If:
- Every single CPR for the Professional Rescuer course you've ever heard of (let alone taken) in the last 15 years was offered by the Red Cross, and
- When you renewed the certification last year at the same facility they gave you a Red Cross card, and
- You've just been hired to be a Red Cross instructor at this facility,
Wouldn't you expect that when you did the recertification course last night they would give you a Red Cross card? I sure did, but instead they gave me a card from some organization I'd never heard of before (I can't tell if it's the "American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons" or the "American College of Emergency Physicians."). The guy in charge swears it's just as good as the Red Cross card and will be accepted anywhere that the Red Cross one would be, but I still feel very uncomfortable about this arrangement. I know nothing about the organization that has just certified me. Now, granted, the material all seemed to be the same for the most part as what is contained in the Red Cross version - apparently every certifying agency works from the same guidelines - but I know nothing about any subtle differences there might be between the Red Cross course and this one. And given that my legal duties associated with this certification are tied to my training, I don't know if I can safely presume that the certifications are truly interchangeable. Especially since last night was just a recertification course - not a fresh course out of the box with all the videos and books and such. I don't even have the book by this organization - I only have (and have read) the Red Cross book.
It is possible that my attitude on this is particularly negative given that I didn't find out about the "no Red Cross" thing until 10 o'clock at night after a long day and a long four hours in a classroom. I suppose he could be right that it won't make a difference. But given the tremendous liabilities that can attach when making rescues (or even from just having the certifications) I don't think it's necessarily overreacting to be concerned about receiving a certification that was not what you reasonably understood you would get.