewal about $150 to $250. These figures reflect AHA and training-center listings as of July 2026 and vary by location and provider, so confirm the price with the training center before you book.
| Course fee | About $200 to $350 for a full provider course |
|---|---|
| Renewal fee | About $150 to $250 for the renewal (update) course |
| Format | Full classroom course, or blended (HeartCode ACLS online plus an in-person skills session) |
| Course length | About 10 to 12 hours over one or two days for a first-time course, shorter for renewal |
| Validity period | 2 years |
| Renewal requirement | Complete an ACLS renewal course before the card expires. A current BLS card must also be in place |
| If it lapses | Once the card expires, most training centers make you take the full provider course again, not the shorter renewal |
| Issuing body | American Heart Association, or the American Red Cross (its Advanced Life Support course) |
Choosing a provider: AHA vs Red Cross and online-only cards
The American Heart Association is the default. Most US hospitals name AHA ACLS specifically, and many training centers accept only a current AHA BLS card as the prerequisite. The American Red Cross runs an equivalent Advanced Life Support course, valid for 2 years, and more employers accept it now. Check the job posting or your employer's credentialing office before you pay, because some accept only one.
Skip any ACLS card sold as 100% online with no skills check. Hospitals working to Joint Commission and CMS standards need documented proof that you can run a resuscitation, and a web quiz doesn't produce it. Those cards get rejected at credentialing, which can delay your start date and cost you the price of the real course a second time. A blended course is fine: the online coursework is followed by an in-person skills session, so the hands-on part is still tested.
How to get certified
- Get or renew your BLS card first. You need it current to enroll in ACLS, and most centers check.
- Check the job posting or your employer's credentialing office for a named provider. Some require AHA specifically.
- Register for an AHA ACLS course, or the Red Cross Advanced Life Support course, and pick classroom or blended.
- Complete the ACLS Precourse Self-Assessment and score at least 70%. Print the result to bring to class.
- Do the coursework, then pass the hands-on skills test and the written exam.
- Download your provider card. It's usually issued digitally within a day or two.
- Set a reminder for about 22 months out. Renewing before the card expires is shorter and cheaper than retaking the full course.
Demand for ACLS on MedJobList
ACLS is named in 304 of the active US openings we track right now. Those are mostly hospital nursing and respiratory jobs in emergency, critical care, and telemetry units, where running or supporting a code is part of the role. You can browse them in the section below, or filter the full job list by ACLS yourself.
On the job
Bring the card on your first day, since many hospitals keep a copy with HR and won't schedule you for patient care without it. Once you're hired, ask who pays for renewal. A lot of hospitals run ACLS classes in-house for staff and cover the fee, and units that require the card often build recertification into your paid education time. Ask at the interview or at onboarding, before you pay out of pocket.
