The CPR course guide that actually makes sense.
From Hands-Only CPR to ACLS — find the right class, learn the steps, and keep your card current. Written for parents, professionals, and everyone in between.
- Survival boost
- 2–3×
- Compressions/min
- 100–120
- Card validity
- 2 yrs
Every CPR topic, in one place
25 guides covering certification, skills, audience-specific training, and how providers compare.
Online CPR Certification
Online CPR certification lets you complete the coursework on your own schedule. For most healthcare and workplace requirements, choose a blended course that pairs online learning with an in-person skills check from an AHA or Red Cross instructor.
Read guide →BLS Certification
BLS (Basic Life Support) certification is the CPR credential required for nurses, doctors, EMTs, paramedics, dental staff, and most clinical roles. It covers high-quality CPR, AED use, airway management, and team dynamics.
Read guide →ACLS Certification
ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) certification builds on BLS for providers who manage cardiac arrest and peri-arrest emergencies — including ECG rhythm recognition, IV/IO access, and resuscitation drugs.
Read guide →PALS Certification
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) trains clinicians to assess, stabilize, and resuscitate critically ill infants and children using systematic algorithms.
Read guide →First Aid + CPR Combo Courses
First Aid + CPR combo courses bundle emergency response basics — bleeding, burns, sprains, allergic reactions — with CPR and AED training. This combination satisfies most OSHA workplace requirements.
Read guide →CPR Renewal and Recertification
Most CPR and BLS cards are valid for 2 years. Renew 30–60 days before expiration through a shorter recertification course; an expired card usually requires the full initial course.
Read guide →How Much Does a CPR Course Cost?
CPR course pricing ranges from free community Hands-Only CPR demos to about $375 for ACLS. Community CPR/AED runs $50–$90, BLS $60–$110, and combo First Aid + CPR $80–$140.
Read guide →CPR for Healthcare Providers
Healthcare providers need BLS-level CPR — a clinically paced course covering high-quality compressions, bag-mask ventilation, AED use, and team-based resuscitation.
Read guide →Adult CPR
For adult CPR, push hard and fast in the center of the chest at 100–120 compressions per minute and at least 2 inches deep, with full chest recoil between compressions.
Read guide →Child CPR (Ages 1 to Puberty)
Child CPR (ages 1 to puberty) uses one- or two-handed compressions about 2 inches deep at 100–120 per minute, with rescue breaths because most pediatric arrests are respiratory in origin.
Read guide →Infant CPR (Under 1 Year)
Infant CPR (under 1 year, excluding newborns in delivery) uses two fingers or the two-thumb encircling hands technique to compress about 1.5 inches deep at 100–120 per minute.
Read guide →Workplace CPR and OSHA Compliance
OSHA's 1910.151 standard requires trained first-aid responders when professional medical help is not in 'near proximity.' Workplace CPR + First Aid + AED training is the standard solution.
Read guide →CPR for Teachers and School Staff
Many U.S. states require CPR training for teachers, coaches, and school staff. A Heartsaver CPR/AED or First Aid + CPR combo course typically meets district policy.
Read guide →CPR for Lifeguards
Lifeguards need a CPR for the Professional Rescuer (or BLS) certification that covers 2-rescuer CPR, bag-mask ventilation, oxygen administration, and AED use.
Read guide →CPR for Parents and Caregivers
A 2–3 hour parent CPR class teaches infant and child CPR, choking relief, and what to do until 911 arrives. Most cardiac emergencies in kids start with choking, drowning, or breathing problems.
Read guide →CPR for Nurses
All nurses need BLS. ED, ICU, cath lab, and rapid response nurses also need ACLS. Pediatric, NICU, and PICU nurses need PALS. Schedule renewals 60 days early to avoid hospital scheduling problems.
Read guide →CPR for Dentists and Dental Staff
Dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants need BLS certification, renewed every 2 years. Sedation-providing dentists need additional emergency-response training defined by state dental boards.
Read guide →What Is CPR? A Plain-English Guide to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an emergency technique that combines chest compressions and rescue breaths to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and vital organs when someone's heart stops.
Read guide →Hands-Only CPR
Hands-only CPR is a two-step technique for untrained bystanders responding to an adult who collapses: call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.
Read guide →AED Training
An AED (automated external defibrillator) analyzes heart rhythm and delivers a shock if needed. AED training walks you through powering on, pad placement, voice prompts, and how to clear the patient before a shock.
Read guide →Choking Response
For a conscious choking adult or child, alternate 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich) until the object is dislodged. If the person becomes unresponsive, lower them and start CPR.
Read guide →How to Perform CPR
Perform CPR in seven steps: ensure scene safety, check responsiveness, call 911 and request an AED, open the airway, deliver 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths if trained, and attach an AED as soon as it arrives.
Read guide →CPR Compression Rate and Depth
AHA guidelines call for 100–120 compressions per minute, at least 2 inches deep (5 cm) in adults, with full chest recoil between compressions and interruptions kept under 10 seconds.
Read guide →CPR Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about CPR training: how long classes take, what's accepted by employers, when to renew, and what each course covers.
Read guide →Ready to get certified?
Healthcare workers take BLS. Workplaces take Heartsaver CPR/AED. Parents take Family & Friends CPR. Two minutes on the right page beats two hours guessing.