American Red Cross Reimagines First Aid/CPR/AED Programs

Today, the American Red Cross released the next generation of its market-leading First Aid/CPR/AED program. This innovative program combines advanced educational techniques with the latest science to meet regulatory and workplace requirements and make the experience more engaging for course participants.

“Our new program revolutionizes the learning experience with game-changing educational techniques and personalized, tailored training so students can learn critical lifesaving skills in less time,” said Dom Tolli, senior vice president of Product Management and Platform Development for the American Red Cross. “These flexible First Aid/CPR/AED programs are designed for 21st-century learning and take into consideration where, when and how students prefer to train.”

The new program, incorporating active learning techniques, immerses students in an interactive and hands-on environment to ensure they leave with a mastery of lifesaving skills. Active learning, which is unique to the Red Cross, allows each student to take turns simulating the role of an active life saver, a coach and an observer which reinforces easy-to-remember lifesaving actions.

In addition, the blended learning and online courses in the program utilize adaptive learning which enables students to take a pre-assessment test that personalizes the curriculum based on their knowledge and level of skill. The courses also include all-new realistic live-action videos that show real-life scenarios and 20 percent more hands-on skill practice to help improve skill mastery and retention.

Students can further customize their training based on need or desire by taking advantage of additional Skill Boosts which will extend their lifesaving skills. Examples of Skill Boosts include, among others, response to life-threatening bleeding and tourniquet application, and opioid overdoses and naloxone administration.

Being confident in responding to a potentially fatal injury is important in any profession or industry, with more than 15 deaths on the job every day.1 Nearly 2.5 million people enroll in Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED courses each year.

Additional details about Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED programs can be found at redcross.org/training.

[1] Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (2019), Bureau of Labor Statistics, released December 16, 2020