Statistics show that people in Los Angeles suffer some sort of emergency that results in death at a faster rate nowadays than before. Those emergencies can involve someone we love, a stranger on the street, or a colleague at work.
In such emergencies, some involving sudden cardiac arrest, the logical approach is to administer CPR. In critical, life-or-death situations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) becomes crucial.
Besides saving a life, there are many other reasons that make getting CPR-certified worthwhile. This article elaborates on the different aspects regarding the importance of being CPR-ready during life’s unpredictable turn of events.
Why Take a CPR Course
Becoming certified in CPR is easily one of the most rewarding accomplishments you’ll ever have. Knowing what to do when someone needs help is invaluable, and it can often mean life or death for the person.
CPR training courses are straightforward classes that teach individuals what cardiopulmonary resuscitation is, how to assess a victim’s vitals, what steps to take, and how to perform each step correctly. Besides teaching participants how to perform chest compressions and deliver rescue breaths when needed, a CPR course will also include AED (automated external defibrillators) use guidelines.
Since most cardiac arrest cases happen in out-of-hospital settings, someone going through such an emergency can suffer brain damage or other consequences if not treated immediately with CPR. What’s worse, if not tended to in the first minute of the SCA, the victim could die.
Below, we dive into a few more reasons that point to the importance of taking a CPR course:
Being CPR-Ready Increases Confidence
Enrolling in a CPR course enables you to acquire the necessary skills to use when someone stops breathing and/or is unconscious. People who know how to perform chest compressions are more confident in the process and feel empowered to take action instead of waiting for medical help to arrive. With such a boost of confidence, a CPR-ready individual is calm, can assess the factual situation correctly, and can perform chest compressions at the right pace.
CPR-Ready Individuals Do Not Panic
It isn’t uncommon for people to panic when dealing with a medical emergency. When a health-related emergency arises, a person certified in CPR will know exactly what to do without panicking.
In fact, a CPR-trained person is easily the beacon of hope for both the victim and those around them. When trained to do chest compressions, deliver rescue breaths, and/or use a defibrillator, a person will confidently manage the situation without resorting to panic and complicating an already stressful situation. Whenever a CPR-skilled person is helping someone, there is a great chance the victim will survive without detrimental consequences, delivering a sense of reassurance and hopefulness.
CPR-Ready Responders Feel Emotional Gratification
People who have saved someone’s life during an SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) tend to feel good afterwards as their actions have made a change.
In general, being in a position to extend your help to someone whose life is in your hands fulfills you with certain emotional gratification and an overall sense of purpose. Helping a person stay alive until a medical professional takes over fosters empathy and compassion. Being aware of the fact that you helped save someone’s life is a uniquely rewarding feeling.
CPR-Ready Persons Are Prepared for Emergencies
CPR classes involve more than just teaching the CPR technique. These courses enable participants to assess factual situations properly and respond accordingly and efficiently. Once you learn how to perform CPR, you are practically prepared for an array of different medical emergencies, including choking incidents, heart attacks, drownings, and overdosing situations.
Additionally, you’ll know exactly how fast and deep the chest compressions should be, and know not to leave the victim unattended if you need to catch your breath between the compressions.
CPR Comes With Workplace and Professional Advantages
Besides learning CPR for your own benefit, there are instances where holding a CPR certificate is a must. For example, you cannot be a nurse, a teacher, a lifeguard, a fireperson, or a police officer without CPR certification. Taking a CPR course means you’re boosting your resume and increasing your chances of getting employed in industries that require CPR certification.
Additionally, as a CPR-ready employee, you’re perceived as reliable, prepared, and respect-worthy. Those around you feel safer and hopeful that should something happen, there is someone there trained to help them.
Being CPR-Ready Promotes Better Personal Safety
CPR courses usually include first aid training, too. By learning all of those skills, you are practically acquiring additional skills that allow you to act promptly and effectively during emergencies involving yourself.
For example, you’ll know how to tend to injuries, burns, and other accidents and learn to identify and deliver basic life support techniques (clearing the airway, doing chest compressions, and using an AED if needed).
A CPR-skilled person will know how to ensure their safety and that of the people around them. In essence, you’ll be prepared to act on the spot wherever you find yourself: on the road, at the grocery store, at your children’s school, etc.
An Overview of the Importance of CPR
One of the best ways to prepare ourselves for the uncertainty of life is to become CPR-ready. As a matter of fact, it’s never been easier to become CPR-certified than it is today since the skill is no longer exclusive to medical professionals.
Here is a quick overview of the importance of CPR:
- Chest compressions, combined with rescue breaths or an AED, are the essence that makes CPR a life-saving skill.
- The majority of cardiac arrests happen at people’s homes.
- CPR teaches how to restore a heartbeat and help a person regain consciousness.
- Immediate and proper CPR can save a life.
- CPR-ready individuals can effectively perform chest compressions and deliver rescue breaths when most needed, whenever, wherever.
- One does not need to be a medical professional to know how to do CPR.
- Children as young as 9 years old can learn how to do CPR and save a life.
In Conclusion: The Importance of Becoming CPR-Ready
In Los Angeles, you can easily find a handful of reliable CPR training centers that are accredited by some of the U.S.’ most respectable organizations (the American Heart Association, the Red Cross, the National CPR Association, the Health & Safety Institute (HSI), and a few more). By enrolling in some of these classes, you’ll learn how to act when a certain medical emergency arises.
For instance, you’ll learn how to properly do CPR, when and how to use a defibrillator, as well as other skills like treating bleeds, dressing wounds, tending to burns, and so on.
Find the course that fits your needs the best and become a better, more confident version of yourself.
FAQs
I want to help, but what if I hurt someone while giving them CPR?
This is a rational fear that a lot of laypeople feel. During CPR, it is highly unlikely to harm the victim to the extend that doctors are unable to help. In any case, bystanders that perform CPR are protected under the Good Samaritan Law.
What’s the fastest way to learn CPR?
Learning CPR can be fairly fast. You have the option to take a CPR course fully online, in person, or through a blended learning method. Online CPR classes are typically considered faster to complete.