Author Archives: Stephen Huffman

Learn to save life

Why You Should Consider Getting

CPR Training Today

If you’re like most people, you probably have multiple stories to tell about times your skills came in handy unexpectedly. Maybe your boss’s computer went on the fritz and you were theonly one in the office that knew how to fix it thanks to a computer class you took in college. Maybe your first job was as a suit salesman and, later on in life, you were able to use what you learned to help your best friend pick out the perfect tux for his wedding. Life can be unpredictable that way.

Now imagine you knew how to save someone’s life by performing lifesaving CPR. How useful would a skill like that be if life handed you the opportunity to use it? The fact of the matter is, CPR (short for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) can be learned by anyone when they sign up for
a simple, easy training course. It’s also potentially one of the most valuable skills you could ever acquire. The following are just a few of the reasons why signing up for official training is something you should consider.

CPR really does save lives

You don’t have to be a medical professional in order for CPR to come in handy as a skill. You’re a lot more likely to come in contact with someone who isn’t breathing or whose heart has stopped beating than you think. More than 300,000 people in the United States suffer cardiacarr ests every single year, and each can potentially benefit from receiving CPR.

When a person goes into sudden cardiac arrest, their heart stops beating, and they can suddenly collapse without warning. They may quickly lose consciousness and stop breathing. The longer that person goes without blood circulation, the lower their overall chance of survival becomes.

If you can perform CPR on that person, then you can help their blood keep circulating while you wait for emergency medical personnel to arrive. When CPR is started early enough, it doubles someone’s chances of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.

When you picture a situation in public that sees a person collapsing from cardiac arrest, what do you figure happens? Do you picture at least one or two bystanders immediately running to the person’s side to start performing CPR immediately? If so, then you’d be very wrong.

According to national statistics, only 15-30% of cardiac arrest sufferers ever receive CPR at the hands of a bystander – much less than half of all cases. When bystanders are asked why they didn’t at least attempt to perform CPR, the most common answer by far is that they haven’t received CPR training and weren’t comfortable performing CPR without it.

If you’ve never received CPR training, then the chances are pretty good that you’d be afraid to perform CPR yourself for the same reasons. You might be worried about hurting the person or hurting yourself. You might be concerned about legal repercussions. Such worries often disappear once proper training is received.

That said, imagine how great it would feel to know that you could do something to help someone else if you ever found yourself in such a situation. Why not be the bystander who is able to say you know what to do? You could easily wind up being the reason someone lived to see another day.

It’s important to realize that CPR doesn’t just save the lives of strangers, either. Wouldn’t you like to know that if your spouse, best friend, parent, or child needed CPR, you’d be able to potentially save their life as well?

Speaking of children, CPR is considered to be an especially good skill for parents to know, especially if their children are younger than five years old. Children that young tend to put objects in their mouths more often, and many children can wind up choking as a result. Once the
blockage is removed, the child will need CPR if they’re still not breathing.

If someone in your family has a cardiac arrest in their lifetime, the chances are pretty good that it will happen at home, as opposed to out in public somewhere. Numbers like that make it a whole lot more important that as many people as possible learn CPR. Any one of us really might wind
up being the one who is called upon to save a loved one, guest, or acquaintance by performing CPR.

Doctors everywhere can tell stories they’ve heard from patients all about how their lives were saved because their wife, friend, child, or parent reacted quickly by performing life-saving CPR. In fact, CPR is considered to be such a critical skill that the American Heart Association is pushing to have it taught in schools.

You don’t necessarily have to perform

mouth-to-mouth

Another common reason people give for not taking the initiative to perform CPR, especially on a stranger, is concern about giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Some are worried about the possibility of infection. Others simply aren’t comfortable for personal reasons.

If you can relate to that, then you should know that in 2010, the official guidelines for performing CPR were changed. They now say that someone who hasn’t received formal training or isn’t comfortable with mouth-to-mouth for any reason can attempt hands-only CPR instead. Hands-only CPR can be just as effective in many cases of cardiac arrest, and it’s definitely preferable to doing nothing at all.

You could team up with another person

who also knows CPR

Even in the event you’re not the only one in a given situation who knows CPR, your being trained can still greatly increase the person’s chances of surviving. CPR is easier to perform, not to mention more effective, when two people team up and perform it together.

This is an excellent reason why receiving CPR training makes a great group endeavor. Consider talking your entire family into signing up with you or getting your circle of friends together to do it as a group. You’ll all be able to rest assured in the knowledge that you would know what to do
to help one another if any of you needed CPR. You would also easily be able to team up to increase a victim’s chances of survival. Many training facilities offer special group rates, so you collectively save money by learning together.

When some people picture taking a CPR training class, they picture something like their college English class – a course that will take months of commitment and study to complete. In actuality, most CPR training classes are only an hour or two long, so you don’t have to clear multiple
afternoons a week for months at a time in order to learn it.

CPR training isn’t just fast, either. It’s also affordable on even a modest budget. It’s incredibly convenient, as well. These days, you can receive fully certified CPR training online. All you need is an hour or so of free time and an internet connection to learn to save a life right now.

Receiving official training increases your chances of

performing CPR properly

No, CPR is not terribly hard to learn. In fact, most people probably already know the bare basics if they’ve ever seen a fictional character perform CPR on television or in a movie. However, receiving bona fide training so that you’re truly prepared is a much better option than assuming
you’d know what to do because you’ve seen it on Grey’s Anatomy.

Proper training increases the potential effectiveness of CPR considerably. As touched on above, it also helps to eliminate some of the fears, anxiety, and reservations that come alongside being faced with a true life-or-death situation. For instance, training drastically reduces the chances of performing the procedure improperly. You’re reducing the already slim chance of facing legal repercussions.

CPR training classes

teach you more than just CPR

CPR training is about a lot more than just learning the technique (although that’s certainly a big part of it). You’ll be taught everything you need to know to do a great job of handling a situation where CPR might be required.

You’ll learn how to check an emergency scene and properly assess the needs of the person in possible need of CPR. You’ll learn when to call 911 and how to spot the signs of choking, heart attack, and other common issues that might accompany a CPR-appropriate situation. Many CPR courses will teach you basic first aid skills as well – like how to control bleeding, treat insect stings, handle snakebite, and more.

You can potentially gain an advantage

when it comes to your job

There are more employers out there that would consider it advantageous to have someone on staff trained in CPR than you might think. Of course, some jobs and career paths will require CPR certification before you’d be eligible. However, many others will look highly favorably on it.

CPR certification is considered a major plus if you’re applying for jobs that involve watching over other people in any capacity. Examples include personal trainer, lifeguard, grade school teacher, or child care provider. It’s not uncommon for those in customer service positions like retail or food service to gain an advantage because of CPR training.

All things considered, the above reasons are just the tip of the iceberg as far as why it would benefit you to receive CPR training. CPR truly is one of those skills that none of us can really afford to be without. Ultimately, it’s just too important, because of how many lives it saves already, and because of how many more it could save if more people knew how to perform it.

Receiving

CPR Training

When it comes to getting your CPR training, you have a number of options available to you. If you prefer taking a class in person, start by checking out what opportunities are available to you in your community. Many local hospitals, community centers, and health care clinics have
programs that support CPR training, so they can often point you in the right direction.

Online CPR training is also a popular option. It’s more convenient for many people these days, as they can fit the class into their schedule whenever it works for them. It’s even possible to receive official CPR certification as required by many employers via online courses.

Choosing the

Right Course for You

CPR classes aren’t necessarily one-size-fits-all, so make sure you evaluate your options carefully once you start looking at what’s available. There are basic options available, of course. However, many training facilities will also offer blended learning options that offer additional value.

For instance, there are specialized courses that teach you specific techniques to use on infants or young children. As touched on above, many combine CPR techniques with training on basic first aid practices that are often equally as useful. Specialized CPR training authorities will even offer career-specific classes for healthcare providers and other professionals.

Time commitments and prices can also vary from course to course, so make sure you’re clear on what a given class involves before you sign up. Remember, CPR courses are not full-blown multi-month commitments, so, on average, they only require an hour or two of your time. However, classes that teach additional skills or are intended for professional purposes may take several hours. If that will be an issue, ask about splitting the course up into several shorter sessions.

Getting Your
Certification

If you are looking to obtain an official CPR certification – especially if you’re doing it for employment reasons — it’s incredibly important to make sure that the training option you choose will be able to provide that. Some course providers will simply offer a certificate that merely shows you’ve been trained. This isn’t the same thing.

Once you have your certification, it’s important to know when it expires. (Most are good for two years.) That said, it’s a good idea to consider the refresher classes you will also need going forward when choosing an initial training provider. Some will offer free digital skill refreshers that help you keep your certification up to date. Explore your options today!

CPR Training for EveryOne

Style Snapshot

CPR training is a crucial life-saving skill that everyone should learn. Whether for cardiac arrest, drowning, or choking emergencies, CPR can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. With modern guidelines now emphasizing hands-only CPR, more people can confidently act without fear of doing it wrong or being sued under Good Samaritan laws.

CPR TRAINING

FOR EVERY ONE

Why It Is Important

When someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest or suers a heart attack, would you know what to do? Unfortunately, many of us do not think of what we would do in an emergency until one happens. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is often the difference between life or death in these situations, and yet, most Americans do not know how to perform CPR. Thousands of lives could be saved each year if more people were trained in CPR and didn’t hesitate to perform it on others. Because of this, it is important that everyone understands how to administer CPR and feel confident in their abilities — the first step toward being able to learn to save a life when it matters most.

CPR: The Basics

Understanding what CPR is and when it is used is a good rst step when it comes to saving lives. Even those who do not have CPR training may nd themselves in a situation that requires them to attempt CPR. Here are some basics that you need to know:

What is CPR?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, is a rst aid technique used to help someone who is not breathing or their heart has stopped. It involves using chest compressions and rescue breaths to help keep oxygen and blood circulating in the body. While many people who need CPR are experiencing issues with their heart, CPR is actually more concerned with the brain. This is because the heart can survive for longer than the brain without oxygen-rich blood. Brain cells will begin to die within six minutes if oxygen and blood carrying nutrients are not delivered to it.
This is why it is crucial to perform CPR in addition to using an automated external debrillator (AED) to revive victims of cardiac arrest.

Chest compressions

Chest compressions are given by placing the heel of the respondent’s hand on the center of the victim’s chest and placing the other hand on top. The respondent will then press down on the chest at a depth of about two inches and give 100 compressions per minute. Chest compressions attempt to mimic the heart and get blood owing through the body once again.

Rescue breaths

Rescue breaths also play an important role in CPR. Rescue breaths are given by tilting the victim’s head back a certain amount (depending on the age of the victim) to clear the airway. Two rescue breaths will be given after every cycle of 30 compressions.

As of 2015, the American Heart Association has issued guidelines recommending hands-only CPR for those who are not trained to give CPR. This will hopefully encourage more bystanders to deliver CPR to those who need it and buy them time before an emergency medical response team can arrive to help.

When is CPR Used?

Tragedy can strike anywhere at any time and CPR is frequently used for many dierent emergencies. Some of the life-threatening situations requiring CPR include:

Cardiac Arrest:

Cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and occurs when the hear t suddenly stops beating. The victim will suddenly collapse and will require CPR and the use of an AED to be revived. The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims is low, with a meager eight percent of victims surviving the attack. Nearly half of these attacks are witnessed by others who may be too afraid to act or simply not know what to do.

Heart Attacks:

When the blood ow is suddenly unable to ow to the heart, the heart can no longer get oxygen and if not treated quickly, portions of the heart
muscle begin to die. Symptoms of heart attacks in men and women include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and sudden weakness. Anyone
experiencing these symptoms needs to call 911 immediately. However, there are times when the victim may fall unconscious and you may need to perform CPR on them. Performing CPR on them could help keep them alive until a medical team arrives.

Choking:

When the blood ow is suddenly unable to ow to the heart, the heart can no longer get oxygen and if not treated quickly, portions of the heart muscle begin to die. Symptoms of heart attacks in men and women include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and sudden weakness. Anyone experiencing these symptoms needs to call 911 immediately. However, there are times when the victim may fall unconscious and you may need to perform CPR on them. Performing CPR on them could help keep them alive until a medical team arrives.

Drowning:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about ten people die each day from unintentional drowning and it is ranked fth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States. CPR is critical in drowning accidents where the victim is not breathing and every second counts. The longer that CPR is delayed, the less chance of survival the drowning victim has.

Drug Overdose:

Drug overdoses can cause people to suer respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. When this occurs, their survival will depend on their ability to be resuscitated. According to the CDC, 44 people die in the U.S. every day from overdose of prescription paink illers. Being equipped with the knowledge to help can potentially save people from such tragedies.

Who Should Learn CPR?

Short answer—everyone. Many professions require regular CPR training, such as nurses, firefighters, police officers, and paramedics — professionals who typically pursue our Healthcare Provider BLS certification specifically. However, even those who do not have a job that requires them to learn CPR should take a course.

Learning CPR isn’t only for adults either. Studies show that CPR training can begin as early as age nine and largely depends on the child’s body mass. A child can retain the information as well as an adult and this knowledge can be supremely benecial. Even if a child cannot perform CPR, it is still benecial for them to understand what to do in an emergency. Just by knowing to alert emergency medical services can dramatically increase the chances of survival.

The Importance of CPR

Every year, almost 350,000 Americans die from heart disease. At least half of these will occur outside of a hospital and anyone who witnesses the emergency needs to
respond quickly. The fact is that we can’t predict when emergencies will happen, but we can prepare ourselves as best as we can in order to give our loved ones the best chances of survival. Learning CPR is important for people of all walks of life so that we can save more lives each and every year.

The Facts on Heart Disease

According to the CDC, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States each year. That should be a huge concern for many
who have a family histor y of hear t conditions. As the leading cause of death for both men and women, heart disease is common and we all
need to be prepared for emergencies involving this disease. Taking early action for heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrest victims is critical
for increasing the chances of survival. Many people have suered from cardiovascular problems even when their family history revealed no signs of heart problems. This is why it is important that we all receive the necessary training to recognize signs of heart disease and prepared for when tragedies occur.

Why We Need to Stop Hesitating

Chances are high that if you need to perform CPR on someone, it will be for family or close friends in their homes. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be prepared to perform it on a stranger if the need arises. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), bystanders performing CPR on cardiac arrest victims can double or even triple their chances of survival, but only 32 percent receive CPR from a bystander. So why less than one-third of bystanders taking action? Bystanders can be hesitant of performing CPR for a number of reasons:

Fear of being sued:

One reason why some hesitate to perform CPR is the fear of being sued. While it is true that the United States has a reputation for ling a large amount of lawsuits, the fear of being sued for attempting CPR is unfounded. This is because every state has Good Samaritan laws that oer some sort of protection for those attempting to help others that are injured or in danger. These laws vary from state to state, but there has never been a case successfully won in which a person was sued for attempting to save someone’s life with CPR.

Lack of knowledge on CPR technique:

Another reason why bystanders may hesitate is because they are not condent in their abilities to administer CPR. They fear that they will end up hurting the victim or performing CPR incorrectly. As a way to combat this thinking, the AHA has issued new guidelines that encourage bystanders to give hands-only CPR (no rescue breaths). Chest compressions have been found to be successful even without rescue breaths and this also makes bystanders more likely to perform CPR on those who need it. Those who do not have the proper CPR training need to take action. It cannot be stressed enough that untrained CPR is better than no CPR at all.

Panic takes over:

Some people can naturally keep a cool head when emergencies occur. Others may panic and not think logically. CPR training can boost a person’s condence when it comes to dealing with emergency situations and allow them to stay calm under pressure. Bystander intervention can make the dierence between life and death for someone, so it is crucial that we overcome this fear and take action.

Why Everyone Should
Become CPR Certified

The prospect of performing CPR on someone may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Becoming trained in CPR will help you overcome a lot of anxiety that surrounds emergency situations.

How Do I Get CPR Certied?

Becoming CPR cer tied is not dicult. Places such as SimpleCPR oer training courses online that have been accredited by the American Health Association and that make it easy to become CPR certied. Some places of work even oer courses to their employees to make their workplace safer.

The Benefits of CPR Training

The amount of benets that CPR training can provide may surprise you. In addition to being able to save countless numbers of lives, CPR training can also provide these benets:

Protecting loved ones:

Chances are high that if you need to perform CPR on someone, it will likely be that of your family or close friends. Knowing that you can perform CPR on your family can give you peace of mind.

Employment:

Having CPR certication looks great on a resume and many places will consider those with CPR certication rst. This is because it demonstrates that you can successfully complete a training course and also that you can make the workplace a safer place for all.

Boost of condence:

Learning a skill like CPR can be a huge condence booster. Just having the ability to save a life can give you a sense of security.

CPR Saves Lives

CPR training is extremely important and it is a life-saving technique that everyone should know. With more people undergoing CPR training, we have the potential to save thousands of lives. The fact of the matter is that the life you save will most likely be that of someone you know. In order to protect your loved ones, everyone should receive CPR training. With the ability to get CPR certified online, there is no better time to learn than right now — a lesson that became even more relevant with CPR in a world with COVID-19 changing how rescuers respond to emergencies.

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