More and more jobs in this day and age require people to have a CPR license. Of course, anyone in the medical field, no matter how low-level the job, should have their CPR licenses in case of emergency. CPR licenses are also recommended for people working in very physical fields, like sports or even manufacturing. Many parents seeking babysitters rightfully want the person they’re paying for childcare to be capable of performing CPR, and thus lots of people take CPR classes before becoming babysitters or nannies. With that being said, a lot of people still don’t understand what CPR requires, and what the classes entail. They might be slack about getting recertified, thinking that they know all they need to know — or they might avoid taking CPR classes in the first place, simply because it seems like a waste of time and money. The ability to save a life is never a waste, and many people have been narrowly saved solely through timely CPR. Below, we’ll look into why you need to take CPR classes, as well as what they entail and what you can do after you have your CPR license. It’s not just a matter of practicality — it’s also something that can open the doors for new professional opportunities.
Why Do We Need To Learn CPR?
The fact is that CPR is a very necessary skill — and you could very well end up employing it sooner than you might think. It’s estimated that about 750,000 Americans have heart attacks each year. Heart attacks range in severity — some people who experience heart attacks cannot be saved, but many can. An estimated 15% of people who suffer heart attacks die from them, but this number could arguably be lowered if more people were certified in CPR. Being able to perform CPR means that you not only can save those that you care about, but potentially strangers as well. Often, those that perform CPR in emergency situations are bystanders who don’t even know the people they’re helping. In fact, research has shown that a person’s ability to survive a heart attack is doubled or even tripled if CPR is performed within the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest. Due to the potential effectiveness of CPR, many companies require that employees get certified in CPR as soon as possible if they aren’t certified upon hiring.
What Does CPR Training Entail?
CPR classes typically not only teach people the physical parts of CPR, but how to recognize the early symptoms of a heart attack. According to a 2005 survey, while 92% of people recognized chest pain as a major sign of a heart attack, only 27% of people knew all other main symptoms. For that matter, about 70% of Americans have forgotten or don’t know how to perform CPR. CPR typically involves performing chest compressions — and you’ll learn how to do this properly during CPR training. There should be between 100 and 120 chest compressions per minute. Many people become concerned about performing CPR due to the pressure that compressions can put on a body — in fact, people have been known to break bones while performing CPR. However, CPR classes can help lower the risk of hurting a person while performing CPR. Ultimately, it’s important to remember that while a person can be injured by CPR, if a life is saved other more minor injuries can be tended to later. The important thing is maintaining a person’s breathing and heartbeat.
Is CPR Training A One-Time Thing?
Unless you work in a medical field, you probably won’t be performing CPR on a regular basis — therefore, it can be easy to forget. It’s important, therefore, to take CPR classes on a fairly regular basis in order to refresh your memory. In fact, it’s recommended that a person becomes recertified in CPR every two years. This makes it more likely that when the moment comes, you’ll be able to effectively perform CPR.
