Blog / Eligibility and screening questions

Do NHS employers accept AHA ACLS and BLS?

By the Health Job Scout team · 3 min read · Fact-checked 15 October 2026

If you trained somewhere with no Resuscitation Council UK course centre, you've probably done ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) or BLS (Basic Life Support) with the American Heart Association (AHA) instead. The question is whether that is enough for an NHS job.

The honest answer is that it depends on the employer and on the wording of the post. We couldn't find any national rule that accepts or rejects AHA courses across the NHS. What we can tell you is what the two organisations say about themselves.

ACLS vs ALS: what the Resuscitation Council UK says

The UK's ALS course began as an imported and adapted version of the American ACLS course. It was later renamed ALS, and the Council's own history says the American Heart Association was keen to bring ACLS to the UK at that point. The Council says the European Resuscitation Council and the Australian Resuscitation Council both recognise its course. It doesn't publish a list of other courses that count as equivalent, and it says to ask the employer.

"ALS" vs "ALS or equivalent" in NHS job adverts

Posts that ask for ALS fall into two groups. Some say "ALS" and nothing else. Others say "ALS or equivalent". In the second case, an ACLS certificate may be considered, and the employer decides. In the first case, an employer can still be flexible, but you shouldn't assume it.

How to ask an NHS employer if your ACLS is accepted

Find the contact for informal enquiries on the advert. Send a short message:

• name the course you hold (for example ACLS and BLS), the provider and the date
• say it has a hands-on assessment, if it did
• ask whether it meets the requirement, or whether you'd be expected to complete the Resuscitation Council UK course after starting

Here is a template you can copy and adjust:

Subject: Informal enquiry about the life support requirement, [job reference]

Dear [name], I'm interested in the [post] (reference [ref]). I hold ACLS and BLS from the American Heart Association, completed on [date], with a hands-on assessment. Could you tell me whether this meets the life support requirement, or whether I would be expected to complete the Resuscitation Council UK ALS course after starting? Thank you, [your name]

Keep their reply. It helps if the question comes up again at shortlisting or in the pre-employment checks.

What to write on the application

Write exactly what you hold. Don't list ACLS as ALS. If a screening question asks about ALS and says nothing about equivalents, you answer no, or you use the free-text box to explain what you hold instead. Our post on pre-screening questions covers how to handle that.

No life support certificate yet? What to do

Some employers may be flexible when a doctor has had no access to UK course centres. That's not an official rule, just a practical point you can make politely in your supporting statement, with evidence of what you've done instead. Then book the Resuscitation Council UK course as soon as you can, so that the next application doesn't carry the question.

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