Recognition by healthcare professionals

First Aid & CPR Switzerland

In health care, maintaining high standards of care is essential to protect the public. For nurses, the law requires keeping skills current; for care aides, first aid is part of the recognized training. 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

In Switzerland, recognition and registration run through the national recognition body and the federal GesReg register; the practice permit rests with the cantons. The federal Health Professions Act (GesBG) requires keeping skills up to date.

The GesBG, in force since 2020, sets professional duties, including the continuing-education obligation (Fortbildung); there is no uniform federal hour count, arrangements being carried by cantons, employers and the SBK/ASI professional association.

The GesBG requires keeping skills current (Fortbildung) without setting a uniform federal hour count; arrangements rest with cantons, employers and the SBK/ASI. A resuscitation course taken with a recognized provider can be credited within this framework.

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.

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 care aides, the recognized care-aide course (Pflegehelfer/in, 120 hours of theory and 12–15 practice days) includes first aid, and the FaGe federal apprenticeship (Fachfrau/Fachmann Gesundheit) covers BLS. In addition to the training, a recognized, up-to-date first-aid and resuscitation certificate evidences this competence and must be renewed.

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

Content is being updated.