HEADS UP Online Training Courses

Online training for health care providers

HEADS UP to Healthcare Providers is an online training developed by CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The goal of the training is to provide an overview of the evidence-based recommendations outlined in the CDC Pediatric mTBI Guideline and to equip healthcare providers with practical strategies to integrate these recommendations into clinical practice.

Earn free continuing education credits through the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Online training for youth sports coaches

CDC's HEADS UP to Youth Sports: Online Concussion Training for Coaches shares the latest guidance on concussion safety and prevention. The training provides essential information to help coaches spot signs and symptoms of possible concussions and take action.

Online training for school professionals

The HEADS UP to Schools: Online Concussion Training for School Professionals is designed to help classroom teachers (grades K-12), school administrators, paraprofessionals, teacher's aides, and other staff who work with students understand the following:

• How a concussion may affect a student's learning, emotions, and behavior
• How to identify and monitor signs and symptoms of concussion
• How to help students successfully return to school and recover from a concussion.

Online training for athletic trainers

The HEADS UP to Athletic Trainers: Online Concussion Training shows ways athletic trainers can improve concussion prevention, evaluation, and management—from implementing safety and response plans to ongoing concussion care and stakeholder education. This training was developed through a partnership between CDC and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) to share the latest guidance on concussion prevention and management. Following completion of the training, athletic trainers have the opportunity to earn 2.0 continuing education credits through NATA and receive a certificate of completion from CDC.

Online training for sports officials

The HEADS UP to Sports Officials: Online Concussion Training was developed through a partnership between CDC and the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) to share the latest guidance on concussion safety and prevention. The training provides essential information to help sports officials spot possible concussion signs and symptoms that can help keep athletes safe.

Online training for high school sports coaches

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) teamed up with CDC's HEADS UP to educate coaches, officials, parents and students on the importance of proper concussion recognition and management in high school sports.

Learn the impact of sports-related concussion on athletes, how to recognize a suspected concussion, and protocols to manage a suspected concussion with steps to help players return to play safely after a concussion.

Each state's requirements for concussion management are included as part of the course.

Note: This course is hosted on the NFHS's web site.

Technical requirements

NEW: You must create an account with CDC TRAIN

In order to access the training, you must create an account with CDC TRAIN. Please see How to Create an Account in CDC Train for instructions.

Equipment needed for this training

You will need to use a computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection to complete this training course. This training works best with a high-speed, broadband internet connection, as well as an up-to-date web browser and operating system. Older computers may crash while using the training. Please review the following system requirements for the best training experience:

For computer access

PC: Compatible Operating System: Windows (version 8 or higher) Web Browser: Chrome, Firefox or Safari (latest versions), Microsoft Edge (latest version)

Mac: Compatible Operating System: OS X (version 10.14 or higher) Web Browser: Firefox, Chrome or Safari (latest versions)

For mobile access: iOS: version 12 or higher Android: version 9 or higher

Please keep in mind:

Closing your browser while taking the training course will log you out of the course (but not out of CDC TRAIN). Refreshing your browser may cause a disconnect error.

To return to CDC TRAIN close the course window and relaunch the course. Your progress will be saved. You can return to your last completed session by selecting OK when you are prompted at your next launch.

You may also return to your last completed session by logging back into CDC TRAIN and selecting Your Learning on the home page. Your course will be listed here. Click on the In Progress link to re-launch the course.

When you begin, if the pre-test does not launch, you will need to enable pop-up windows in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Why does CDC TRAIN collect registration information?

The purpose of collecting basic information, such as your email address and name is to provide you with account information and password reset options. Other information collected helps evaluate and improve the training. Creating an account will allow you to save your certificate and/or to save your progress in the training.

Please see the following link for the TRAIN policies on privacy, data collection and data security: https://www.train.org/cdctrain/help/policies

Please see the following link for additional information regarding CDC privacy policies: https://www.cdc.gov/other/privacy.html.

How can I print or save my certificate?

At the end of the training course, you will be able to print one or more copies of your certificate of completion and/or save an electronic version of it to your desktop.

To print your certificate, go to Your Learning, then to Your Certificates while logged into CDC TRAIN.

Can I get a replacement copy of my certificate?

Yes. You may log back into CDC TRAIN at any time to save or re-print your certificate. To log back in, go to https://www.train.org/cdctrain and enter the username and password you first used to register for the training.

Certificates are available only to those who have created an account and successfully completed the training with a passing score of 80% or higher on the post-test.

How often do I need to take this training?

How often the HEADS UP online training needs to be taken varies by individual states, leagues, and schools. We recommend that you check with your state, league, or school regarding their specific requirements on how often you need to complete this training.

How can I host a group training?

If you would like to host a group training using this course, you are able to order a copy of the course on CD-ROM. Please note that the CD-ROM does not include a certificate of completion. Instead, we can provide you with a group training certificate. The group training certificate does require a signature from the training facilitator or person hosting the training. If you would like to obtain a copy of the CD-ROM and the group training certificate, please contact injuryprevention@cdc.gov.

Who should I contact if I am having trouble with the training?

If you are having any difficulties taking the training, please feel free to contact injuryprevention@cdc.gov with your questions.