The rename, in plain language

For years, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s healthcare-provider CPR course was called HCP CPR — Healthcare Provider CPR. The Canadian Red Cross used similar terminology. Around 2017, the Heart and Stroke Foundation rebranded the course to BLS (Basic Life Support), matching the American Heart Association’s name for the equivalent program and the standard terminology used internationally.

The change was largely cosmetic. The curriculum stayed the same. The audience stayed the same. The clinical use case stayed the same. What changed was the name on the card and the textbook cover.

Why both names still show up

Healthcare is a slow-moving compliance ecosystem. Hospital HR systems, college bylaws, employer onboarding documents, job postings, and clinical placement requirements were all written with “HCP CPR” in them. Many haven’t been updated. So in 2026 you’ll still see:

• Job postings that say “HCP CPR required”
• Clinical placement forms with HCP CPR checkboxes
• Continuing education modules that reference HCP CPR by name
• Long-term care policy manuals that haven’t been refreshed in a decade

If you encounter any of these, the practical answer is the same: take the BLS course. Your certificate will say “BLS” on it, and any employer or college checking compliance will accept it.

What’s actually in the course

BLS covers the high-quality CPR skills expected in a clinical setting:

• High-quality compressions — depth, rate, recoil, and minimizing interruptions, measured precisely
• Rescue breaths via barrier device and bag-valve-mask
• Two-rescuer CPR — coordinated compressions and ventilations, swap-outs every 2 minutes
• AED use including pediatric pad placement and special situations
• Adult, child, and infant CPR — including the differences in compression depth and rate
• Choking response across age groups for both responsive and unresponsive casualties
• The chain of survival and team dynamics

The course is roughly 4 to 6 hours for a first-time taker and 3 to 4 hours for renewal.

BLS vs CPR Level C — the bigger difference

The far more important distinction isn’t BLS vs HCP CPR (same thing) — it’s BLS vs CPR Level C. CPR Level C is the public-facing course used for workplace first aid, parents, coaches, and gym staff. BLS is the healthcare-provider course.

If you’re not sure which one your employer wants, ask. The wrong card might be valid for years but still fail your clinical compliance check.

Who actually needs BLS

• Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs)
• Personal Support Workers (PSWs) in clinical or home care settings
• Paramedics, Primary Care Paramedics, Advanced Care Paramedics
• Dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants (RCDSO and CDHO requirements — see our dental BLS post)
• Respiratory Therapists (RTs)
• Medical and nursing students for clinical placements (see our healthcare student BLS post)
• Pharmacists administering injections under expanded scope
• Physiotherapists and occupational therapists in clinical settings
• Midwives

Renewal — the annual cycle

BLS is valid for 1 year in Ontario, much shorter than the 3-year public CPR Level C cycle. Healthcare workers in active clinical practice renew annually. The renewal class is shorter (3–4 hours), less expensive ($49 at Life Safe), and only available while your current card is still valid. Once expired, most agencies require the full course again. See our Toronto BLS renewal guide for the full process.

How current resuscitation guidelines get into BLS

BLS curriculum reflects the resuscitation guidelines from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), updated roughly every five years and translated into the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Canadian course materials. Periodic updates refine compression depth and rate recommendations, ventilation ratios, and AED protocols. Renewal is the time you absorb those updates — which is part of why annual renewal exists in the first place.