Liberty's BLS requirement: American Heart Association, every graduate track

The rule, in Liberty's words

The 2026-27 catalog lists the same item on every DNP admission pathway: "CPR Certification American Heart Association BLS for Health Care Providers with AED." That covers the FNP, both PMHNP DNPs and the post-master's DNP. The catalog adds that all doctoral students must hold current American Heart Association CPR certification.

The 2022-23 MSN handbook is just as firm: "only American Heart Association CPR is accepted." Liberty's PMHNP FAQ, dated December 2020, says the same. The current MSN catalog lists an AHA CPR card among the items needed before any practicum course.

Put simply, the card has to say American Heart Association, and the course has to be BLS for Healthcare Providers with AED. A general community CPR class, or a card from a different provider, doesn't match the wording Liberty uses.

By track

Liberty states the rule in slightly different places for each program. The requirement itself barely changes.

For RN-to-BSN students, the public pages mention only the background check and license verification. If your NURS 440 observation site asks for BLS, that's the site's rule, and you'd arrange it for that site.

What counts as an acceptable card

Liberty names the provider and the course level, and that's all the public sources say. They don't describe whether a blended course with an in-person skills session is required, or how Liberty treats a card earned mostly online. If you're booking a new course, pick an AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers course and confirm the format with your Gate course before you pay for it.

There's one published exception. Liberty's FNP and post-BSN PMHNP program pages say military students may submit American Red Cross CPR instead. If that applies to you, confirm the exception is still listed in your Gate course instructions before relying on it.

For everyone else, a card from another provider, even at the same level, doesn't meet the rule as written. Replacing it with an AHA card is simpler than asking for an exception Liberty's sources don't describe.

ACLS and PALS: not a Liberty requirement

No public Liberty page requires ACLS or PALS for any nursing track, including FNP and PMHNP. BLS is the only resuscitation certification Liberty names.

That can change at the site level. The doctoral catalog allows for "other requirements as designed by specific practicum sites," and Liberty says it can't control a facility's onboarding requirements. A site with acute or emergency patients might ask an FNP student for ACLS, and a pediatric practice might ask about PALS. If a site asks, it's the site's requirement, and you'd arrange and pay for the course yourself, in line with Liberty's rule that site costs fall to the student.

Ask about this before you accept a site. A certification course has to be scheduled around work and school, and it's far easier to fit in before the practicum term than during it. For the full list of what Liberty and sites can ask for, see the clinical clearance checklist.

Keeping BLS current through practicum

Liberty looks at CPR more than once. The FNP page lists AHA BLS among admission requirements, and the Gate courses collect it again with the rest of your practicum requirements. Liberty's DNP page says students must be fully compliant before practicum can move forward.

The catalog says students must "hold current American Heart Association CPR certification," and the word current matters. A card that lapses mid-program leaves a gap in your compliance even if it was fine at admission. Check the expiration date printed on your card against the end date of your last practicum course, and renew before it runs out.

For MSN students, the 2022-23 handbook sent the CPR card to CastleBranch with the rest of the pre-practicum packet. NP students should follow their Gate course for where to upload it. See the CastleBranch page and the Gate courses page.

Settling a site's extras before day one

BLS is one of the few items entirely in your hands. Our strength is knowing a site's extras before you commit. When we search for a preceptor and site for your Liberty track, we ask whether the site expects ACLS, PALS or anything else beyond Liberty's BLS rule, so the question is settled before your first day.

Site and preceptor approval is Liberty's, and the answers we collect go into a file that is ready for it. If you're still looking for a site, use the form below or read how our service works first, and mention any certifications you already hold. If a site you've found asks for a course you can't fit in before the term, contact the placement desk and we will look at whether another site nearby would work.