Contrary to popular belief, the American Heart Association is not the only valid CPR training alternative for those of us in the health care field who require CPR certification for our jobs. The American Heart Association merely represents one option of many in the marketplace, and it may not even be the best option for everyone.
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization originally formed for the mission of sharing research findings and promoting further study of heart disease (source). Over the years, the mission remains the same, but the organization finds itself doing much more than sharing its findings. As the American liaison to the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), the AHA has the responsibility of communicating the committee’s findings to U.S. training companies so they can teach according to the latest consensus guidelines. However, in addition to communicating these findings, the American Heart Association also competes in the marketplace by selling its own training and certification card, which is, not surprisingly, the most popular curriculum. In fact, some organizations have gone so far as to mandate that all their employees be trained in an AHA-branded program.
If certain companies are bold enough to state in policy that the American Heart Association is the only organization with a quality training program, it follows for many people that the other curriculum providers must be in some way lacking. This assumption is unfounded, however. The American Heart Association communicates the guidelines for CPR training, and so these guidelines are the “gold standard” that any respectable CPR trainer should follow, but this does not make AHA instructors inherently better at teaching according to the standard than other providers. In fact, smaller providers are often more innovative in their approach to teaching CPR. For example, ProCPR, an online CPR provider that teaches its own curriculum (AHA compliant), offers free video training, a web-based multiple choice test, and blended hands-on manikin practice through its skill evaluator network. This online/blended approach is popular with busy health care workers since it allows them to do the majority of the work online whenever they have the time.
Guidelines for performing CPR have changed in recent years, with new recommendations for compression/breath ratios and hands-only CPR for lay rescuers. The primary aim for these changes is to make CPR simpler and to encourage more people to learn CPR and to feel more confident in performing this life-saving skill, no matter who the provider may be. Check with your employer to see if you are able to try an alternative CPR provider for your next certification.