Recognition by healthcare professionals

First Aid & CPR Virginia

In health care, keeping your skills current is central to protecting patients. For nurses in Virginia, that means meeting the Board's continued-competency rule at each renewal; for nursing assistants, first aid and CPR are commonly part of training and required by employers at hire. Here is what the rules expect for your role — and how recognized, up-to-date, documented training meets it.

Health professionals: continuing education and up-to-date skills

Registered and licensed practical nurses in Virginia renew their licence through the Virginia Board of Nursing, whose continued-competency rule keeps clinical knowledge and skills current through continuing education or recognized alternatives. You choose the pathway and the activities that fit your role.

Under the Virginia Nurse Practice Act, a nurse is accountable for maintaining competence and for responding appropriately in a clinical emergency. Being able to initiate resuscitation and basic life-saving measures is part of the standard of safe, competent care the Board expects.

These professions are subject to a mandatory continued-competency standard: the Board requires 30 contact hours per 2-year cycle, or 15 contact hours plus 640 practice hours, or a current national specialty certification, or a refresher course, teaching or publication. Advanced accredited courses such as ACLS or PALS can count toward the hours, while basic life support otherwise remains an employer requirement.

The requirement is met by any recognized continuing-education activity on an eligible topic. CPR/AED, ACLS (advanced cardiovascular life support) and PALS are among the eligible activities; other topics also qualify (for example safe prescribing, suicide prevention or violence prevention). A single course therefore both meets the obligation and counts toward your hours — provided you keep the proof.

Eligible courses offered in your region

How training becomes recognized

Not all activities are equal. For continuing education to be recognized by a professional order, it must meet specific criteria:

  • the instructor’s competence;
  • the relevance and quality of the content;
  • the training framework;
  • the quality of the material provided;
  • mechanisms to monitor and assess participation.

In Virginia, these are the criteria the Virginia Board of Nursing applies — through approved and nationally accredited providers — to recognize a continuing-education activity. Our training is designed to meet these criteria.

Rigorous online learning

Our training draws on the latest medical research and combines practical modules with a theoretical assessment. The resulting certification is credible and verifiable — presentable to your professional order and to your employer — and prepares you to excel in your practice.

Support and care staff: a certificate required to work

A CPR and first-aid course does not replace occupational training — it is added to it. To work with vulnerable people, a valid first-aid certificate is often required in addition to your professional training.

For support staff, many Virginia nurse aide programs include CPR and first-aid certification, and assisted living and nursing home employers commonly require it at hire — in addition to the aide training. The first-aid and CPR certificate is a standalone credential, distinct from the training diploma, that must be obtained and then kept current; a recognized certificate meets that requirement for Certified Nurse Aides.

See the recognized training for this role

Attestation, certificate and invoice: proof your training is recognized

On successful completion, you receive:

  • an official attestation;
  • a certificate of completion;
  • a detailed invoice;
  • online access to your documents for as long as your certification remains valid.

These documents are the proof to present to your professional order to credit your hours, or to your employer to demonstrate your compliance.

For organizations: keep your team compliant

When the certificate is an employer requirement, the real challenge is tracking. Our organization system manages a team’s training: a certification dashboard, deadline tracking, automatic renewal reminders and proof archiving. An organization keeps its whole staff current without watching every date by hand.

Training aligned with the latest emergency-care standards

Our CPR, AED and first-aid training is developed in line with the most recent international guidelines for emergency cardiovascular care and first aid.

We rigorously follow the recommendations of ILCOR (International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation), the international body responsible for the scientific evaluation and development of global resuscitation standards. These recommendations serve as a reference for health organizations, institutions and professional orders worldwide — and are updated as scientific and clinical evidence evolves.

Keep your skills current with confidence

Every intervention can make a difference. Keeping CPR and emergency-care skills current is both a professional requirement and a responsibility toward patients, colleagues and the public.

See all health-care courses

References

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