Healthcare Part XIX – Too Much Internet?

My wife (aka the world’s greatest nurse) has been an RN for three decades.

One of her annual rituals is to attend recertification class for CPR (because she doesn’t work ICU or surgery she does not need the advanced cardiac program). She has plenty of experience and often more clinical training than the Red Cross instructor.

This year due to a medical leave, some travel and the holidays her certification will be expired for about six weeks. Not that her skills expire, of course.

One of her co-workers suggested she get re-certified over the Internet for the interim period.

Ok she says, and sent dutiful husband to do the search.

Sure enough, since her certification is current now (or lapsed less than six months) and she has a license she could get herself re-certified on-line. She thinks it is bizarre.

In the search process I found some scary sites that claim that someone who has never had any first aid or CPR training can train on the Internet and get a certifications sufficient for most OSHA requirements. This is learning first aid and CPR by watching a video on a computer screen. Gasp.

I have done first aid and CPR training about 25 times in the past 45 years, with numerous refreshers in between while the youngsters are doing First Aid merit badge. I have pumped on the dummy ’til my hands were numb and I was out of breath (and I’m 1-for1 in real world CPR, the scariest 8 minutes of my life).

Can you learn a hands-on skills on the Internet? Is this a step too far for a novice? Would you want CPR from an Internet student?

My wife goes to the Red Cross and bangs on the dummy in January. She is for real.