It’s a good idea for as many people to be trained in CPR if they can, but let’s look at who should be trained and certified in CPR. One of the most rewarding situations must be being able to assist another person whose life is in danger. As life can be unpredictable, you might come across someone going into cardiac arrest and in need of emergency medical care.
Although not every line of work entails CPR certification, it is a valuable skill that everyone should have. Below, we explore the top fields that require their workers to possess a CPR certificate.
Job Positions That Say You Should Be Trained and Certified in CPR
In a situation of emergency, even untrained people can perform CPR. People can choose whether or not they want to have this practical skill on paper.
However, some jobs demand that you have CPR certification, which needs to be updated periodically – usually every 2 years. This is primarily due to the requirement that you stay updated with CPR techniques as they progress and change over time.
Here is the list of everyone who should be trained and certified in CPR:
Healthcare Providers
Healthcare providers devote their lives to saving others’ lives, which is why they must be CPR-certified. Here, we can include any individual that’s part of the medical personnel, such as your doctor, nurse, or even dentist. We also cannot exclude medical assistants, paramedics, EMT, and other healthcare professionals.
A study by the NCBI confirms that medical personnel that received appropriate CPR training and certification felt significantly more confident in administering CPR. The individuals involved in the testing were also less concerned about getting infected by the victim while giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Firefighters
In 2013, the Bend Fire Department reported a 43% cardiac arrest survival rate among victims they tended to at the scene. Since then, the firestation has been aiming for even higher survival rates by focusing on staff training and certification.
You might be surprised to learn that firefighters mostly respond to medical emergency calls, not fires. Because they are most present in situations where other people’s lives are at stake, firefighters must be trained in basic life support and CPR – much like paramedics.
In most cases, a fire station will be closer to the scene than a hospital or an ambulance. As such, firefighters are usually first responders and take care of the victims until emergency medical personnel arrive.
Babysitters
Babysitters must meet a variety of requirements, but they are all required to have first aid and CPR training. When it comes to children or infants, the risk of choking, bleeding, and other complications are extremely high.
Since babysitters are usually alone with the kids, they must be able to provide them with emergency nursing care when needed – at least until an ambulance arrives. The goal is to achieve a consistent compression rate to keep the child or infant alive until they enter the hospital.
Every babysitter should get certified in children and infant CPR, as the technique used may differ depending on the age and size of the child.
Lifeguards
The lifeguards’ goal is to respond immediately when a drowning occurs. It’s something that can happen to anyone, no matter how good of a swimmer you are. There’s no time for an ambulance because it’s a life-or-death situation, so the lifeguard performs CPR to revive the person. This is why they’re at the top of the list for who should be trained and certified in CPR
While CPR is rarely needed in such cases, it still doesn’t hurt for all lifeguards to know the technique. The best way to train lifeguards is by using feedback manikins to track different parameters, such as the mean rate and depth.
Fitness Instructors
It’s recommended that every fitness instructor (and other gym personnel like your personal trainer or coach) get certified in CPR. In many cases, a gym visitor will overwork their heart, leading to a disrupted heart rate and possibly cardiac arrest. Signs of arrhythmia aren’t usually present until the strenuous physical effort causes a plaque rupture and cardiac arrest, which can turn lethal in seconds.
Teachers
In any academic institution, whether a university or school, every teacher should be trained to perform CPR and give first aid. Emergencies can happen randomly, and in an environment full of kids or college students, there’s a high chance that even one has some medical condition.
Every student coming to school should feel safe whether they have an underlying condition or not. In addition, some schools are calling for children’s CPR training for the students led by the teachers themselves.
Who Does NOT Need To Be Trained and Certified in CPR?
We discussed who should be trained and certified in CPR, now let’s look at who does not need to be. CPR training and certification are required for a wide range of jobs – it all depends on the employer and their specific workplace requirements. Every time you apply for a job, you will be presented with all the requirements and learn whether or not this training is required. Even if it isn’t, having this life-saving skill is still beneficial:
Family Members and Friends
The good side of learning how to perform CPR is that you can help your family instead of panicking and not knowing how to save your loved ones. The feeling of having a skill that you can use when it’s necessary must fill you with confidence instead of fear of now being able to help.
Cardiac arrests tend to happen at home unexpectedly. The only way you can be prepared to help someone in your home is to be trained in CPR. While 911 is always quick to respond, sometimes you have only a few minutes to revive the person before the ambulance arrives.
Community Members
CPR is a life-saving skill that can help minimize deaths that occur outside of the home or hospital. CPR education all across the neighborhood can increase the number of bystanders performing CPR and reduce cardiac arrest deaths.
In conclusion – learning how to perform CPR will help you to protect your own people. No matter who you are or what you do – the more skilled you are, the lower chances are that a person will lose their life due to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
There are different CPR course levels – Level A is what you need to acquire basic CPR skills to use as a bystander during an emergency.
The Benefits of Being Trained and Certified in CPR
CPR certification will help you to gain the professional skills that have been proven to lead to a better performance of CPR compared to people who don’t have this training. You’ll learn about the different techniques that are required for infants, children, and adults.
The education you’ll receive during those CPR courses significantly increases the patients’ survival. You’ll know exactly how to do the chest compressions and at what rate.
Wrapping Up What We Learned In Who Should Be Trained and Certified in CPR
Who should be trained and certified in CPR? We can conclude that healthcare providers, firefighters, babysitters, lifeguards, fitness instructors, and teachers are among the top professions that must have CPR certification.
However, a CPR certificate isn’t limited to the above personnel – anyone interested in learning the technique can get one. The different course levels allow for mastering different CPR methods for infants, children, adults, and elders.
Don’t forget that, in many cases, CPR performed by a bystander has saved a stranger’s life.