What CPR Training Does My Workplace Need?

Every workplace eventually asks the same question: "We should get CPR training… but which one?" The course names don't help — Heartsaver, BLS, First Aid combos — and the wrong pick either overtrains office staff or undertrains clinical staff. Here's the plain-English version.

Start with who would respond

The dividing line is simple: does the person have clinical duties? Nurses, dental staff, therapists, and medical assistants need provider-level training (BLS). Everyone else — office staff, warehouse crews, security, coaches, hospitality — needs layperson training that builds confidence, not clinical vocabulary.

The two most common workplace choices

Heartsaver CPR/AED

The focused option: recognizing cardiac arrest, high-quality compressions, AED use, and choking response. Right for teams whose main concern is a collapse — gyms, offices, churches, event staff.

Heartsaver First Aid CPR/AED

The combined option adds injury and illness response: bleeding, burns, sprains, allergic reactions, heat illness, and recognizing heart attack and stroke. This is the most-booked workplace course for a reason — most workplace emergencies are injuries, not arrests. If your team has any physical hazard exposure, start here.

When BLS is the right call

BLS (Basic Life Support) is the healthcare-provider standard: faster pace, infant and child response, bag-mask ventilation, and team-based resuscitation. If your staff hold clinical licenses or your employer/program requires "provider-level" CPR, BLS is the answer. Mixed workplaces — say, a medical office with front-desk staff — can split into both courses during one visit.

What about regulations and requirements?

Requirements come from many directions: industry standards, insurance carriers, client contracts, licensing bodies, and internal policy. They vary too much for a blog post to answer responsibly. The practical move: find out what your operation must satisfy, tell GoMedTrng, and the course option and documentation get matched to it before anything is booked.

Add-ons worth considering

• Stop the Bleed — if your site has machinery, blades, vehicles, or crowds, bleeding control is the highest-value add-on available
• AED & Readiness Review — pads, batteries, placement, and plan, checked while the trainer is already on site
• A renewal cadence — decide now how the team stays current, so certifications don't quietly lapse

The decision shortcut

1. Office, retail, or general staff → Heartsaver CPR/AED, or the First Aid combo for broader coverage
2. Trades, industrial, warehouse, or field crews → First Aid + CPR/AED, and add Stop the Bleed
3. Clinical or licensed staff → BLS
4. Mixed team → split groups in a single on-site visit
5. Still unsure → say so in the request form; recommending the right course is part of the service