Online learning has made tremendous advancements in the last decade. What used to be a series of digitized articles and essays has advanced to 360 degree video lectures and even virtual rarity demonstrations. It’s now easier than ever to attain education in areas of personal and professional interest, and excuses for not doing so are quickly running out.

Many employers will not accept an online CPR certification

However, there are still cases in which taking a class over the internet doesn’t fully measure up to an in-person, physical experience. You’d be hard pressed to truly learn karate over the web without an instructor helping you maintain form, and it would be silly to accept that you could learn how to dribble a basketball or style someone’s hair without a tactile component to practice with.

The same can be said about CPR. While there are online courses that can get you CPR certified, it is best learned (and taught) in person with live, hands-on demonstrations and teachers. When it comes to something as important as this potentially life-saving technique, the importance of a live coach cannot be understated. Proper form is key to performing CPR at its highest level of functionality both to provide assistance to someone in need and also to help avoid injury to the person it is being administered to.

You Can’t stop an online video to ask questions

Using dummies, visual aids, and hands-on instruction, an in-person class will result in a more confident level of expertise. You may unknowingly fall into a bad habit in your administration of CPR that an online video will not be able to correct for you. Feeling your weight against the resistance of a practice dummy or the placement of an infant dummy on your lap are real world experiences that can’t be accurately expressed with online instruction.

Taking a class in person also has the added benefit of meeting professionals who are knowledgeable and at your disposal when it comes to questions and inquiries into CPR techniques and anecdotes relating to its effectiveness. You may have questions that an online course can’t address, or you may wish to explore other courses or certifications available at the facility. Some may even provide additional courses and information on administering CPR to pets.

While online certification will get the job done, you can’t beat the additional degree of education that is attained in a live setting. When it comes to CPR, a true matter of life and death, there are no downsides to making the choice to take advantage of the benefits of in-person instruction.