BLS certification

Hi, nurse2b_amy. . .There are two types of CPR courses and certifications. (1) Heartsaver and (2) BLS (Basic Life Support). Both are designed and offered by the American Heart Association. The Red Cross also cooperates along with the American Heart Association to offer this training. If you need CPR as a requirement for nursing school you need to be very clear as to what the required certification is. Usually, you are required to get Basic Life Support certification if you are a nursing student or a licensed nurse.

Heartsaver is the name designation for the group of courses that are given to the lay public, or non-healthcare professionals. In Heartsaver courses the lay public are trained to recognize and treat life threatening emergencies with adult, child and infant victims. This includes CPR and relief of a foreign body airway obstruction in all ages. While the Red Cross also teaches a combined CPR and First aid course, the guidelines for the CPR portion of the course are based on the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. The first aid section of these coursed are based on the American Red Cross/American Heart Association Guidelines for First Aid.

Basic Life Support is specifically for healthcare providers. Upon successful completion of a Basic Life Support CPR course, you receive a credential (card) that documents this. You will be asked to produce this card to prove your CPR certification by employers and nursing schools. Basic Life Support covers adult, child and infant one and two rescuer CPR, use of an AED (automated external defibrillator) and relief of a foreign body airway obstruction in the responsive and unresponsive adult, child and infant. BLS courses often also include the use of a bag-mask and other barrier devices. This is quite different from the Heartsaver courses that are taught to the lay public. Nearly all acute hospitals and nursing homes require their personnel who are licensed to have BLS certification and often have their own American Heart Association trained and certified instructors teaching and certifying their employees. As nursing students you usually need to find your own sources to get your BLS certification. You should call your local or state American Heart Association office to get information on courses or instructors who teach and are able to certify you.

This is the home page of the American Heart Association (American Heart Association ). At the left is a link to information about "CPR & ECC" (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care) that you can explore.

IV certification is a national credential that is offered through the Intravenous Nurses Society (INS). You must be an RN, have worked at least 2000 hours with IVs and pass a national certification examination that is given by INS in order to become officially IV certified and place the initials CRNI (Certified RN, Intravenous) after your name. I have been CRNI certified and I can tell you that this national certification test is not easy. I was also an IV therapist for a total of 6 years during my career. You merely need to have a license as an RN to be able to perform IV therapy in all U.S. states. Some U.S. states have passed laws that allow LPNs to become IV certified in their state ONLY and perform some degree of IV therapy. To do this, however, the LPNs often have to take a special course in IV therapy that has been approved by their state board of nursing. Not all U.S. states allow LPNs to do this.