Lifeguard certification how long does it take

This course is best suited for those with current lifeguarding certification who simply need to renew. Learn how to save lives and prevent injuries around water with Red Cross Lifeguard Training. The Red Cross has been training and teaching skills for effective responses to all kinds of emergencies for more than years.

Learning Center. Use my location. Live Chat. Live Chat. Your Cart is Empty. Find Lifeguarding Classes. American Red Cross Lifeguard Online Course takes approximately 8 hours to complete and must be finished prior to the first class date. Lifeguard Recerts. Within 2 days of successfully completing the American Red Cross Lifeguard course, participants will receive an email from the American Red Cross containing a link to their digital certification. In order to print a copy of your digital certification please complete the following directions.

American Red Cross requires participants to be at least 17 years old on the last class date. For current class dates, locations and fees visit the Lifeguard Instructor page. Lifeguard Instructor is a blended learning format course, with both online and classroom components. Within 2 days of successfully completing the American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor course, participants will receive an email from the American Red Cross containing a link to their digital certification.

American Red Cross requires participants to be at least 16 years old on the last class date. For current class dates, locations and fees visit the Water Safety Instructor page. So committed were the founders of Teach America To Swim that they began auditing existing swimming instruction programs to improve training in local communities. Now, Teach America To Swim works with local schools, communities, parks and recreation departments, youth camps, and YMCAs to help them improve their swimming safety programs.

The organization uses the American Red Cross curriculum in its online and in-person training sessions, and the lifeguard program enables students to become American Red Cross-certified. The online portion of the course is required for students before they attend the in-person training, which consists of two full days of hands-on learning.

Features of the program include a lifeguard training course, a lifeguard training kit, and a certification in first aid, CPR, and AED. The lifeguard training lessons offered by Teach America To Swim include certifications for shallow swimming pools, deep pools, waterfronts, water parks, and youth camps.

The United States Lifesaving Association USLA is a nonprofit, professional association of beach lifeguards that works with businesses to train and hire open-water lifeguards.

The primary aim of the USLA is to reduce the incidence of death and injury in open-water beaches and swimming areas in the U.

Compared to a swimming pool, the obstacles of becoming an ocean lifeguard include a much larger number of swimmers and beachgoers and more dangerous rescue situations. The job requires a high level of physical stamina.

Individuals will need to find a local USLA-Certified agency , which will post recruitment dates and certification testing information.

The prerequisites for an open-water lifeguard training program may vary depending on where you apply for employment, but a timed swim test is usually required. Costs may differ, depending on which agency you choose.

In most states you need to meet certain minimum criteria to be trained as a certified lifeguard for deep or shallow water or a pool:. The prerequisites for open-water lifeguard certification differ from state-to-state and depend on which certification you're pursuing.

There are different requirements for an ocean or surf open-water lifeguard, compared to a lifeguard who works at a lake or another non-surf beach. You can take the exam again if you fail. After passing the written exam, a swimming test is given to prove that you can meet the physical demands of being a lifeguard. Expect to tread water, demonstrate proper breathing techniques, and perform specific swim events that may or may not be timed.

Some institutions offer certificates that must be renewed annually, so be sure to inquire when you are looking into training. Most lifeguard certification programs require CPR, first aid, and AED training as part of the completion requirements. In selecting the best lifeguard certification classes, it was important to consider whether the course was legitimate; in other words, does the institution qualify to issue valid, legal lifeguard certifications that will enable students to legally work as lifeguards?

Next, we selected programs that offer flexible scheduling and specific benefits, such as blended courses with online and in-person classes.