Basic Life Support to replace Health Care Provider level CPR
Improving the Quality of Training for Health Care Providers
The Canadian Red Cross is proud to release the new Basic Life Support (BLS) program – the only Canadian researched and developed program, and the most up-to-date on the market. Our BLS program incorporates the latest evidence-based science and research; aligns with industry standards; and meets legislative requirements.
Basic life support (BLS) is an important step in the survival of a person who suffers a cardiac arrest incident. BLS education helps individuals gain confidence in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills and provides them with the important steps to:
Perform a rapid assessment.
Initiate the emergency response system.
Perform BLS skills.
Perform rapid defibrillation.
So Who Needs BLS Training?
The revised BLS curriculum is in replacement of the old Health Care Provider (HCP) curriculum. Anyone that previously required CPR/AED with level HCP will now require CPR/AED with BLS. This change is important to note for two key audiences:
“In-facility” care providers, including nursing staff, care aides, medical and dental professionals.
Pre-hospital care providers, which may include professionals in a fire service, rescue team, sports-medicine professional, lifeguards and ski patrol.
An important note on BLS certifications is that, unlike CPR/AED with HCP which is valid for 3 years, CPR/AED with BLS certificates are only valid for 1 year. Your BLS certification will need to be renewed yearly. This is to ensure that all Health Care Providers are current with industry resuscitation standards. You will also now be able to take Oxygen Therapy as well as Airway Management in addition to your BLS training. This will help you save time and money.
Course Durations:
BLS Recertification - 2 hours
BLS Stand-alone course - 4 hours
Standard First Aid & Basic Life Support - 16 hours (2-days in-class)
Emergency First Aid & Basic Life Support - 8 hours (1-day in-class)
We are excited to roll this program out to you and continue offering excellent training services to all of our Health Care Providers! If you have any questions about the new program and how it will affect your current certification, please contact us.