How to become CPR certified?

Did you know that you can save the lives of 100,000 to 200,000 adults and children every year if you perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation promptly? Learning CPR is crucial, as it helps save lives in emergencies when the heart suddenly stops beating. CPR involves pressing on the chest, which keeps blood flowing to vital organs of the body. This gives breath to providing oxygen to the person’s lungs.

Does your job require you to become CPR-certified? Are you interested in CPR certification to better help in an emergency? With this knowledge, you can perform CPR when someone collapses and is not breathing. This can happen during several medical emergencies, including drowning, choking, heart attacks, and other medical emergencies. If you are prepared to act fast and confidently, it can save a life. By learning CPR, you can help in these critical moments and save someone’s life. Keep reading to review the CPR certification process, including how to become CPR certified.

Why do you need CPR certification?

By now, you must know how crucial a skill CPR certification is. It equips individuals with the confidence and knowledge to save lives and respond effectively. This keeps everyone around them safe. So do you need CPR certification as a professional mandate or for personal growth? Irrespective of the reason, you will need it! So keep reading why:

1. Save lives: Immediate CPR can double or even triple the chances of survival. Of all the reasons, this is the most significant reason to get CPR certified. During a cardiac arrest, immediate CPR can keep the person alive until professional help arrives. CPR knowledge can make a crucial difference and help an individual survive.
2. Quick response: Emergencies and accidents can happen anytime and anywhere. Being CPR certified prepares you to respond well during critical situations. For every minute that CPR is delayed, the chance of survival decreases by 7–10%. CPR knowledge will not make you feel helpless. You will have the knowledge and confidence to take prompt action. This increases the chances of a positive outcome.
3. Empowerment: Do you want to feel controlled during emergencies? Instead of standing by and waiting, CPR empowers you to have the skills required to intervene effectively. This sense of empowerment is valuable in high-pressure situations. This allows you to stay calm and focused. CPR training equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to intervene effectively. Participants learn the signs of cardiac arrest and steps to use an automated external defibrillator.
4. Community safety: Do you always worry about your community? CPR training makes everyone feel safe and secure. With more individuals trained in CPR, there is a likelihood that someone is nearby to provide help during emergencies. This preparedness creates safer environments and saves lives in communities. With more individuals being CPR certified, communities feel equipped to respond well during cardiac arrests and other life-threatening situations. Widespread training enhances public awareness and encourages a culture of preparedness.
5. Workplace requirements: Approximately 10,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur annually in the workplace. Jobs, especially those in healthcare, require CPR certification as an employment mandate. CPR certification diversifies your job opportunities and meets vital workplace requirements. If you are CPR certified, you can enhance workplace safety and provide assistance promptly during emergencies. This also shows a commitment to the wellbeing of employees, creating a safer environment for everyone around them.
6. Legal protection: Knowing CPR and attempting to perform it protects you legally. Good Samaritan laws protect individuals from liability when providing reasonable assistance to those in emergencies. Certification shows that you acted with good intent and thus have good training. The laws protecting individuals are in as many as 50 states. Do you want to know how? It does so by encouraging bystanders to take the right course of action without any fear. This promotes improved civic responsibility and putsear everyone in control.
7. Family safety: Did you know that around 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests take place at home? Hence, this necessitates the need for family members to be skilled. CPR certification is not for professionals; it is for everyone. CPR protects your loved ones during emergencies, whether it’s a friend or a stranger. Families with elderly members, young children, or individuals can benefit from CPR-certified members.

Read More: What Does CPR Stand For And Why Is It Important?

Where can you seek a CPR certification?

Depending on where you live, you can find CPR classes in several places. Here are places you can seek a certification:

• Online search: The easiest way to find CPR certification classes is by looking for a class online. By using search engines, you can locate the nearest options by using simple phrases such as ‘CPR certification classes nearby’. If you search online, you can find several training centers. Additionally, you can filter the search results depending on the specific requirements. This makes it easier to find classes that fit perfectly into your schedule. By allowing you to explore several options from the comfort of your home, you can compare several class offerings.
• Local hospitals and community centers: Community centers, hospitals, and fire departments host CPR certification classes. These are part of the community outreach programs. The institutions have experienced instructors providing hands-on training in CPR techniques. You can check the websites and contact them directly; you can inquire about the classes and registration procedures.
• Workplace or school: Workplaces and schools offer cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes. This is part of the safety initiative. If you are a part of a workplace, you must be acquainted with many such classes offering convenient opportunities to learn. By promoting a culture of preparedness and safety, workplaces and schools are highly preferred by all.

How to become CPR certified?

Becoming CPR certified helps an individual prevent brain death in a patient whose heart stops beating. By promoting the flow of oxygen, it promotes blood circulation. It promotes recovery. Here’s how to get a CPR certification:

• Determine the type of certification you want: All certifications are not the same. Hence, do some research on which one suits you best. You can take an adult CPR class that educates students on CPR methods for older children and adults. For example, you can choose to take a pediatric CPR class if you work with children. Depending on the reason you are seeking, consider seeking CPR certification. It is useful for environments such as outpatient rehabilitation. If you plan to work in a hospital with high-risk patients, you may need to seek advanced cardiovascular life support through a reputed organization.
• Find an online class: Once you know the kind of CPR certification you want to obtain, you must find a class online. Many community health centers, hospitals, and community colleges offer CPR courses. If you want to work anywhere that falls under Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, you must take in-person classes to get the ideal certification.
• Check for a class that is nationally certified: If you are looking for a certification for an employment requirement, you must check with the HR department to learn about the organizations that they prefer.
• Sign up and take the class: Once you sign up for the course, you must attend classes to study the form and steps of CPR. Attend classes dedicatedly, watch the demonstrations of the instructors, and review take-home materials to learn essential techniques. Take practice tests. Feel free to ask the instructors any questions you have before the course ends.
• Pass the examination: Take the test that evaluates your understanding of the subject. Some tests include written modules as well. This helps you identify your knowledge of specific principles and much more. Do not worry if you fail; you can always retake the exam. Some reputed organizations offer unlimited retakes.

What can you expect in a CPR certification class?

Your expectations from an online CPR certification class should be different as compared to an in-person class. You may be considering seeking a CPR certification class. Are you thinking about what you will learn and how the environment will be?

It’s common to have multiple questions about taking CPR classes online and what they offer. Keep reading:

• CPR skills: In a class that is nationally accepted, you will learn the updated guidelines for performing CPR skills. Your course will teach you effective ways to perform CPR skills such as rescue breathing and chest compression. You may also learn ways to perform adult, child, and infant CPR. Additionally, your class will cover the physiology and basic anatomy of respiratory and cardiac arrest. It will teach you how your intervention can be beneficial and help an individual survive. Remember to always follow the updated guidelines of CPR to stay current and keep your certification fresh.
• Steps to use an automated external defibrillator: Many CPR classes teach ways to use an AED. If you are wondering what an AED is, it is a smart machine that helps restart the heart even after it stops beating. This knowledge will equip you to save a life during a cardiac arrest or in a public area. You will learn steps to assess the machine, place it and apply the defibrillator pads. Not only this, but you will also learn the sequence of using the device safely. The AED talks to you and provides you with step-by-step guidance on what to do.
• Signs of cardiac arrest: Now that you have learned how to use an AED, you must identify the signs of cardiac arrest. Your course materials will include instructions on how to clearly identify the signs. While 350,000 Americans die each year due to cardiac arrest, CPR can double the chances of survival. Why let it go to waste when you can easily identify the signs? Recognizing cardiac arrest equips individuals to take immediate action. This makes this step a critical element in the learning process.
• Identify choking: While learning CPR, it is not enough to just know the signs of cardiac arrest. Choking is dangerous, which is why you must identify the signs of choking before it gets difficult to manage. The class helps you learn ways to perform the Heimlich maneuver and identify signs of choking. This is extremely helpful for saving small children.
• First aid basics: Many CPR classes include a basic first aid certification in addition to other advanced courses. You will also learn first aid basics to assist during emergencies. It also prepares you for instances when you need to call for help and gives clear directions to emergency services. In addition, you also learn steps to control bleeding and manage injuries such as fractures. Understanding first aid basics offers immediate assistance prior to seeking professional help. These skills make you more prepared to handle several emergencies and save lives.

Read More: Using AEDs on Children and Infants: How to Save A Young Life

How long does a CPR class take?

CPR classes are crucial and offer students the essential knowledge to perform CPR. In-person classes run between two and five hours. This depends on the level of training and the certification requirements. You must know that CPR classes are available in several communities. By offering hands-on training to equip you with the necessary experience, the classes are a savior. You can complete it on your own timeline. Do not worry if you need to stop. You can come back to the course material anytime.

What should you know before taking a CPR class?

All you need is the willingness and interest to learn. Additionally, you must have the time to take it. You do not need to know anything beforehand. Anyone can take a CPR course online and become CPR certified. Even kids can take it.

Conclusion

CPR classes are crucial in emergency training and provide students with the knowledge to perform vital skills. It is widely available in several communities and equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform resuscitation. Now that you know how to become CPR certified, you must enroll online. The course is designed for the general public and is a versatile course for everyone to take. You can add a first aid module and learn about basic first aid steps, resuscitation skills, steps to identify cardiac arrest, address choking, and much more. The certified instructors help you with essential techniques and ensure that you are ready to respond to an emergency in the real world.