Digital cards are certification cards you can print off on your own printer. You take a classroom or blended (part-online, part-classroom) course and your instructor sends you an email with a link to print your card.
I have a love/hate relationship with digital cards.
The idea is great; so much easier for the instructor. I don’t have to print or request cards from the hospital, I don’t have to mail them. The students will receive them via email much more quickly. I fill in a form on the organizations website (AHA or ASHI for me) and the cards are sent. On the student’s side you can print as many copies of your card as you need to. With the AHA cards there is a code on the card so employers can contact the AHA to confirm the validity of your card. I’m not sure if ASHI has that.
But I’m not a fan of them. I worry they’ll look to much like the ones from the online certification mills that are basically scams. I’ve been pretty vocal about online-only programs, which you can read a little about here in my post http://cprmom.blogspot.com/2013/04/certification-mills-vs-blended-learning.html. I worry that employers won’t accept these cards because they don’t look and feel like the traditional certification cards.
I also used to not be a fan of blended learning and online programs. But with a lot of things, opinions change. All of the large accrediting organizations are moving into online learning and digital cards, and I’m moving in the same direction with them as well.
So while I’m offering more blended programs and adding skills sessions to my regular course offerings, I have not yet begin issuing digital cards. Given time I’m sure I’ll be issuing them as well.