Online first aid courses

Arkansas has no approved OSHA State Plan, so workplaces follow the federal rule (29 CFR 1910.151(b)): no fixed ratio, but absent a nearby clinic or hospital employers must keep enough adequately trained first-aiders on staff, reachable within about 3-4 minutes in high-hazard settings.

The Arkansas Minimum Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centers (DHS/DCCECE, Section 5) require the Director, the Assistant Director or Site Supervisor, and 50% of on-site staff to hold first aid and CPR certification, including infant and child CPR where infants and toddlers are served. Training provided solely online is not accepted; the curriculum must be hands-on and skill-based.

Under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-95-101, anyone who in good faith and without compensation renders emergency care as a reasonably prudent person would is protected from liability, with immunity lost only for gross negligence or willful/wanton misconduct. A separate statute, Ark. Code Ann. § 20-13-1305, extends immunity to AED use, and there is no legal duty to rescue.

The Arkansas State Board of Nursing requires 15 practice-focused contact hours (or national certification, or one college credit) every two years for renewal, and for many roles current BLS/ACLS certification as a condition of licensure. Basic CPR/BLS does not count toward the hours, but advanced courses such as ACLS, PALS, NRP and PEARS do.

In Arkansas long-term care and residential settings, nurse-aide (CNA) training governed by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing requires CPR certification at the Healthcare Provider level with a hands-on skills component. Facilities commonly require care staff to keep this certification current, renewed periodically and in addition to the aide's occupational training.

Under the Arkansas DCFS Standards of Approval, no child is placed in a foster home until each foster parent has obtained CPR certification (infant, child and adult) and completed first-aid training from a recognized organization. Online CPR and first-aid training is accepted through an approved provider, and the certificate is one requirement alongside 30 hours of pre-service training.

Online CPR and first aid training is recognized in Arkansas for personal, childcare-licensing and employer needs, delivering a 2-year certification built on the ILCOR 2025 Consensus on Science. Online is accepted for the workplace requirement with no explicit ban, though OSHA recommends a hands-on skills-demonstration component especially for CPR.