Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often comes in handy when you’re least expecting it. 88% of cardiac arrests occur at home, work, or other public locations, but only a third of the people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital receive CPR from a bystander. And according to the American Heart Association, 70% of Americans wouldn’t even know what to do if someone around them suffers a heart attack or stroke.

That said, there’s no time like the present to get your CPR certification. Today, CPR certification courses get offered in various formats, including in-person classes, online, or simulated learning experiences.

Whether you are a healthcare provider or a teenager looking to boost your babysitting credentials, online CPR training and certification have never been easier. Many online courses are free, and the most trusted curricula are designed by a team of board-certified physicians, for example, those brought to you by the American Academy of CPR & First Aid. All you need is an internet connection!

Why Get CPR Certification?

CPR can help you restart someone’s heart if it has stopped beating, clear someone’s airway if they are choking, and bring someone back from the brink of death. CPR is a lifesaving technique.

CPR is known to improve the survival rates associated with cardiac arrest. The sooner emergency care is administered, the better the chances of survival and the more likely it can boost a person’s recovery. According to studies, survival drops 10% to 15% for each minute a person experiences cardiac arrest without receiving CPR. Administered at the onset, CPR can even prevent permanent neurological outcomes.

The ability to save a life is the best reason to learn CPR, but another good reason to get certified is that not enough people can perform CPR. While first aid is not consistently taught in school anymore, many adults are unaware of assessing an emergency appropriately, let alone deliver CPR. And in today’s post-pandemic climate, emergency preparedness has never been more valuable.

Online CPR training is valuable and practical for various professions like health care providers, EMTs, and other first responders. It is also appropriate for lifeguards, teachers, and childcare and nursing home providers. Today more non-health organizations — for example, in the hospitality space, entertainment, or sports sectors — are boasting a membership of the American Academy CPR & First Aid.

Organization-wide CPR certification is lucrative for businesses, positioning them as prepared and prioritizing the health and safety of patrons and employees alike. A CPR-certified staff helps these businesses stand apart from competitors and achieve recognition as proponents of public health. Wouldn’t you rather stay at a hotel where you know the staff are trained in CPR and are quick to respond in an emergency?

What Are the Benefits of Online CPR Training?

Online classes are more convenient and affordable than physical CPR training classes. They offer 24-hour access to the course material so you can learn at your own pace, anytime, anywhere. With online CPR courses, you can enroll with your preferred certification institution and are not bound by physical location or reliance on transportation.

Online courses are not just convenient, they are efficient: get certified quickly when you opt for online CPR courses while ensuring your skills match global standards. Online tutorials are often more detailed than in-person classes with information that you can return to anytime as a refresher. Virtual scenarios are highly realistic and creatively approach CPR training to prepare you for a range of situations, for example, an adult suffering a heart attack in a grocery store or an infant choking at the park.

In many cases, the virtual component helps alleviate pressure students feel from instructors or watchful classmates in a traditional classroom setting. That makes it easier to focus and learn CPR skills as well as to gauge your progress. That said, make sure to check that the online CPR certification institution you choose is recognized and has appropriate credentials and certifications.

What Is Involved in CPR Training?

Online certification courses give you the skills you need to act fast during critical, life-threatening emergencies. The American Academy teaches you how to perform basic first aid during cardiac or breathing emergencies. CPR techniques include body positioning, hand placement, and timing in addition to adjusting CPR delivery for children, infants, and even pets. In addition, you can learn emergency assessment methods and how to stimulate blood flow, clear a blocked airway, and use an automated external defibrillator.

Online content typically relies on video media and virtual environments that simulate real-life emergencies. The highly realistic virtual scenarios apply CPR techniques across various situations, including virtual actors of all ages with different health conditions and in several settings where crowds and resources may complicate a response.

Unlike traditional in-person courses where everyone may get a turn to practice compressions or mouth-to-mouth on a dummy, online courses paradoxically provide more varied and lifelike experiences where performing CPR has a palpable (though virtual) effect on the subject’s outcome.

Online courses a fast, informative, and memorable. The American Academy courses take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete but are broken up into sections so that students can neatly parcel out the coursework to fit their schedule. Upon completing the coursework, a final CPR exam gets administered to test for comprehension — this immediately unleashes your CPR certification.

What to Look for in a CPR Certification Institution

When looking for a CPR training class, make sure the certification provider offers courses and exams authored by practicing, board-certified physicians and health care professionals. That ensures that the information included in coursework is up-to-date, correct, and compliant with national guidelines.

Not all in-person courses are designed or taught by licensed professionals, and in many parts of the country, access to physical CPR classes is limited. The demand for online CPR certification has increased dramatically since the pandemic, and American Academy of CPR & First Aid certificates, for example, are recognized across government agencies, employers, and most other state and national organizations.

In the wake of COVID-19, individuals, larger organizations, and service industries have started to reprioritize public health and emergency preparedness. Remember, it’s not just strangers on the street that benefit from your newfound skills. CPR is most likely to be used to save someone you love — a child, family member, friend, or colleague.

CPR certification is not just people involved in health care or emergency services; everyone should have it. And while these skills may help you save someone’s life, the information you receive from CPR training also goes a long way to promote public health and safety practices, the real key to prevention and preparedness