Is online CPR certification legit? Only with a hands-on skills test

Online-only, blended or in person: what is the difference?

Most "online CPR" questions come down to one thing: did you prove your skills hands-on, on a manikin, or not? That is the line between the three formats.

Can BLS be done online?

Not completely. The American Heart Association says that for its courses that include psychomotor skills such as CPR, students must complete a hands-on skills session to get an AHA course completion card. A BLS course done 100% online does not earn an AHA BLS card.

What you can do online is most of the learning. HeartCode BLS is the online part of the AHA BLS blended learning course. The AHA says the online part takes about 1 to 2 hours. Every AHA BLS option, classroom or blended, ends with the same BLS Provider eCard, valid for two years.

The AHA also allows the skills part to be done on a Voice Assisted Manikin or at a CPR Verification Station where one is available. That is still a hands-on test, with the manikin giving the feedback instead of an instructor.

Is Red Cross online CPR legit?

The courses are real Red Cross courses, but online-only is not the same as certified for work. On its online CPR page, the Red Cross says courses taken entirely online do not let you demonstrate your skills to a certified instructor, and so may not meet workplace safety certification requirements. Its CPR certification page is more direct: online-only formats do not qualify for workplace certification needs, and you would need an in-person skills session.

The Red Cross blended route works like HeartCode. You finish the online course (Adult First Aid/CPR/AED, Adult, Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED, or Adult CPR/AED), then take a skills session within 90 days. The session tests controlling bleeding, choking, CPR, use of an AED and safe glove removal, and passing it earns what the Red Cross calls a 2-year, OSHA-compliant certification.

Does online CPR meet OSHA requirements?

No. In a 2012 letter of interpretation, OSHA said online training alone would not meet the first aid and CPR training requirements in its standards. Those standards require physical skills such as bandaging and CPR, and OSHA says the only way to learn them is to actually practice them. The letter covers the general first aid rule (29 CFR 1910.151) and the standards for permit-required confined spaces, logging, electric power work and dive teams.

Two more things are worth knowing. OSHA does not require CPR training at every workplace: it recommends CPR as part of a first aid program, and some specific standards require it. And the AHA notes that OSHA does not review or approve any courses for compliance, so a site that calls its course "OSHA approved" is claiming something OSHA does not do.

Do employers accept online CPR certification?

Many do not. Many employers, nursing programs and licensing boards ask for a card that included a hands-on skills test. The AHA tells BLS students to contact their employer to make sure they pick the right course, and the Red Cross warns that online-only classes may not meet workplace requirements. The rule that counts is the one set by whoever asked for your card.

One California example: for license renewal, the Dental Board of California requires the BLS course to include a live, in-person skills practice session, a skills test and a written exam, and it says online courses will not be accepted for the BLS requirement.

How to tell if an online CPR certification site is legit

1. 01
   Ask if there is a hands-on skills test

   If the whole course happens on a screen, it will not earn an AHA card, and the Red Cross says its own online-only formats do not qualify for workplace needs. Look for an in-person skills session, or an AHA manikin station.

2. 02
   Ask who issues the card

   AHA cards come from AHA Training Centers, independent businesses with an agreement with the AHA. Red Cross certificates come from the Red Cross. Wording like "follows the latest guidelines" does not tell you who issues the card, so ask.

3. 03
   Ask how an employer can check it

   To check an AHA card, the AHA says to contact the Training Center listed on the card. Red Cross digital certificates carry a unique ID and a QR code that employers can look up on redcross.org.

4. 04
   Be wary of "OSHA approved"

   The AHA notes that OSHA does not review or approve courses, so the phrase on a course page is a red flag, not a credential.

5. 05
   Ask your employer before you pay

   Send them the course name and format and ask if it meets their rule. A yes in writing is worth more than any badge on a website.

When an online-only course is fine

Online-only courses have a place. The Red Cross designs its online CPR classes for coaches, parents, teenagers and the general public: people who want to know what to do in an emergency. If nobody is asking you for a card, or the person who is asking has told you online-only is enough, an online course is a fair way to learn.

We resell some American Red Cross online-only courses, such as Babysitting Basics, Cat and Dog First Aid and Until Help Arrives, listed on our online courses page. They are online-only, with no hands-on skills check, so they do not replace a workplace CPR card. Until Help Arrives, for example, is a non-certification course.

Getting a card that counts in West Covina

CPR West Covina is an official AHA Training Site with one training center, at 100 N. Barranca St, Suite #255-B, West Covina, CA 91791.

1. 01
   Do most of it online

   Finish the AHA HeartCode BLS online course, bring your certificate of completion, then do a roughly 1-hour HeartCode BLS skills session for $79. You get your AHA BLS eCard the same day.

2. 02
   Or do it all in one visit

   BLS $89, BLS Renewal $89, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED $98 or the Red Cross Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED $79.99, all hands-on at our training center.

3. 03
   Not sure which card you need?

   Read which CPR class do I need, or call (626) 605-2067 with your job and employer.