Online CPR & First Aid Courses

Do you want to take a course online? It's easy, convenient to schedule, and affordable!

However there is a lot of confusion over online CPR and First Aid courses. All American Heart Association courses have a practical skills component to them. The online course alone will not lead to certification or issuance of an American Heart Association CPR or First Aid Card. This is in bold because it is important. In fact since this is confusing I'll even repeat it, the online course alone will not lead to certification or issuance of an American Heart Association CPR or First Aid Card.

Be wary of online programs that do not offer a practical skills component to the course. Think of it like getting your driver's license. If you took an online course, studied the book, passed the test and received your license, would you really know how to drive a car? The same can be applied to CPR or First Aid. If all you did was read the book and take an online exam, would you be able to successfully perform the skills?

The American Heart Association offers several courses online at www.onlineaha.org. However at this time the only online course I can offer and that is authorized by my AHA Training Center is the BLS for Healthcare Providers Online Course. I do offer all classroom courses for all other AHA courses. Many training centers do not use the online courses, so before taking an online course you should be sure that there is a local AHA instructor who can provide you with the practical skills component of the course. Also bear in mind that there will most likely be two course charges - one charge for the online course and another to the instructor who provides the skills session and skill test (if applicable).

For Healthcare Providers you must have a valid Healthcare Provider (or ARC Professional Rescuer) card in order to practice. Most clinical locations and licensing boards require this. Online courses with no practical skills component are not recognized in many locations. If you are thinking about taking an online course check with your employer, clinical site, or school to see if the online course meets their requirements. For more information on the BLS for Healthcare Providers Online course visit my website at www.coastalcpr.com.

Comments

  1. Online courses has become very popular now a days because of lack of time.CPR certification is a goo done among them.

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  2. That is true, online courses are a great timesaver! My concern is online courses that have no practical skills portion to them. All healthcare providers take courses with clinical rotations and practical skills labs. Would you want the EMT in the ambulance to treat you if they had only studied online and never actually had any hands on skills practice? Online programs that require a practical skills session with a real instructor are the best merging of the two - an online program and hands on skills practice. Both the AHA and ARC have this, as well as a few other online companies. I could very easily type a lovely post about how to do CPR - would that mean that just by reading it you would know how to do it?

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