While it’s true that most people are initially certified for CPR in a classroom setting, classroom CPR is no longer the only option when it comes time for your CPR certification renewal. The big question that many people have when it comes time to re-certify is, “Can you renew CPR online?” The answer to that question is, “absolutely!” So let’s go over some of the options that are available for CPR renewal online and which one would be the best fit for you.
Who needs to be re-certified in CPR?
There are two types of people who certify and then renew CPR. The first group of people who take CPR is people who simply want to know how to perform CPR. They aren’t required to have CPR certification but want to be prepared in the case of an emergency. Some examples might be parents or grandparents who want to be prepared, students, or general good citizens who want to be able to perform rescue CPR (a.k.a. Good Samaritans).
The second group is people who are required to be CPR certified either by their workplace or by their State Licensure Board. These people have to be CPR certified to keep their job or license.
So what CPR certification renewal options are available?
There are 3 different options for someone to renew CPR certification. These are: 100% online, blended (online + hands-on), and in a classroom. Let’s take a look at each of these options.
- 100% online: A CPR renewal online is a course that contains a series of online training videos followed by a final exam. After passing the final exam you receive your CPR recertification online. And you can print your online certification card immediately. If you choose a course such as ProCPR, you will also receive a free hard copy of your wallet card by mail.
- Blended: With blended training, you complete your CPR renewal online and then follow it up with a hands-on skill evaluation. After completing your CPR recertification online and your skills evaluation, you would receive a blended CPR card. This card shows you completed both items. It is widely accepted as being equivalent to classroom training because of the hands-on practice.
- Classroom: The last option to renew a CPR certificate would be to attend a classroom course. This is a traditional course taught in person by a CPR instructor.
Who is best suited for online CPR training?
Now that we’ve covered the three options available to renew CPR certification, the question is: who is best suited for a CPR renewal online?
- If you are taking CPR for your own knowledge, an online CPR renewal is perfect for you.
- If your employer requires you to have CPR certification but doesn’t require a hands-on skill evaluation, then CPR recertification online will be the best and most convenient option for you.
- If your regulating State Board allows online training (for example – the Oregon board of Optometry allows 100% online courses for re-licensure), an online CPR renewal is a great option! To find out whether your State or industry board approves ProCPR online courses, visit the approval section of our website.
So what if your employer or State Board wants a hands-on portion? Then a Blended CPR certification would be exactly what you need. You can visit BlendedCPR.com to find all of our Blended (online + hands-on) CPR options.
Where should I get CPR recertification?
There are a lot of options available to renew your CPR certification. Let’s go over the main options for CPR renewal online.
- American Heart Association: The American Heart Association does have online courses, but they don’t offer full CPR recertification online. All of their online courses require a follow-up in-person with one of their instructors. So they offer blended courses and classroom courses.
- American Red Cross: The American Red Cross also only offers blended courses and classroom courses to renew CPR.
- ProCPR: Here at ProCPR, all of our courses are offered in either a 100% online format or with the option to add on a hands-on (blended) portion if you need it. One cool thing about ProCPR is that if you complete the online-only course, but find out later that you need a hands-on portion, then you can always come back and add that on. ProCPR certifications also have approvals from boards across all 50 states. No one can completely guarantee card acceptance, but with our 99% employer acceptance rate, we’re so confident that we’ll take that risk for you. If your card is not accepted for any reason, we’ll give you a full refund.
- Other online sites: While there are many, many other online CPR websites, you should be careful where you take your training! Many other sites don’t have any approvals, real training, or even a valid test. Some will even over-charge you or double charge you for your certification card. ProCPR has online video training by a licensed paramedic, no hidden charges, and an adaptive test. We also offer phone, chat, and email support to sort out any issues that you might run into. Many other sites only offer a hidden contact form or overseas chat support to reach them if you have problems or are over-charged on their sites.
So what’s the best option for me to renew CPR online?
If time is important to you and you’re allowed to complete your CPR renewal online, then online CPR is your best option. It’s the most convenient and allows you to renew CPR certification when you have the time instead of forcing you to make time to attend a class based on someone else’s schedule.
A blended CPR course is a great compromise between CPR recertification online and a classroom course. It’s the best of both worlds! Blended is also a great option if you want hands-on practice for your own confidence. ProCPR has several great blended options too!