ECC Beat 10/30/26

The NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a critical component of acute stroke assessment. As we continue to recognize the importance of World Stroke Day, the American Stroke Association is proud to mark the recent launch of the new NIH Stroke Scale eLearning Course, now available on the American Heart Association Professional Education Hub Store.

Designed to support healthcare professionals in delivering timely, accurate stroke assessments, this course reflects the 2024 revisions to the NIH Stroke Scale, including new visual stimuli used in the assessment of patients with suspected stroke. Whether you’re learning the NIHSS for the first time or refreshing your existing skills, this comprehensive online course provides guidance to help you confidently administer and score the assessment.

Be the first to access this new course! We’re excited to offer a promotional discount of 20% off the NIH Stroke Scale eLearning Course for a limited time. Please use code NIHSS20 to receive the 20% discount when you check out on the Professional Education Hub Store.

About the New Course:

• Experience a fully redesigned eLearning course featuring video cases with both real and simulated patients, bringing stroke assessment to life through realistic clinical scenarios.
• Expand your expertise with an optional pediatric stroke case, designed to strengthen assessment skills across patient populations.
• Advance your professional development with continuing education credits available upon successful course completion.
• Learn anytime, anywhere through a flexible online format that enables healthcare professionals to revisit course content, refresh their knowledge, and maintain confidence in administering the NIH Stroke Scale.
• Earn a certificate of completion valid for one year, demonstrating ongoing competency and commitment to excellence in stroke care.

Participants Will Learn How To:

• Identify the purpose of the NIH Stroke Scale
• Identify benefits and limitations of the NIH Stroke Scale
• Identify and assess neurological deficits in stroke patients
• Describe the measurement scale for qualifying neurological deficits in stroke patients
• Apply appropriate scores for neurological deficits in stroke patients
• Describe how the NIHSS should be applied during a telestroke visit
• Identify how total scores correlate to stroke severity

Who Should Take the Course?

This course is ideal for:

• Emergency Physicians
• Neurologists
• Nurses
• Clinical Researchers
• Medical Students
• Emergency Medical Services

Take the Course

The new NIH Stroke Scale eLearning Course is now available on the American Heart Association Professional Education Hub. Be among the first to access the latest NIHSS training resources and strengthen your stroke assessment expertise.

Buying on Behalf of Your Organization?

Contact education.sales@email.education.heart.org to learn more about organizational purchase options and LMS/Direct Links integrations.

Several enhancements to Atlas (login required) have launched to help improve the learner and Instructor experience.

For Learners 

• The Find a Class Search page now includes discipline descriptions directly within the search experience when a learner selects the information icon by each discipline in the drop-down menu, making it easier for students to understand the available training disciplines.
• A new Course Finder link has been added next to Find a Class search to help students identify the discipline and course that best fits their needs.
• When viewing different class options, the “Request Information” button has been updated to “Request Enrollment” to better reflect the enrollment process.
• References to English/IVE on Find a Class postings have been simplified to English.
• When a learner selects Request Enrollment, a pop-up window will appear directing them to sign in or create an American Heart Association account. Having an account allows users to:
  • Submit enrollment requests
  • View training history
  • Access course completion cards

For Instructors and Training Faculty 

• Instructor renewal enhancements now allow Training Faculty to be selected during the renewal process through a new Training Faculty dropdown option.
• Updated Instructor renewal date selection: Atlas now only allows renewal eCards to be issued within one year of an Instructor’s expiration date. Once within that renewal window, users can select a renewal date ranging from one year prior to expiration through the end of the current month, helping ensure compliance with renewal requirements.

These updates are designed to streamline enrollment and renewal workflows while helping ensure compliance with the American Heart Association Program Administration Manual (PAM).

Share Your CPR Story and Inspire Others to Act

The American Heart Association is now accepting applications for the next Nation of Lifesavers Class, which recognizes individuals whose personal experiences with CPR help inspire others to take lifesaving action.

Applications are now open and will close November 30, 2026. Selected individuals will join the next Nation of Lifesavers Class, which will be chosen in spring 2027 and announced during CPR & AED Awareness Week 2027. Share your connection with CPR – survival, loss, recovery or rescue. Every voice – every story – may inspire someone to learn CPR.

Share your story: https://www.heart.org/en/nation-of-lifesavers/nation-of-lifesavers-class

 Teen Cardiac Arrest Reshaped His Life and Inspired a Legacy of Gratitude

As a high school basketball standout and top college recruit, Nick Knapp seemed destined for success both on and off the court. But during a pickup basketball game early in his senior year, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard suddenly collapsed from cardiac arrest. His father, Terry, a basketball coach, science teacher, and CPR Instructor, immediately sprang into action. Alongside an EMT who happened to be nearby, Terry performed CPR until emergency responders arrived and used an AED to deliver three lifesaving shocks, restoring Nick’s heartbeat. After several days in a medically induced coma, Nick made a remarkable recovery, with doctors unable to determine the cause of his cardiac arrest.

Despite being told he might never play basketball again, Nick refused to let the experience define him. He continued pursuing his athletic dreams, becoming one of the first Division I basketball players to compete with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Today, more than 30 years later, Nick remains active, healthy, and deeply grateful to the people who saved his life. Every five years, he and his father visit the Peoria Fire Department to thank his rescuers with commemorative T-shirts bearing the message, “CPR saves lives.” Nick now shares his story to encourage others, reminding people that immediate CPR and access to an AED can make the difference between tragedy and a second chance at life.