Who Needs CPR Certification in NC?

Most people who ask this question are trying to satisfy someone else — a licensing consultant, an athletic director, a hiring manager, or a safety officer. The table below maps the common Charlotte-area roles to the rule that drives them.

If your situation isn't on this list, the question to ask is simple: who is asking me for the card? That person or office defines the answer.

Under 10A NCAC 09 .1102, staff who provide direct care to children must complete First Aid and CPR appropriate to the ages of the children in care, within 90 days of employment. At least one CPR-trained staff member has to be present whenever children are in care. Pre-recorded online courses don't satisfy it; blended courses do, as long as an instructor evaluates each learner's skills in person.

The full NC and SC breakdown — including what South Carolina requires for Fort Mill, Rock Hill, and Indian Land centers — lives on the daycare page: NC & SC daycare CPR requirements.

School athletics is where the requirement is most explicit. Public school athletic first responders who are not licensed athletic trainers must keep CPR and first aid certification current under 16 NCAC 06E .0206. The NCHSAA athletic director checklist lists CPR/AED certification with hands-on training among coach requirements before practice or contest, and the NCISAA health and safety checklist requires head coaches to be First Aid and CPR certified.

If you work in a hospital, clinic, dental office, or long-term care setting, the requirement comes from your employer rather than the state. Most Charlotte-area clinical roles name AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers; some systems also accept Red Cross BLS, and a few use RQI or a system-specific equivalent.

If you already completed the AHA online portion of HeartCode BLS, you only need the hands-on skills check — that's a shorter, cheaper session than the full course.

There is no North Carolina rule that says a small business must have a CPR-certified employee. In practice, workplaces train because an insurer asks, a client contract requires it, or the team simply wants someone ready. A Heartsaver CPR/AED course — or the CPR + First Aid combo — covers the usual expectations, and a non-certification awareness session works well for larger groups who want skills without testing.

North Carolina does not license casual babysitters, so there is no statewide card requirement for them. There is also no law requiring new parents to complete CPR before bringing a baby home — hospitals may offer or recommend a class, but that is institutional practice, not a mandate.

What actually matters at 2 a.m. is knowing what to do for a choking infant or a baby who isn't breathing. A short, hands-on infant and child workshop covers that. One caution: AHA Family & Friends CPR is an awareness course and does not produce a completion card, so it won't satisfy a daycare or an employer that asks for certification.

Still unsure? Send Megan the wording from your job posting, licensing letter, or league email and she'll tell you which course matches it — before you pay for anything.