Online CPR Certification
What is online CPR certification?
Online CPR certification is a favorite way for many to learn this basic life support skill. But unless the course you choose has been accredited by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross you may be wasting your money. If you want to achieve CPR certification for personal reasons i.e. not because you want to work with children or are required to have this qualification for a new job, then it might not be an issue. But why pay for something that may not be as good as the courses offered by the Red Cross or the AHA and may be just as expensive?
Why attend online CPR certification classes?
It doesn’t really matter whether you attend offline or online CPR certification classes. What is key is the fact that you are learning a basic life support skill that could allow you to deliver emergency cardiovascular care and save a person’s life. Unfortunately most people will stand back and wait for the emergency services to arrive. While our healthcare providers are excellent they cannot always be at the scene in five minutes which is about all the time a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest has to live.
Could you live with yourself if you witnessed someone having a cardiac arrest on your way home tonight and they died waiting for help? How would you feel knowing that if you had attended a short inexpensive CPR AED training program you could have given assistance and that person may just have lived. Of course there is no guarantee that they will but their chances improve considerably.
The American Heart Association’s frightening statistics!
With heart disease on the increase in our society it stands to reason that more people are going to suffer a cardiac arrest. Yet if you read the statistics compiled by the American Heart Association, unless this happens when the person is in hospital their chances of survival are less than your odds of winning the lottery. Why? There are insufficient members of the general public willing to assist in the event of an emergency. They either have failed to get online CPR certification or they just don’t want to get involved.
Some people are afraid they may catch something from the victim. The chance of becoming infected is rare but if you are worried you can use a mask or just do chest compressions and not give rescue breaths although this isn’t the best way to help. It is preferable to just standing there looking at someone’s Mum or Dad dying though.
It is understandable that some people won’t help a stranger but what is the person who fell ill was their Mum or Dad, a child or their work colleague? Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone and that includes your nearest and dearest. There is a reason why heart disease is known as the silent killer. Most people are not even aware they are in danger.
In fact if you visit the American Heart Association website you will see a video interview of Jennie Garth who discovered that she has heart issues just because she decided to get checked out after losing her Dad to heart disease. She is helping the AHA to get more people involved in taking care of their health. You can do a number of things in addition to taking CPR training to help prevent you or any member of your failing needing emergency cardiovascular care.
Look for a guarantee with your online CPR certification class
If you are going to take a CPR class always looks for a money back guarantee. If the training is not as good as promised at least you can get a refund and use the money to buy a decent offline CPR certification course. Don’t be fooled by offers of printable certificates or a wallet card. The most important thing is that the course delivers the life saving skills you need. The course should be given by someone who has achieved a training qualification not just someone who recently passed a course.
Online CPR certification classes are available in the workplace, at school or college or at your local Red Cross center so you do not have to depend on online CPR certification. It is a good place to start especially when you are tied for time but you should use it as a stepping stone in your route to achieving a nationally accepted certification.