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Whether you’re simply seeking to be more prepared for emergencies or your employer requires it, basic life support (BLS) certification arms you with a great set of skills – one that will help you save lives. As you consider BLS certification, keep in mind these three important reasons you might want to get certified sooner rather than later. 

1. BLS certification is a requirement of your employment.

Okay, this is the easy one: get certified, keep your job. BLS certification is a requirement of employment for many doctors, nurses, paramedics and EMTs, as well as other emergency workers and healthcare providers. BLS training may also be required of non-medical professionals who may be faced with emergency situations, such as park and recreation professionals, child care workers or security professionals (Contact your supervisor or human resources office if you’re unsure about whether you require life support certification, and if so, which certification).

But even if BLS certification isn’t a requirement of your job, knowing how to provide basic life support in an emergency may position you for additional opportunities in your current job or at the very least make you a very valuable co-worker.  Since BLS is a “non-invasive” form of life support, often used by non-medical first responders, it’s an important skill to have in every-day workplace settings. 

2. It can help you save a life.

BLS training online can teach you how to recognize a life threatening emergency, and empower you to respond. According to the American Heart Association, a heart attack victim’s chance of survival nearly doubles when an individual certified in BLS performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or early defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED). BLS training teaches you to recognize the basic signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest, as well as those of stroke and other emergency situations that require rescue intervention. Skills you’ll learn in BLS include:

• Adult rescue breathing
• Adult CPR and AED
• Adult choking management
• Child/infant rescue breathing
• Child/infant choking management
• Child CPR

3. It’s easy to complete when you can take a portion of the course online.

The BLS certification involves both a cognitive portion and a hands-on skills validation. Because Health Ed Solutions offers the cognitive portion of BLS, you can take it in your own time and at your own pace. You should assume that it will take you roughly one to two hours to complete the course’s mandatory checkpoints and final written test. After that, you’ll validate your hands-on skills by completing a skills check at a local training center. Then you’re prepared to save a life!

The information included in this article is based on the 2020 guidelines for CPR, first aid and advanced cardiovascular care. Read more about how the 2020 guidelines impact BLS classes.