CPR training teaches you how to keep blood flowing to the brain and organs when someone’s heart stops beating. A typical course takes a few hours, covers chest compressions and rescue breathing on adults, children, and infants, and usually includes practice with an automated external defibrillator (AED). Certification lasts two years through most providers.
What You Learn in a CPR Course
The core of any CPR course is chest compressions. You practice pushing hard and fast on the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. For adults, you compress at least 2 inches deep but no more than 2.4 inches, using the heel of one hand with your other hand stacked on top, fingers interlocked. The rhythm is roughly the tempo of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” a reference most instructors will mention at least once.
Between sets of compressions, you deliver rescue breaths. The standard pattern for a single rescuer is 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths. Each breath lasts about one second. You tilt the person’s head back, lift their chin, pinch the nose closed, and seal your mouth over theirs. If the chest rises visibly, the breath went in correctly. If it doesn’t, you reposition the head and try again.
Courses also cover hands-only CPR, which skips rescue breaths entirely. This is recommended for untrained bystanders or situations where mouth-to-mouth isn’t possible. Continuous chest compressions alone still circulate enough oxygenated blood to make a significant difference in the first several minutes of cardiac arrest.
How Techniques Differ for Children and Infants
CPR for children (age 1 through puberty) uses the same basic approach as adult CPR, but with less force. You press down about 2 inches using one or both hands depending on the child’s size and your own strength. The compression-to-breath ratio stays at 30:2 for a single rescuer, but drops to 15:2 when two rescuers are available.
Infant CPR looks noticeably different. Instead of using your palm, you place two fingers on the center of the chest and press down about 1.5 inches. Rescue breaths are gentler too. You cover both the baby’s mouth and nose with your mouth and give a small puff of air rather than a full breath. These adjustments account for the fragility of an infant’s body, and practicing them on a manikin during class is one of the most valuable parts of training, since the technique feels counterintuitive until you’ve done it.
AED Training
Nearly all CPR courses include training on automated external defibrillators, the portable devices found in airports, gyms, schools, and offices. An AED analyzes the heart’s rhythm and delivers an electric shock if needed to restore a normal heartbeat. The device walks you through each step with voice prompts, but practicing beforehand removes the hesitation that slows people down in real emergencies.
The steps are straightforward: turn the AED on, remove clothing from the chest, wipe the skin dry if needed, and place one adhesive pad on the upper right chest and the other on the lower left side a few inches below the armpit. Once the pads are connected, the AED reads the heart’s rhythm. You make sure nobody is touching the person, say “clear” out loud, and press the shock button if the device advises it. Then you immediately resume chest compressions. Courses let you practice this full sequence, pad placement to shock delivery, on training manikins so the steps become automatic.
Course Types and Formats
The two most common course tracks come from the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. The Heartsaver course is designed for people with little or no medical background, covering adult, child, and infant CPR plus AED use and basic first aid. It satisfies workplace requirements from OSHA and similar regulatory bodies. The Basic Life Support (BLS) course goes deeper and is aimed at healthcare providers, EMTs, and other professionals who need to respond to cardiac emergencies as part of their job.
You can take courses fully in person or through a blended format that pairs online learning modules with a shorter hands-on skills session. Research comparing the two approaches found that blended training is just as effective as traditional instructor-led sessions for building and maintaining CPR skills. The online portion lets you learn concepts at your own pace, while the in-person session (which can’t be skipped) ensures you’ve practiced compressions and breaths on a manikin with real-time feedback. Either way, expect to spend a few hours total.
Some providers also offer expanded courses that add modules on choking response, life-threatening bleeding control, opioid overdose response, and recognizing the signs of stroke or anaphylaxis. These combined CPR/First Aid courses are popular for teachers, coaches, childcare workers, and office safety teams.
Why Bystander CPR Matters
When someone goes into cardiac arrest outside a hospital, their survival depends almost entirely on what happens in the minutes before paramedics arrive. People who receive bystander CPR have a 28% greater chance of surviving compared to those who receive no intervention, according to data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Every minute without compressions reduces the odds further, which is why training emphasizes acting quickly over acting perfectly.
Despite those numbers, many bystanders hesitate. Common reasons include fear of doing something wrong, worry about legal consequences, and simply not knowing the steps. Training addresses all three. Practicing on a manikin builds the muscle memory and confidence to act without freezing. And legally, Good Samaritan laws in every U.S. state protect people who provide emergency assistance in good faith. These laws shield you from liability for ordinary mistakes, as long as you aren’t acting with reckless disregard or expecting payment. If the person is unconscious, the law assumes they would consent to help.
Certification and Renewal
After completing a course and passing the skills assessment, your CPR certification is valid for two years. Renewal courses are shorter than the initial training since they focus on refreshing skills rather than teaching them from scratch. Research suggests that refresher sessions every six months are more effective at maintaining high-quality CPR skills than waiting the full two years, so some workplaces schedule brief practice sessions between formal renewals.
Certification cards are typically issued by the training organization (American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or another accredited provider) and can be printed or stored digitally. If your job requires CPR certification, check which provider your employer recognizes, as some industries or state regulations specify one over another.