If you live in the city of San Francisco and need to train in CPR, then enroll in one of our courses and become a trained rescuer today. San Francisco CPR will teach you how to give chest compressions, rescue breaths, and defibrillation on victims of cardiac arrest. We can teach you either Basic or Advanced Life Support, or even both depending on the credentials that you need. Our courses are divided into those categories, five in total. We have three Basic Life Support and two Advanced Life Support courses. We also have re-certification courses for rescuers who have credentials that are nearing expiry (NOT expired).
What kind of course should I take? Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Life Support (ALS)?
If you are a healthcare professional, you will most likely need to train in Advanced Life Support. Our ALS programs teach trainees about medical management or interventions for victims of cardiac arrest. These interventions can only be performed by professional healthcare workers such as nurses and doctors. However, if you are a layperson – someone who doesn’t work or isn’t familiar with healthcare topics and skills – you will most likely need a Basic Life Support course. A BLS course covers basic CPR and first aid skills, perfect for people who just want to learn the basics of cardiac arrest management. However, we also have BLS courses for healthcare providers because a BLS training credential is required before training in ALS.
Are there any requirements for CPR training?
If you are signing up for a basic (BLS) course, we don’t typically require any requirements. For both ALS programs, we require the trainees to have a valid Basic Life Support for HCPs training credential before they apply. Pre-tests are also given prior to beginning ALS training and only those who pass qualify for continuing to the program proper.
What classes are under each category?
Basic Life Support has three courses: Heartsaver CPR and AED (basic one-person rescue for the public), Heartsaver CPR and AED (C) (basic one-person rescue for HCPs), and Basic Life Support for HCPs (basic one and two-person rescue). Advanced Life Support has: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) (adult cases) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) (pediatric cases). Program lengths are as follows:
- Heartsaver – 4 hours
- Heartsaver C – 4.5 hours
- BLS for HCPs – 4.5 hours
- ACLS – 16 hours (2 days)
- PALS – 14 hours (2 days)
A testimonial from one of our very satisfied trainees:
Studying at San Francisco CPR was one of the best training experiences I’ve had in my career working as a nurse. The trainers were friendly and very approachable – especially if I had to have something clarified regarding the lesson. It is an experience I will be glad to repeat when I need to re-certify after two years
All training certificates expire after two years but can be renewed through re-certification courses. Re-certification is offered for only three of our courses: BLS, ACLS, and PALS. Remember to sign up before your certificate expires or else you will have to take the training program again.