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CPR Healthcare Provider Certification

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a life saving technique that is performed on a person suffering from cardiac arrest. Performing CPR on someone when their heart stops can keep the victim from sustaining brain damage and help save their life. CPR can be done by and on people of all ages. CPR is taught to medical professionals and the public alike.

  1. Types CPR training

    • There are several types of CPR training available. There are two main types of CPR taught: hands-only CPR and traditional CPR. Traditional CPR consists of both chest compressions and rescue breathing. Hands-only CPR focuses only on chest compressions and does not include rescue breathing. CPR guidelines may be determined by organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Red Cross or a physician (also known as a medical director) who dictates the type of care and treatment health care providers are allowed to perform on patients.

    Provider CPR Versus Basic CPR

    • Health care providers learn to perform a more in depth version of CPR that is specifically designed for the health care industry. Health care provider CPR allows rescuers to take a more aggressive approach and uses various types of medical equipment in conjunction with the standard chest compressions and rescue breathing. During health care provider CPR training, individuals are taught to how to open the victim’s airway using techniques including the jaw thrust maneuver which is performed on a victim in cardiac arrest who may also have a spinal cord injury. Rescue breathing taught in health care provider CPR courses includes the use of equipment, such as airway adjuncts and a bag-valve mask.

    Finding a Course

    • CPR training mannequins

      Find a health care provider CPR course by contacting the Red Cross, AHA, local hospital or search online. CPR courses can be completed both in person and online. CPR courses done in person may use training dummies to allow students to practice technique to ensure CPR is performed correctly. Online classes may use simulator programs to test a person's knowledge and ability to perform CPR successfully.

    Certification

    • To become certified in health care provider CPR, an individual must successfully compete a health care provider CPR course. A written exam and CPR demonstration must be done in order to receive certification. Some online courses may require that a final CPR demonstration is performed in person in front of a licensed instructor while others may only require demonstration of CPR using a simulator program.

    Recertification

    • Health care provider CPR is issued to those who successfully complete the course and pass all necessary exams and demonstrations required to be eligible for certification. The CPR instructor will issue cards to all those who pass. CPR cards are issued with an expiration date and must be renewed to remain certified. To re-certify in CPR an individual must find and complete a health care provider CPR course successfully and pass all necessary exams.

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