Everyone should be CPR certified. The best way to prepare for an emergency is to have the necessary tools and knowledge to respond to it. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the best tools you can have in your emergency-response toolkit. This guide covers a few reasons why you should consider a CPR certification.
You Could Save Someone’s Life
The first and most important reason to consider a CPR certification is that you could save someone’s life. You never know when someone may need CPR, and you may be the only person around with training.
The American Heart Association (AHA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that administering CPR within the first few minutes can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
Your Employer May Require It
Many employers today require CPR certification. Some careers that may require CPR certification include nurses, physicians, healthcare aides, nursing home workers, caregivers, emergency response professionals, childcare workers, and fitness trainers. Even if your employer doesn’t require certification, receiving it can help you stand apart from other candidates or employers, potentially earning you a promotion. Your chances of being noticed by your employer are even higher when you consider other certifications in addition to CPR, like First Aid.
Assist Someone Who’s Choking
Many people don’t realize that CPR isn’t just useful for heart attacks. CPR can also help a person who’s choking. In your CPR certification class, you can also learn how to respond to choking for different people, including infants, children, and adults. However, it’s important to note that you should only administer CPR after removing the object that caused the choking.
Prevent Someone From Drowning
CPR certification is also beneficial in a drowning event. You will learn whether to respond to drowning by using mouth-to-mouth or CPR with your hands. You never know when you may be the only person around who can help when a small child falls into a lake or pool.
Be There in a Car Accident
Knowing CPR can also be useful following a car accident, whether you’re involved in the accident or simply a witness. It can take a few minutes or more for emergency crews to respond to a car accident, and you may be able to provide CPR in the meantime, doubling or tripling the chances that the person makes it.
Offer Help Following a Natural Disaster
Natural disasters are becoming more common worldwide, and CPR may be a necessary skill if you’re ever involved in one. Whether you experience a tornado, hurricane, or any other type of natural disaster, you may find that your CPR skills help save someone’s life.
Administer AED
Many CPR certification classes also teach you how to administer AED. Using an automated external defibrillator (AED) can help save someone’s life.
You may be the only person in the room who knows how to use an AED. Additionally, the U.S. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) requires all U.S. airlines to have a defibrillator on board. While flight attendants are usually trained on how to use an AED, it’s always good to have someone else on board who knows how to help other passengers.
Help a Child in Danger
Some people may think they don’t need to be CPR certified because they don’t work in a healthcare environment. However, most people are involved in childcare in one way or another, whether as a parent, grandparent, or babysitter. CPR can be an important life-saving tool when you work with children, whether in a professional or personal environment.
You never know when your own child or grandchild may require CPR. You also never know when a neighbor’s child or stranger nearby may require CPR after falling into a pool or other water source.
How To Become CPR Certified
With so many benefits to becoming CPR certified, there’s no reason not to. Getting certified in CPR is easy and convenient today, with many certification schools offering online courses. You can also choose the classes that are most likely to benefit your career. For example, a CPR certification online class combined with a First Aid class can provide you with even more life-saving tools.
Some online classes are also geared toward certain healthcare professionals, which can double as CPR certification and job training. It’s always a good idea to choose a training that offers easy access to training and that meets your state’s requirements for CPR certification. Once you complete the CPR certification, you can print it out and carry it with you.
Getting certified in CPR offers many benefits, with the most obvious being that you may save someone’s life one day. Additionally, your employer may require you to become certified, and doing so now means you’re one step closer to your new career. Taking the initiative to become CPR certified before you’re required to could also potentially earn you a promotion.
