AFAA CPR Requirements

As a personal trainer, you teach, motivate, and inspire others to be healthier. This often means setting an example for proper health and preparedness, including getting CPR certified as part of your AFAA training.

Read on to learn all about AFAA CPR requirements, approved courses, and profession-specific details so you can choose the best course for your unique situation.

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What Is AFAA?

Established in 1983, the Athletics and Fitness Association (AFAA) is “a dominant force in movement-based health and fitness.” The organization’s mission is to motivate, inspire, and educate people to live healthier and happier lives.

AFAA specifically focuses on certifying group and personal trainers, and is overseen by its parent organization, NASM.

As part of AFAA’s training and certification program, all personal trainers are required to complete CPR training and certification.

Course Content AFAA CPR Requirements

Organizations base their CPR certification requirements on three criteria:

COURSE CONTENT

What skills are covered in the program.

COURSE DELIVERY METHOD

How the program is delivered, such as fully online, blended, or classroom.

COURSE BRAND

Who is offering the program

Your course content requirement tells you which course you need to take in order for your certification to be accepted by AFAA in order to complete your fitness professional certification.

Group and personal trainers who work with adults only must complete Adult CPR & AED, while fitness professionals who often or even occasionally work with children must complete training in CPR & AED for Adults, Children, and Infants, such as ProTrainings’ ProFirstAid course.

Course Brand AFAA CPR Requirements

Some national organizations require that your CPR training come from a specific brand; others don’t have brand-specific requirements and allow you to complete your training with flexible online providers like ProTrainings.

AFAA has explicitly approved ProTrainings’ CPR courses since July 2012 and has decided that our course content meets the organizations’ quality standards.

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Course Delivery Method NASM CPR Requirements

CPR can be taught in a classroom, online, or in a blended format. Some national organizations that oversee professionals and require CPR certification have set additional standards regarding the type of course you take.

If you are overseen by AFAA, you will need to complete a hands-on skills assessment in order to earn a valid CPR certification that will be accepted by AFAA.

While you can complete a classroom-based CPR program, most professionals prefer to take a blended CPR class. A blended CPR program allows you to complete the video training and written test portions completely online and then complete a hands-on practice and skills assessment with a certified instructor over a live instructor-led video conference.

Blended programs are often preferred for their flexibility, convenience, and remote-friendly format.

At ProTrainings, our CPR experts developed an easy-to-ship, disposable Single Use Manikin Option (SUMO) to facilitate hands-on learning without the spread of germs from multi-use manikins. AFAA, in particular, has reviewed and approved our SUMO program and is an advocate of students completing their hands-on skills assessment with ProTrainings blended courses with SUMO anywhere.

Special USCG CPR & First Aid Requirements for Certification

In addition to the course content, course modality, and course brand requirements discussed above, USCG has additional requirements that professionals must adhere to.

USCG, in particular, requires specific language to appear on CPR certification cards. Many online CPR training providers will issue you a standard CPR certification card that does not meet these requirements.

However, ProTrainings has collaborated with the US Coast Guard to ensure that all CPR certifications for USCG personnel feature the required text.

To ensure that you are taking one of the approved courses and receive a CPR certification card with the USCG special language, sign up here.

Learn More About Professional CPR Requirements

Browse other national organizations that ProTrainings works with:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

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United States
Coast Guard

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National Academy of Sports Medicine

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Academy of General Dentistry

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Commission on Accreditation for Pre-…

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Postgraduate Institute for Medicine

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Athletics & Fitness Association of America

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Dental Assisting National Board

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AFAA CPR Requirements FAQs

Does AFAA accept online CPR certifications?

AFAA does not accept online-only courses. Instead, they require CPR certifications from courses that require a hands-on skills assessment. These are referred to as blended CPR courses.

In a blended CPR course, you will complete the training portion of the course online, which allows you to access your course from anywhere, start and stop the course at any time, and replay videos as needed.

Then, you will complete a hands-on skills assessment with a certified CPR instructor. At ProTrainings, our blended CPR courses are set up so that you can complete the hands-on skills assessment over a live video conference. Your evaluator leads you through those practical skills in the comfort of your own home or office at your chosen date and time.