Where Can I Get CPR Certified?

Where can I get CPR certified?  If you want to get CPR certified, contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross.  You could also check with the American Heart Association to see if their classes are near you or check with your local board of education. 

Organizations that offer CPR certification include the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, local civic organizations and public schools.  Beware of CPR certification classes that are offered online.  These are not the classes that will teach you the proper techniques of CPR.    

Online CPR certification classes can give you a lot of information, but the courses from the American heart Association and the American Red Cross are far superior.  The best CPR certifications are offered by these two organizations.  The classes are taught by experts and you receive hands-on instruction.  Hands-on is essential in learning a skill such as CPR.  When it comes to saving a life, it is worth it to get the best CPR training available.  

What Is CPR

CPR is cardiopulmonary resuscitation.  Through a combination of chest compressions and breathing, you are doing what the heart cannot.  You will not replace total heart function, but can buy some time until the heart is functioning again.  CPR is performed when a person is in cardiac arrest and the heart is no longer beating.  

Cardiac arrest is sometimes caused by ventricular fibrillation, or VF, which is an abnormal heart rhythm.  A person suffering from ventricular fibrillation would need CPR and defibrillation, which is an electrical shock to the heart to make it start beating again.  Ventricular fibrillation is normally the cause of sudden cardiac arrest.

The purpose of CPR is to send some oxygenated blood through the body to the heart and brain.  It can delay the death of tissue and prevent permanent brain damage.  CPR is administered to a person who is unresponsive and not breathing or whi is gasping for air.  CPR is continued until the person has a ROSC, Return Of Spontaneous Circulation, or is declared dead.  

Elements of a CPR Certification Class

Many jobs require an employee to be CPR certified, like staff members of camps, lifeguards, teaching, personal trainers, coaching, and babysitting.  Even if the training is not required, it is a good idea to get valuable information and can be added to a resume under skills.   

In a CPR class, you will learn the proper techniques for giving chest compressions and how fast to give them.  You will also learn how to administer mouth-to-mouth breathing.  You will also learn how to do this on your own, or working as a team. 

It only takes an hour or so to learn CPR and to become CPR certified.  Usually other first aid information is covered in the AHA or the ARC classes.  A basic first aid class is useful for anybody and goes hand-in-hand with your CPR certification.  

History of CPR

Back in the 19th century, the Silvester method of artificial respiration had a patient lying on their his back with their arms raised above their head to encourage the inhalation of air.  Then the chest was compressed to encourage exhalation.  This procedure was done 16 times a minute. 

Another method was the Holger Neilson technique, which was written in the Boy Scout handbook in 1911.  In this method, the person was laid down on their front side with their head titled to one side and resting of their palms.  To raise the upper body, upward pressure was applied to their elbows and this brought air in.  Pressure on the back pushed the air out.  This procedure was also performed 16 times a minute.   

CPR was developed at Johns Hopkins University and the information about the procedure was published in 1960.  It gained wide acceptance quickly and was promoted in the U.S. in the 1970s as the method for the public to learn.