CPR/AED for the Professional

Health care providers and lifeguard

The American Red Cross announces the following changes to the certificates and validity periods for the CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer course.

Certificates issued in a CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer course will now be valid for two years except for lifeguards whose certification will remain one year. The certificate issued for these courses will be a new certificate titled CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer and Healthcare Provider.
The certificate issued to lifeguards will be a new certificate titled CPR/AED for Lifeguards which is valid for one year.

Chapters may implement this change immediately; however, effective January 1, 2009, all chapters must implement the certificate and validity period changes, allowing for a phase-in period. Course participants who take a course offered on or after this release are eligible to receive the CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer and Healthcare Provider certificate which is valid for two years. If a recently trained individual wishes to obtain a two-year certificate, they must complete a course (full, review or challenge) on or after the certificate release announcement.

Following both the scientific literature and OSHA recommendations, the Red Cross continues to strongly encourage all professional rescuers to retrain in CPR/AED annually and to refresh their skills at least every six months. The maintenance of skills and knowledge is achieved by a combination of course work including retraining, skills refreshers and application of these skills.

NOTE: If you register online for this class after 3:45 PM on the date of the of the class, you must print and bring your receipt to class

CPR/AED for the Professional (review):