The short answer is no, they aren't! Should you take your CPR certification online via any course that comes up under a search in Google? Definitely not if you are required to hold a valid certificate for work as you will probably find your employer doesn’t recognize it. This could put your job in jeopardy but that isn’t the only reason why you need to be careful with online CPR courses.

There are lots of CPR certification programs available online but the only one you should be looking at currently is the one offered by the American Heart Association. Your employer should recognize this course. You can only take the theory element of the certification process online. Once you pass this section you then go to your local AHA center and have your skills assessed before you get your certification qualification.

Have I looked into every other CPR course offered online? No of course not but think about it for yourself. If you were at risk of sudden cardiac death and the person you were relying on saving you had studied online and never put his theoretical skills into practice would that give you hope of recovery? Of course being unconscious you wouldn’t know the difference but I hope you get the point I am trying to make. CPR is a physical skill. In fact some would say that actually knowing how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation is far more important than understanding the theory behind the actions.

You can learn the theory of doing CPR via a computer or video course. In fact you could learn it from watching a movie but your confidence in your abilities would soar if you had actually practiced your skills in front of an instructor who then said you were qualified.

The American Heart Association is one of the leading organizations in the field of cardiac research and rescue techniques. They are committed to getting more people qualified in CPR so wouldn’t you think they would offer a full online course if that was, in their opinion, sufficient to train people. Yes of course they would. But they don't.

They offer three step process where you can study the theory side of CPR at your computer but you have to attend a skills training session as well as a skills assessment session in order to obtain your certification. Your skills will be assessed by a qualified American Heart Association instructor. This is the only CPR certification online course I personally would take or would recommend to my friends. I am sure the new offering from the American Red Cross will offer similar quality tuition when it becomes available.