CPR training is a commitment that everyone should take seriously. Each year, heart disease is responsible for over 600,000 deaths in America and millions more in other countries all over the world. CPR alone can help drastically reduce these numbers by decrease the cases that are attributed to cardiac arrest (which accounts for a third of CVD deaths in the US). Rescuers who enroll in CPR and first aid training will be able to answer to a number of emergencies, not just cardiac arrest.
Seattle CPR Training Programs
Seattle CPR training programs are available as basic and advanced classes. There are three basic classes and two advanced classes offered through the entire week. Basic classes can be taken by the public and by health care providers while advanced classes are only for allied health professionals (or providers who are allow to perform medical management such as medication administration).
Basic classes
Basic CPR training covers the three core skills in CPR – compression, ventilation, and defibrillation. For bystander rescuers, either trained or otherwise, only the first two skills can be performed. However, if an automated external defibrillator is available, the rescuer can perform defibrillation as need as well. Defibrillation is only performed when the victim is experiencing severe arrhythmia.
- Basic Heartsaver for the public (4 hours)
- Basic Heartsaver C for health care providers (4.5 hours)
- Basic Life Support for health care providers (4.5 hours)
Advanced classes
On the other hand, advanced classes teach medical management of cardiac arrest. This involves the use of medication, equipment, and certain procedures that can only be performed by allied health professionals. Core skills are still involved in these advanced classes but the focus is more on advanced management.
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (16 hours)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (14 hours)
Out of our five training programs, only three have re-certification classes available, specifically Basic Life Support for HCPs, ACLS, and PALS. Because training certificates that we award students with are only valid for two years, they have to be renewed through a re-certification class. However, we remind students to renew their certificates before they expire, or else they won’t be eligible for a re-certification class.
Learning First Aid
First aid is an integral component in all our training courses, whether basic or advanced. Basic first aid skills like learning how to perform wound care, bandaging, splinting, and burn care are very important because of the variety of circumstances that surround cardiac arrest. A person can collapse and break a bone while having a heart attack. He or she could be cooking and have something very hot burn his or her skin. It is very likely that a person in cardiac arrest would have acquired other injuries during the attack.
For students interested in getting a CPR and first aid training certificate, visit the Seattle CPR website for more details on enrollment, schedules, and current training fees.