Time To Do Your Training Internally, Now What?
Outside instructors provide a great service. They provide CPR training expertise and equipment in exchange for a fair fee. However, this solution can become inefficient once your organization reaches a certain size.
Then it’s time to “in-house” your CPR training.
In addition to traditional classroom training, certification options have expanded to include e-learning and even blended courses, which combine online and in-person training.
These are the 5 most important factors to consider when deciding between in-house CPR certification options…
Is training mandated by a government or licensing agency?
When choosing a training solution, it’s important to understand the requirements for your specific industry. For many industries, CPR and first aid certification are mandated by a government agency such as OSHA or a national board like the Academy of General Dentistry. These overseeing agencies will have specific requirements for course content or mandatory hands-on training.
When CPR certification is not regulated by an outside agency, an employer can choose which type of training is the best solution.
Does your staff work in the same facility or is your company geographically distributed?
For companies where staff are all located at the same site, classroom courses are easiest to organize and manage, providing that you have the appropriate space in your facility.
Conversely, distributed companies face logistical headaches when trying to schedule classroom courses for multiple locations.
Training multiple instructors to provide full classroom instruction at different locations runs a high risk of being inefficient and costly. Implementing a blended method substantially reduces this risk by decreasing the up-front cost of training instructors and decreasing the time they spend in class.
Online training removes these logistical challenges entirely.
How easy is it to schedule training time for your group?
Classroom courses typically require 6-8 hours of training time. Blended courses require 2-3 hours of online training and 30 minutes of classroom time. And online courses require just 2-3 hours of online training. The benefit of online training in this case is that it happens on an individual basis, with no group coordination needed.
No matter which method of training you use, considering training time and schedule coordination is a must.
Does your staff have access to technology?
The access your staff has to technology and also their technical aptitude are both factors to consider when choosing a training solution. E-learning solutions require internet access through computers or mobile devices. Employees should have the technical skills to log into an account and navigate through a simple training website.
Field-based industries without consistent access to technology or the internet may be better suited to a classroom course. Likewise, employers with less technical staff may prefer to offer training through an in-house instructor.
What is your training budget?
If you’ve considered all the previous questions and find that classroom, online, and blended solutions could work equally well for your company, the final point to consider may be your training budget. Training an in-house instructor is typically the most costly in both time and money. Online courses are often the most cost-effective, with blended solutions landing in the middle.Also, online courses do not require additional equipment, while training an in-house instructor or skill evaluator will require both manikin equipment and classroom space.
Finding the right CPR certification method for your company requires weighing the factors above and deciding which is the most important for your company. If you’re still not sure, schedule a no-stress consultation with our team. We’re happy to help you find the right solution, even if it’s with another company.