New grad w/question about CPR cert.

ICU_RN2 · Nov 18, 2011

AHA is good for 2 years as opposed to 1 year for American Red Cross..

Also, correct me if I'm wrong anyone, but American Heart also does ACLS cert. and PALS cert, correct? That could be why....Interesting though, I've never had anyone care which one!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Nov 18, 2011

AHA is generally preferred because it requires competency demonstration. They are literally the people who wrote the book on CPR. If you have time now, go ahead and get the cert. We do not hire nurses without AHA cards. Period.

merlee · Nov 18, 2011

I am both saddened and amazed that obtaining BLS cert is no longer done by the facilities. So sad that this now falls on the pocketbook of the employees.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2011

I think it is more custom in many places AND though the ARC does CPR classes to various levels they DO NOT do any type of ACLS and PALS. It is fairly standard among every hospital that I have encountered in the past decade or so that AHA classes are the standard.

Many years ago the CPR requirement could be met with the ARC class. I have not known of this to be the case in more than a decade or so.

AHA also teaches several "levels" of CPR from very basic classes for families to classes from the Healthcare Provider.

Don't make it a big deal, just go ahead and take the CPR class from the AHA. You will need the HEALTHCARE PROVIDER course. Take the full course and there will be no questions about your ability to renew your CPR.

Also, you absolutely have to have a current course completion card in HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AHA BLS course to be allowed to take the ACLS and PALS courses.

Good Luck

:angel:

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Nov 18, 2011

I am both saddened and amazed that obtaining BLS cert is no longer done by the facilities. So sad that this now falls on the pocketbook of the employees.

That's not true of all facilities!!! I know MANY in my area that provide the class for employess

kenyacka · Nov 19, 2011

BLS is not the same as Red Cross CPR. It's directed more towards healthcare professionals. It doesn't cost that much to get it, so why not? Where I work, I had to pay for it myself, but after I finish my 6 week orientation, I get reimbursed for it. Makes sense to me. It costs a lot of money to train someone, so why dole out more money than you have to. I think it's part of your standard education.... you wouldn't expect the hospital to pay for your degree, so why should they pay for BLS? I personally think the fault lies on the college. We pay enough for flipping tuition, we should get BLS included, right? Oh well, what can you do? :lol2:

VolunteerCPR · Nov 19, 2011

There is a lot of misinformation in this thread. I am a Red Cross CPR instructor. The Red Cross offers CPR for Healthcare Providers, and for the lay person, just as the Heart Association does. The Red Cross also requires competency demonstration and a written exam. Not only that, the Red Cross is more thorough in many areas. I am certified from the Red Cross and the Heart Association, and the Red Cross classes are typically twice as long - many are 6 hours where the Heart Association is one or two, not that longer = better.

Some real differences are things like AHA teaches abdominal thrusts only for choking victims, and the Red Cross teaches 5 back blows and then 5 abdominal thrusts. There are small differences like that in the two programs. I have done a lot of research on this issue and there must be some kind of lobbying from the AHA or something like that for them to have such a market hold on CPR certs, b/c there is nothing that makes their class above the Red Cross's.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 19, 2011

AHA is generally preferred because it requires competency demonstration. They are literally the people who wrote the book on CPR. If you have time now, go ahead and get the cert. We do not hire nurses without AHA cards. Period.

Not true: I took CPR and was required to demonstrate my competence in class--and demonstrate it well--before I could receive my card.

BLS is not the same as Red Cross CPR. It's directed more towards healthcare professionals.:

That's because you are thinking about the basic CPR class. There is a CPR/AED for the Healthcare Provider class that covers much of the same ground as AHA's BLS for Healthcare Providers. I've taken both classes and found that the differences aren't too significant.

However, since almost all facilities want BLS, that's the one I maintain. Point being to the OP: find out which certification your facility wants and that's the one you get. If you have the other, ask if they'll make an exception; a lot of places will (or used to) hire you with the provision that you switch to their preferred certification as soon as your current one expires.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 19, 2011

double post, sorry about that.

tainted1972, ASN, RN · Nov 19, 2011

Each facility has their own preferences when it comes to CPR cert. The reason is so that all employees have the same training because there are some differences in certifications.

The American Red Cross is currently making a lot of changes, for example they are going to a two year certification.

Rags2Riches RN · Nov 19, 2011

Thank you all for your input. I wanted to clear up some misconceptions, when I originally got my CPR certification it was for good 2 years (this was back in the summer of 2010). Secondly, the CPR course that I took was indeed CPR for healthcare providers and not just CPR for the general population. Anyhow, I'm going to go ahead and get the BLS from the AHA, but their process seems so...different. Apparently they don't offer in-class instructions, instead they come to you/one-on-one like at your house:confused: Did anyone else do this?