Why Hands-On CPR Training is a Must

cpr classes, aed classes, southeastern MAWhy Hands-On CPR Training is a Must

If you do a web search for “online CPR certification” you will find a multitude of resources to help you. Get instant CPR certification! Get your CPR card in as little as 30 minutes! Pay just $25 for CPR certification! Our programs are based on nationally-accepted standards! Our programs are modeled on the American Heart Association guidelines! Our certifications are nationally accepted!

I can’t tell you how many of my students report something like this: “I paid $30 to take an online CPR class and my employer wouldn’t accept it. Now i have to pay again for a real class!” or “We all took the online course at work like we used to, and now it’s not being accepted so we have to take a class.”

I find it outrageous that these companies scam on people and give them certificates that are essentially worthless. You will be led to believe you are getting a legitimate certification. You will be led to believe that your online certificate will be from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. You will be led to believe that you WILL ACTUALLY BE TRAINED!

Would you go to a surgeon or a chiropractor or a dentist that learned their skills by reading a book or taking online courses? You cannot learn to perform compressions and breaths properly without a hands on system such as a manikin, and feedback from a professional instructor.

Some people believe that since they already took the hands-on course in person in the past, it’s all right to take the online-only training to refresh their skills. But online-only certification is not adequate to refresh skills either. Even with proper training, we forget the skills we learned. Repeating the training with hands on practice is essential to retaining skills.

If ONLINE CPR CERTIFICATION is such a rip off, why do so many people get fooled into buying it? Because IT’S FAST AND IT’S EASY. Given the choice between a 3 hour class we have to schlep to, and a quick 25 minutes at our keyboards, which do we choose? These companies know this and they prey on our willingness to find a quick easy solution.

When you encounter someone who has collapsed, will you remember Question #3 from your online course on how to do compressions? Or will your muscle memory carry you back to the classroom where you pushed repeatedly on a plastic manikin?

Take my class or take one of my competitor’s. But please. Drive to the class, kneel down, and push on a real manikin. Let’s not forget that CPR done correctly SAVES LIVES. Isn’t it worth that extra couple of hours?

FYI, the American Heart Association does offer an online course. But certification can only be given if a “skills test” is also completed with a professional instructor, with hands-on performance on a manikin.

why online cpr certification is a rip-offHere are some resources about the dangers of online-only CPR training:

“Substantial hands on practice is needed to meet psychomotor skill performance objectives… Key skills and course content should be repeated with deliberate practice that builds mastery… There is a clear need to have more frequent assessment and reinforcement of skills and strong evidence to support the recommendation to use real-time feedback during that training. Providers do not retain CPR skills for long without refreshers and practice.”
– 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care

“Online training alone would not meet the requirements of these training standards. The word “train” is defined as “[t]o make proficient with special instruction and practice,” Webster’s II New Collegiate Dictionary, 1995, p. 1,169. These standards require training in physical skills, such as bandaging and CPR. The only way these physical skills can be learned is by actually practicing them. OSHA’s Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program, 2006, p. 11, states that a first-aid training program should have trainees develop hands-on skills through the use of mannequins and partner practice. The guide may be accessed at www.osha.gov.”
– Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Unmasking the Certification Mill Problem
Online CPR and first aid certification is a fast, convenient, and appallingly common sham.
– Article from Occupational Health and Safety Magazine

Buyer Beware! Don’t Be Fooled by Online-Only CPR or First Aid Certification Scams.
A Public Service announcement from the Health & Safety Institute and the National Safety Council
Article HSI (Health and Safety Institute)