Bls???

newgrad2005 · Oct 19, 2004

basic life support (CPR)

EmilyCCRN · Oct 19, 2004

I'm not sure, but I think BLS (Basic Life Support) is specifically Healthcare Provider CPR. You should check with the facility to make sure that you take the correct class.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Oct 19, 2004

I am with everyone here, it should mean Basic Life Support, or general CPR (pick healthcare BLS!!!).

Interesting story, but I had found out last week that my facility was hiring more non licensed caregivers than ever before and were not making that mandatory! I tweeked out! Considering the 3 RN's have to assign and delegate everything as is...I at least wanted them to know CPR and it was part of their training!

Lets just say I stood up for my patients and myself and threatened to quit if it was NOT mandatory to know...go figure (I didn't know they loved me so much..LOL!!!) this week is a flyer and dates for CPR and is back being mandatory!

I will give you an example of why it is important to know! I mean, obviously you need it...but one day I had a caregiver rush to me and say "I have a man on the toliet..he is blue!" I asked "okay is he breathing *as we ran to the room*"..."I don't know!" UHGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! SO we get there..and I asked her.."how long did it take for you to find me?" "about 5 minutes!"...

Okay then I explained that was 5 minutes oxygen starved..let alone how long he was already this way! Okay I assumed she didn't check for a pulse considering once I reached the room she hadn't even moved him!

I asked for her assistance, after establishing no pulse no breathing, moving him to the floor for CPR. She was all "but I need a pillow for his head..." and I grabbed her arm and said NO! A uncomfortable head means nothing when you are DEAD! Help me out here! So we got him on the floor, and he sustained a skin tear....it barely bled...crud, not much circulation going on for quite a while here...another establishment of no pulse (or very little)! She was more concerned about the skin tear...again, doesn't matter when you are dead! Pulseless and not breathing is dead! Again I had to talk her into helping...wasting valuable time. She wouldn't do breathing, so I said "fine...compressions..you do have BLS???" she said yes...but then freaked and ran out of the room!!!!!!!! Come to find out she lied on her application, she didn't have CPR...and she wasted precious time! I did one man cpr till paramedics arrived, one shock, and he was back for 3 days..enough to say goodbye to his family!

Now, if she had taken CPR she would have known...call 9-11 right away after checking for pulse and breathing, then try to get me via the walkie. You position client onto a harder surface for compressions and don't waste time! She didn't even check his airway! YES she was immediately fired! And get this...she was in nursing school, and lied there too! WHY LIE???

So BLS is very important to know...it will make a huge difference when the time comes..and it just may! And encourage non medics to learn it too...it saves so many lifes to do CPR until paramedics or a AED (automatic electric defib)/crash cart comes!!! (all the folks on my news forum..all civies...all know CPR now thanks to my insistance :)!!!!!! And two have saved a life!).

Oh yeah..and something that really helped me out my first code! Someone told me that fact about being pulseless and apnec (no breathing)..."you are dead..it is the basic definition, so don't be afraid of doing the count right, or doing anything strictly by the book...because frankly, anything you do to try to help is a bonus...remember that!" Guess what..that really helped and has helped others I taught BLS too! I will tell you the first time I popped ribs in CPR I almost stopped, then remembered this..and kept on going...saved him! If I had stopped to doubt...I doubt he would have sustained long enough for a shock! Just be as calm as you can be, and think "okay I can do this..and whatever I do is a bonus in the given situation!!!" It really does help! :)