American Heart Association CPR Classes

 

The American Heart Association is dedicated to reducing the amount of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. One way they do this is by training people how to use CPR to save the life of someone under cardiac arrest. These classes are for everyone, not just for medical professionals.

 

As many as 800,000 people all over the worldwill suffer from cardiac arrest this year. The majority of these individuals will die before even reaching the hospital. It is fact that if more people were trained in CPR, the amount of survivors could double or triple. Statistics show that among the American population, 70% may not even respond during a cardiac arrest emergency because they are uneducated and do not know how to apply the lifesaving techniques of CPR. This is a sad statistic and the American Heart Association’s mission is to improve these numbers. By getting CPR certified, we are embracing the American Heart Association’s motto: “Learn and Live.”

American Heart Association CPR

Why Take American Heart Association CPR Classes

• Knowledge of CPR will give you the ability to save a life.

• Your workplace or school may ask you to be CPR certified.

• You may work in a field that requires CPR as a skill, such as a fireman or an EMT.

 

The classes teach students to save the lives of infants, children and adults. Without the knowledge of CPR individuals cannot take action and lives are lost. Each year, the American Heart Association trains over 12 million people making them one of the largest and reputable organizations for CPR certification.

CPR Certification Courses for Healthcare Providers

 

 

• Basic Life Support (BLS): This course is designed for people in the healthcare profession that may need CPR and other emergency response skills for their jobs. Their BLS certification classes, including exams, take about 4.5 hours to compete.

• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS): This course is essentially a more advanced version of the Basic Life Support certification. To take the ACLS certification class, you will need to have a valid BLS certification first. This course upgrades your knowledge to learning about team dynamics and communication as well as airway management and even pharmacology.

CPR Certification Courses for non-Healthcare Providers

 

• Heartsaver CPR AED: This classroom-based course will train you to be proficient in the use of CPR as well as an AED. If you need to get certified as a workplace or school requirement, then this is most likely the course you need to take.

• Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED: This is the same as the Heartsaver CPR AED course but includes extra modules to learn the basics of responding to and managing a first aid emergency.

CPR Courses without Certification

• Family & Friends® CPR: This CPR course teaches students the techniques to save a life through applying CPR to a child CPR with breaths, an infant CPR, adult Hands-Only® CPR, child and adult AED use, and choking relief in an infant, child or adult. AHA’s practice-while-watching technique which helps to enhance students learning and retention.

• Family & Friends® CPR Anytime®: This course offers individuals the ability to learn CPR from the comfort of their home in 20 short minutes. The kit includes everything necessary to learn basic CPR, AED skills and choking relief. Includes your own inflatable manikin and a demonstration DVD. You will not have CPR certification but you will have the core skills to save a life.

• Infant CPR Anytime: The Infant CPR Anytime educates individuals on how to apply CPR to infants and how to relieve choking infants. Choking is the #1 cause of accidental death in infants. This course comes in kit form and can be learned in the comfort of your own environment in about 20 minutes. Includes a baby-sized manikin. A smart choice for parents of newborn children.

 

To review the different courses that the AHA offers in granular detail, please refer to our AHA Course Matrix.

Get Started

 

Does the American Heart Association have classes online? Yes, but there is a mandatory in-person module. Through OnlineAHA.org, the American Heart Association offers several courses online. However, before you are granted your CPR card, you are required to attend an in-person skills session and evaluation.

 

What about a 100% online CPR certification? If you need your certification right away and don’t want to go through any in-person training or evaluations, you should consider getting certified with an alternative provider that offers CPR certification online. This alternative is growing in popularity. There are lots of choices out there so make sure you choose a reputable one that follows the American Heart Association guidelines. Read our guide to getting your CPR certification online.

 

How long is my certification valid? The certifications granted by the AHA are valid for two years.

Make sure to be responsible and renew your CPR certification before it expires.

 

The AHA is making a difference, but, it is still up to the general public to enroll in American Heart Association CPR Classes to save lives.