CPR (or cardiac resuscitation) is an essential part of basic life support procedures. It’s actually the most important procedure you might know as an untrained bystander. It’s easy enough to perform, but is only effective if you do it correctly. Thus, completing a CPT and BLS training with professionals is an excellent idea.
It is even better to be able to provide it for your community. Training increases the chances of effective resuscitation attempts in your neighborhood, makes the classes more meaningful, and reduces the number of mistakes when it comes time to use your skills.
Where do I find community CPR lessons?
Proper CPR classes aren’t that easy to find. You can locate these in the US fairly easily because these skills are valued here. However, only certified, professional CPR & BLS training classes will really teach you the correct form of CPR.
Otherwise, you can just get inspiration from online articles and videos, but it’s not really the same without professionally guided practice. That’s why looking for medical organizations that organize such lessons is a better way to do so. Saving Hands is one of such organizations.
How do they go?
Collective CPR trainings in MA are delivered by a trained professional (typically a nurse). First, students are taught the theory, and then they apply it in practice. For practicing, torso dummies usually pose as injured. The training goes through all stages of correct resuscitation: assessment, calling for help, massage.
Assessment is the initial stage of making sure that the person in front of you actually needs help, as per CPR training in Boston and worldwide. It would be awkward if you were to start massaging someone’s chest only for them to suddenly wake up completely fine.
People in need of CPR are usually unconscious and don’t move, often due to a recent cardiac arrest. If you notice such a person, approach them and try listening to their heartbeat by pressing an ear against their chest or checking pulse in the wrist or neck, as any quick medical course would tell you.
If you don’t know whether their heart is beating or if they are truly unconscious, you should attempt to draw their attention by tapping their shoulder and shouting a command. If that doesn’t help, then call 911 and tell them everything. After that, start the actual resuscitation.
How to do cardiac massage
For people who didn’t attend courses for medical students, CPR is about pressing their fist into the injured person’s chest in a rhythmic manner. Open the palm of one of your hands, then put the other hand on top of it. Following that, make the top hand into a fist. After that, the tips of your fingers will touch the center of the lower hand’s palm.
The knuckles are the part that needs to be pressed against the chest. You also don’t need to press as hard as you can. Instead, press into the body at the depth of about 2 inches and try to make about 2 compressions every second.
You don’t need to perform mouth-to-mouth breathing. The heart massage is usually enough to bring the person out of their unconscious state. The trained professionals might do that, and you can learn to do that correctly in the basic life support class. However, this procedure is not a part of the typical CPR routine.
Signing up for your local CPR & BLS training
SavingHands.net is a Boston-based organization that provides classes on cardiac resuscitation and basic life support, among other things. The classes are taught in groups, making it a more enjoyable and effective practice than if you’d learn alone and without Saving Hands.
If you live in Boston, consider attending the local classes. You can view the whole information on the official website of the organization. You can also sign up for classes by either registering for courses for medical students or a basic life support class. They offer certificate medical courses for those who desire to get official education.
