In early 2016 the American Heart Association (AHA) rolled out new cards to indicate that students had taken the most recent guidelines that were introduced in 2015. The new cards are white and each disciple is differentiated through a colored stripe on the top of the card; BLS & Heartsaver (blue), ACLS (red), PALS & PEARS (purple). Also all cards should be copyright © 2015. Additional changes included microprint and highlighted personalization. The cards now have highlighted areas for name, issue date and renewal date. Tampering with these areas will alter the appearance of the card.

One major difference is the BLS provider card. The new 2015 BLS provider course replaces the BLS for Healthcare providers and BLS for pre-hospital provider courses. The new BLS course teaches both single rescuer and team BLS skills for providers within the hospital setting and those providing care out of the hospital. The new card simply states BLS Provider and the words Healthcare Provider have been removed.

Please review the official AHA card reference guide found here for questions and quality assurance.