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Red Cross plans to offer online lifesaver training

JANESVILLE — The American Red Cross is pumping new life into its courses by offering online training starting Monday, March 23.

"It's more for the convenience for the layperson—anybody anywhere," said Lisa Rebman, director of health and safety services for the south central Wisconsin chapter, 211 N. Parker Drive.

Jerod Schmidt said online coursework allowed him to gain the knowledge he needed while accommodating his hectic lifestyle.

"My life is pretty busy with college, work and a family. Online training gave me the opportunity to study at my own pace when my schedule allowed."

Janell Wilson agreed, saying, "I really enjoyed taking the course online. It was much better than being in a classroom the whole time. I was able to move through the course and really focus on the skills.

"Taking the test online was a benefit because I get test anxiety. Because I was at home taking it on my own, I didn't have to worry about how long I was taking or other peer pressure," she added.

Wilson also praised user support. "My e-mails and calls were responded to quickly and I felt like they genuinely cared about my success and understanding of the material."

Rebman isn't sure what to expect as far as local enrollment in online classes—including CPR, first aid and/or Automated External Defibrillator—part of a Red Cross national initiative.

"I'm hoping it will catch on and think it's going to take off," she said.

Online classes also will alleviate the need for Rebman to find volunteer instructors, which has been a struggle lately.

But because some people still might prefer a classroom setting, Rebman said the Red Cross will continue to meet that need.

While classroom training with an instructor is four hours, online training takes about half that time. That's because classroom lectures allow time for questions, Rebman said.

Otherwise, both types of training are similar. What a student views on a TV screen from a DVD, an online student views on his or her computer screen. Photographs, illustrations, videos and written instruction explain and demonstrate skills, she said.

But how will the student know if he or she is doing the hands-on part of the training correctly?

Once the student takes the final exam online and prints out the sheet noting they passed, they must call the local Red Cross chapter within 30 days to set up an hour-long skills session with an authorized American Red Cross instructor to earn certification. Two of those classes—one during the day and the other at night—already are scheduled for April and May with the possibility of more depending on the number of online students.

Online training costs $45, which is $10 more than the traditional classroom instruction. The extra money pays for a fee to the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, with which the local Red Cross teamed up to use its online template. The template is a simpler version of the national online training program, Rebman said.