Basic Life Support, or BLS, is a set of skills and procedures which enable both medical and non-medical personnel to tend to adults and children during medical emergencies. It is an important skill set for healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses, dentists, paramedics, as well as non-medical people such as teachers, lifeguards, or social workers.

To obtain these skills and the required knowledge, people take courses for BLS training. There are two mediums of learning: classroom learning, which has been the standard medium for a long time, and getting the BLS training online, which more and more people opt for nowadays. Online training helps people to obtain all the necessary skills that they would need in a medical emergency.

Here are 4 guidelines to help you decide to get your BLS training online:

Weigh the costs

As compared to physical training, online training is only a tad more costly. Since many institutions and trainers offer BLS training online, you have a wide variety of options to choose from, based on their fee. A big advantage of doing it online is that you do not have to travel at all and this gives you the freedom of selecting any institution for getting your training done, even if it is far away.

Make sure you research well before deciding on an institution for your training. You can find different fees, as well as benefits for completing your training with that particular institution.

Ask around

If you are a healthcare provider, you will have hundreds of people around you who belong to the same profession, and it is highly likely that some of them may have gone through the BLS training online, which means that they will be the best people to consult with regarding the online training and its benefits and effectiveness. You will also be able to find reviews on the websites which offer training, and they can help you decide if you want to go for the online training or physical one.

Evaluate yourself

Every person has a different pace of learning, and thrives differently in various environments. If you prefer the old school, classroom-based style of learning, and are not comfortable with sitting alone at home and studying, then the online certification might not do the work for you.
However, if you are a good learner, and can study for 3-4 hours without interruption, you are good to go, and the online training is the right fit for you. It is best that you evaluate yourself before you actually make a decision.

Prepare yourself mentally

This pointer is essential, especially if you are not a healthcare provider. Normally, people associated with the medical profession are mentally prepared to deal with emergencies at all times and in all places. If you are a common person with no medical education, you will need to prepare yourself mentally before you go for the BLS training online, because it is a big responsibility to take care of an injured or ill person during a medical emergency.

If you follow these guidelines, you will be able to prepare yourself for an online BLS certification, and equip yourself with the skills required to save peoples’ lives in the face of an emergency.