BCLS online renewal

Otessa, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2011

You would need to sign with an AHA Training Center (reputable) that offers the online portion, will send you a key code to do the online portion and then you would need to come in for the in-person skills check. Don't know of any AHA-endorsed CPR course that doesn't have a skills portion.

elkpark · Oct 7, 2011

Before spending any money, I would make sure that my employer would consider the course acceptable.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 7, 2011

AHA is the gold standard and that is because they REQUIRE competency demonstration. Other online courses do not.

chare · Oct 7, 2011

elkpark has given you excellent advice as you will find a number of posters on this site who have taken online programs only to find that their employer would not accept them.

i copied the following from a previous post i wrote regarding bls training. i am an aha bls instructor, and have no affiliation with any of the other agencies or programs. although i believe that i verified all of the links, there might be some that are not longer current.

the subject of basic life support (bls) certification and what programs are acceptable seems to appear fairly regularly. the following is provided to hopefully clarify questions regarding which program and format to choose, as well as contact information for some of these programs. i am an american heart association (aha) bls instructor and am familiar with their programs. i am not affiliated with any of the other programs listed, therefore have no personal knowledge regarding any of them.

the international liaison committee on resuscitation (ilcor) is an international organization comprised of eight resuscitation agencies, of which the aha is a member. in 2000, ilcor published the first international resuscitation guidelines. these guidelines were most recently updated in 2010.

although the aha does not sanction bls courses in the usa, they did publish the 2010 american heart association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) and emergency cardiovascular care (ecc) (2010 guidelines). from these guidelines, they subsequently developed their bls programs. this is probably why most of us think of the aha when we think of bls training. it is important to remember this as any class not in accordance with these guidelines is not likely to be accepted.

other agencies were then free to develop their own courses based upon these guidelines, and several have. i am aware of the american red cross (arc), health & safety institute (hsi):, procpr and american aed/cpr association, and there are probably others that i am not aware of. some of these programs are offered in the traditional classroom setting while others are offered in a blended format.

there is no official or preferred bls program to satisfy the joint commission (jc) requirement. joint commission standard pc.02.01.11: resuscitation services are available throughout the hospital lists the[color=#333333] following as one of the elements of performance: "an evidenced-based training program(s) is used to train staff to recognize the need for and use of resuscitation equipment and techniques."

[color=#333333]using this standard, each facility is free to determine which program or programs that they will use to satisfy this requirement. some facilities are specific as to which program they will accept (i.e. only aha or arc, etc.) while others will accept any program as long as it is compliant with the 2010 aha guidelines for cpr and ecc. my personal interpretation would be if the job posting only states that bls is required, rather than stating a specific course, then any bls course should be acceptable.

after determining which program that you are going to take, you then need to determine the program format to take. basic life support training is currently offered in three formats: traditional, blended, and online.

using the traditional format, you go to a training center and spend four to eight hours watching videos, doing skills review and evaluation, and complete the written test. at the end of the day you receive a course completion/certification card. this is probably what most people are familiar with.

the blended format is exactly that, it is a combination of both online and classroom training. in a blended program you will complete the cognitive/didactic portion on line, as well as completed the written test on line. upon completion of the test you print out your course completion form to take to an instructor where you then complete the skills review and testing portion. upon completion of the skills review/testing you are issued your course completion/certification card. there is generally no distinction between completion of either a traditional or blended course.

online courses, as the name implies, are offered totally online. these programs consist only of the cognitive/didactic portion, without a skills review/testing. personally, i would not take an online course without skills review/testing.

the aha offers their bls for health care provider course in both the traditional and blended format. aha elearning bls is offered in two formats: heartcode bls part 1 ($28.50) and bls for healthcare providers part 1 ($22.00). successful completion of either course results in receipt of an aha bls for health care providers course, the difference is in how the online portion is presented. upon completion of part 1, the participant must schedule with an approved aha instructor to complete parts 2 and 3, skills review and evaluation. you can then use the aha ecc course connector to locate an approved training center and schedule a skills review/evaluation. the aha ecc course connector can also be used to locate a traditional program as well, if that is preferred. it is advisable prior to purchasing the online portion to contact a training center to ensure that you will be able to complete the skills review/evaluation as not all training centers do this.

the arc also offers their cpr/aed for professional rescuers and health care providersin the traditional. prior to the release of the 2010 guidelines this course had been available in blended format as well, and might be again. you can then use the arc online training skills map to locate an approved training center and schedule a skills review/evaluation, and there may or may not be an additional fee for the skills evaluation. the arc take a class can also be used to locate a traditional program as well, if that is preferred. prior to the release of the new guidelines the aha and arc recently renewed their statement of understanding in which the "aha and arc agree to recognize the other's student level cpr, aed and first aid training programs as equivalent in content, as shown in the following table of courses." i don't know if this agreement is still in effect or not.

the ashi cpr pro for the professional rescuer is currently available as a traditional program, although their online courses states that the page is currently under construction. the cpr pro for the professional rescuer states that this program "[color=#333333]may be used to meet the joint commission on accreditation of healthcare organization's (jcaho) resuscitation standard."

procpr offers a blended online/hands-on cpr certification option ($29.95). i was unable to find any information regarding time limits. upon completion of the online portion, you can then contact a procpr skills evaluator for your skills review/evaluation, and there may or may not be an additional fee for the skills evaluation. the following was taken from the procpr statement of accreditation and compliance "procpr is an accredited program that satisfies the requirements for cpr training according to the latest ecc/ilcor and the american heart association guidelines." there is also a section in which you can enter your employer's contact information and procpr will contact them to determine whether they will accept this program or not.

the american aed/cpr association's offers a "healthcare provider" cpr program. their frequently asked questions site contains the following statement: "our healthcare provider bls course will satisfy the requirement for healthcare provider level cpr certification." this site further states "our classes follow the current ecc guidelines. our curriculum has been developed to meet or exceed the requirements of all 50 states. our training programs and certification classes are accepted nationally." i am unsure whether they offer a blended format. further information regarding programs and locations is available via their contact us page.

BrandybunsRN · Oct 7, 2011

Before spending any money, I would make sure that my employer would consider the course acceptable.

This is key right here! If you're going to spend the money make sure you are meeting the requirement of your employer. I just recently got into NP school where BLS is required, and the one stipulation they have printed in their application packet is "online courses WILL NOT count for BLS".

luvazsun, RN · Oct 7, 2011

I have had not problem with the AHA online course. You do have to locate a skills center to do the skills portion before you receive your card - but i believe it is for renewals only that you can do it this way. NRP is mandating the online course then a hands on skills lab as on 2012.