Should teachers be CPR certified?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was wondering if any of you think that teachers should be certified in CPR. A little girl in a neighboring town died last month while at school. My friend, who is a paramedic, said that chances are the girl would have lived if CPR had been initiated before the ambulance arrived. As a parent, this worries me. I am considering going to the next school board meeting to bring this concern to the attention of the board members. Do any of you agree with me?

I would also like to hear from anyone who doesn't agree.

When looking for assistance in finding funding to pay for CPR, ask the local Red Cross for training. Here in Missouri, our Red Cross does a "blitz" about every 6 months and it is free of charge. Or contact hospitals in the area and they may be willing to do it for free.

Good luck!

the teachers here have been certified...they start teaching the kids (around age 12) the basics for the "babysitting course", so the parents can feel better about the person they leave their children with..

Originally posted by memphispanda

Teachers already have an awful lot on their plates. If the paperwork nightmare would slow down for them, then maybe it would be reasonable to ask one more thing of them, but otherwise...it would be nice, but not another requirement.

......and nurses don't?? There are MANY fields of work that are demanding. I believe that ANYONE responsible for the care of another human being...be it a nurse, police officer, and even teachers should be required to take a basic CPR course.

They're responsible for the well being of the children in their care during class time, are they not? I'm sure that there would be a minimal charge to the school system to get this accomplished. At the very least...school systems should be looking into this.

I was always told that children have a better chance of revival from initiation of CPR than adults. Teachers should WANT to know what to do in case of an emergency...not depend on someone else to do it for them. After all, they are the ones that spend most of the time with the children in their class.....not the school nurse and not the gym teacher.

Anne;)

hmmm . . . . . all our coaches at our school have to be CPR certified before coaching. I just thought the teachers were too. Seems logical. I'll have to ask.

steph

Specializes in Med-Surg.

As far as teachers having three months in the summer to get CPR certified, it just isn't so in many areas. Most schools have less than 2.5 months off, and teachers may have summer school to teach, continuing ed to do, or even have another job during the summer.

I do think it would be nice for teachers to be CPR certified. It would be great if they all did it of their own accord. However I feel that many of you are jumping on this bandwagon without understanding exactly what all responsibilities teachers already have, and the liability they have in these situations whether they act or not. Nurses are healthcare professionals--that is why CPR is a requirement. Teachers are not healthcare professionals, and I don't believe they should be required to make CPR part of what they are required to do. I think there should always be CPR certified personnel present in school--like one for every 200 students or something like that, and there should be a plan for how to get that CPR certified person to respond if needed.

Panda, what if the one CPR certified employee has the day off or goes on vacation, or becomes ill and has to leave early???

I still believe that if you are responsible for others...children especially...CPR should be a requirement. Just because they're not healthcare professionals doesn't give them an excuse not to participate in basic CPR. Even police officers get CPR certified ...and they aren't healthcare professionals either.

BTW, my aunt is a teacher...and yes, she spends summers at the lake....plenty of time off.

Even if teachers have summer classes to teach, there are CPR classes offered during the weekends. There is no excuse not to have it....the class only takes a few hours of your time every two years.

Anne:cool:

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I think I will just agree to disagree with the majority of the posters here.

I guess, for me anyway, this is a question that should go without saying. It should be standard for any business/institution in which something could go wrong medically..... schools, after school programs, daycare, summer camps, gyms, malls, restuarants, airplanes, I could go on and on....

Although it wouldn't be a supplement for a real CPR course I believe there should be a poster (just like the Hemlich Maneuver) in establishments. I mean what good is an automatic defibrilator if the patient is not breathing on her own???? I believe CPR should be made more aware/available to the public.

On another note...There was a code called on one of the units I floated to on Monday....I was disappointed to have been kicked out when the Nursing Supervisor said there were too many people in the room (Residents and Interns), you know, not that I was pleased that a patient was dying, but it was the first code call I was present.

Flynurse, "unfortunately"...I'm sure you'll get your chance to see more codes. Don't worry.

Saying that teachers just don't have time??? That's crazy. As a full time nursing student and working 30 hours a week I still had to find time to get a CPR course done before I was allowed to go to the floor for clinicals. Four saturdays in a row and I was done.

Same should go for teachers. My BF is a grad student F/T for teaching and working F/T and has taken an Advanced CPR/First Aide course.....don't tell me they don't have time. OR of all of the legal responsibilities they have...what about us? Would it be acceptable for a nurse NOT to have her CPR certification??? NO!

KC....yes, of course, it is unfortunate, but it would have been educational for a newbie in the hospital such as me.

Panda, in a since I agree with you. It is reasonable to have a specific amount of CPR certified people always in the building. On the whole, the chances of a child needing CPR are small.

However, I don't feel it is unreasonable to expect that my childs teacher is capable of responding in a crisis situation and not having to run all over the school to find someone that can. IF, and a big if there, something were to happen, the few minutes that it takes the other person to respond could make a big difference.

When I interviewed people for the responsibility of watching over my children while I was at work, one of the first questions I asked was if they were certified. Why should I expect less of the teachers that spend all day with my kids than I do of the woman that spends approximately 6-8 hours a week with them?

Leigh

I think everyone wherever they are, whatever they do, should know basic lifesaving skills. Remember, the AHA has two levels of basic CPR, one for the lay public and one for the healthcare provider. The lay class is four hours (?) and pretty easy from what I've seen. Also, with AEDs becoming commanplace, knowing what to do with one of those is also important.

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