How many days should a CPR class be?

hikernurse · May 9, 2005

I took Red Cross a couple of CPR cards ago and it was 2 evenings or one Saturday. Lately, I've been taking American Heart Association's version and it's only one evening and the card is good for two years. Red Cross gives you more practice and they show ALOT more videos, but the tests from each seemed very similar. I hope it's enough--I think it's like alot of things, while the basic idea seems easy enough, I probably won't feel like I have completely mastered it until I do it on a person. . . which wasn't an option offered in the class :rolleyes: .

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 9, 2005

The basic CPR class is one day 8 hours. It can perhaps be spread out over a couple of 4-hour evenings. This seems to be sufficient and remember it's renewed every two years so you have a chance to review it again. Good luck.

Montessori Mommy · May 9, 2005

The CPR class we have to take before nursing school begins is one day. The woman who scheduled the class for me said you have to read the book before attending the class, and the teacher has to right to ask anyone who clearly hasn't read the book to leave.

Beth

GrnHonu99, RN · May 9, 2005

I plan on getting my CPR license at the end of this month through the local red cross. A friend of mine who went through the program told me it is only one day, is this sufficient? How long did your CPR training last?

I just took my CPR class this past Sat...it was from 8am-12pm and my card is good for 2 years..I have been certified in the past (10 yrs ago in HS) so I kinda knew the basics but some things have changed since such as 10 yrs ago I was taught when someone was choking (we did heimlich too) to do a finger sweep after heimlich but before doing CPR, now you are not supposed to in fear of futher forcing the blockage down the airway...if i hadnt been certified in the past id think this class is waaayy to short..i didnt even get to practice really. I have to be certified to begin nursing school so im hoping they go over it in more detail, the EMT who taught my class said they would? I dunno I start next monday so I guess we will see.

Also I when I was in the class we were divided into two groups "heart savers" and "health care providers" the "heart savers" were individuals who just wanted to learn CPR or some were from other professions not in the healthcare field...anyway the teacher told the whole class that if someone is choking give them the heimlich...if the object does not come up and the individ. passes out you should immediately start CPR...this didnt make sense to me bc if there is something preventing them from breathing you would think you would have to get that out before giving CPR..i asked this question and his response was that "health care providers" are taught to straddle the person and give abdominal thrusts until the blockage comes out...the "heart savers" are taught to give CPR...interesting..also the "heart savers" are taught not to look for a pulse but the "health care providers" are taught to look for a pulse in the neck...supposedly this is bc the ave person has a hard time finding that pulse...what do you guys think about this? I can understand the pulse thing but not the heimlich thing...i mean if you were to give cpr to a person who has obviously stopped breathing bc of something blocking their airway wouldnt giving cpr possibly force the object farther down?? just a thought...the EMT in my class says yes so why teach this then?

oh and we didnt get a book or anything, just watched a few videos and took a short test...

eltrip · May 9, 2005

I'm the CPR instructor for my department & have to go through instructor training every other year. There have been some recent changes. Instead of only checking for a pulse (since studies have shown that the wrong pulse is frequently plapated), the rescuer is to look for "signs of circulation." These include movement, coughing & I forget what else. (Hey it's been 2 months since I taught it, I'm lucky to remember my name at the moment)

With the AHA, all students are required to have a book or at least to have access to a book. For first-timers (healthcare providers), the class takes the better part of a day. Recertification takes less time.

Research on the best way to perform CPR is ongoing. As I understand, there's a study underway on the difference in patient survival when not given rescue breaths between compressions versus survival with rescue breaths. The theory is that the body naturally pulls in air when the compression is released & the oxygen is circulated to the brain via the compressions. We'll see, eh?

GrnHonu99, RN · May 9, 2005

I'm the CPR instructor for my department & have to go through instructor training every other year. There have been some recent changes. Instead of only checking for a pulse (since studies have shown that the wrong pulse is frequently plapated), the rescuer is to look for "signs of circulation." These include movement, coughing & I forget what else. (Hey it's been 2 months since I taught it, I'm lucky to remember my name at the moment)
With the AHA, all students are required to have a book or at least to have access to a book. For first-timers (healthcare providers), the class takes the better part of a day. Recertification takes less time.
Research on the best way to perform CPR is ongoing. As I understand, there's a study underway on the difference in patient survival when not given rescue breaths between compressions versus survival with rescue breaths. The theory is that the body naturally pulls in air when the compression is released & the oxygen is circulated to the brain via the compressions. We'll see, eh?

well technically i had been certified before but for the class i took it was considered that this was the first time i had been certfied, in fact they didnt even know i had taken a cpr class before...the rest of the class had never been certified either so it wasnt really a "recertification class"...it makes sense about the pulse thats what the instructor said, alot of ppl cant find it or find the wrong one so that makes sense...we did not have acess to a book or were not given a book either...we watched 2 videos and then I went in an watched the EMT show me what we had learned ( iwas the lone health care provider student the rest were the basic heart saver) so i had learn a few diff things then they did, when i was finished the rest of them came in and practiced with the dummies while i took my test., they took the test while i was practicing but we had the lecture and videos together...

my quesiton is if someone is choking on something and it is lodged in their airway would performing CPR on them help? I mean if something is stuck in there wouldnt performing cpr before the object is dislodged push it farther down? i asked my instructor this question and he said yes so thats why i didnt understand why they would teach that in a class...?

RoxanRN · May 9, 2005

my quesiton is if someone is choking on something and it is lodged in their airway would performing CPR on them help? I mean if something is stuck in there wouldnt performing cpr before the object is dislodged push it farther down? i asked my instructor this question and he said yes so thats why i didnt understand why they would teach that in a class...?

'HeartSaver CPR' is meant to be CPR for the 'civilian.' They have modified the curricullum to make the levels under Health Care Provider as simple as possible. The goal being that everyone can learn at least the very basic CPR ('Friends and Family' level). This is why the changes to HeartSaver CPR.

* Pulse Check vs. Signs of Circulation - Lay persons required a long time to decide if a pulse was/was not present. When assessing a patient in cardiac arrest, rescuers failed to recognize the pulse 1 out of 10 times. When assessing an unresponsive victims with a pulse, rescuers missed the pulse 4 out of 10 times. Overall, it's only 65% accurate (Part I, Chapter 5, Page 1-72).

* Choking in the Unresponsive Victim - It was difficult to teach to comprehension the previous methods (abdominal thrusts) to the general laypublic. This resulted in poor skill retention nd performance. This major consideration taken was "cardiac arrest caused by VF is far more common than cardiac arrest caused by complete FBAO." Studies performed on cadavers showed that chest compressions may create peak airway pressures which are equal to ro greater than that created by abdominal thrusts (Part I, Chapter 5, Page 1-76).

These (and other) studies resulted in these changes. The goal to be makign public CPR as easy to remember as possible.

Having been a 911 dispatcher (EMD certified), I know the difficulty in trying to describe how to do something over the phone to a hysterical person. The 'cue cards' used for choking by dispatchers have long read to have the rescuer to place their hands on the victims chest as if they were doing CPR.

Roxan

AHA CPR Instructor, EMICT, RN

www.certifiedtrainingsolutions.com

NurseKay2006 · May 9, 2005

Thanks everyone for your help. :)

Tweege · May 10, 2005

I am taking a CPR class in about 2 weeks. It consists of three evening classes, from 6 to 10 pm all three nights. I will be certified for 2 yrs, but in our NS we have to recertify yearly.

suzanne4, RN · May 10, 2005

well technically i had been certified before but for the class i took it was considered that this was the first time i had been certfied, in fact they didnt even know i had taken a cpr class before...the rest of the class had never been certified either so it wasnt really a "recertification class"...it makes sense about the pulse thats what the instructor said, alot of ppl cant find it or find the wrong one so that makes sense...we did not have acess to a book or were not given a book either...we watched 2 videos and then I went in an watched the EMT show me what we had learned ( iwas the lone health care provider student the rest were the basic heart saver) so i had learn a few diff things then they did, when i was finished the rest of them came in and practiced with the dummies while i took my test., they took the test while i was practicing but we had the lecture and videos together...
my quesiton is if someone is choking on something and it is lodged in their airway would performing CPR on them help? I mean if something is stuck in there wouldnt performing cpr before the object is dislodged push it farther down? i asked my instructor this question and he said yes so thats why i didnt understand why they would teach that in a class...?

If the person is still awake, then you would do the Heimlich maneuver...

If they become unconscious, then you essentially follow the CPR algorithm.

Remember that CPR is only performed on someone who is essentially "dead"-- they do not have a pulse, etc.................

z's playa · May 10, 2005

Recertification = 1.5 hours. IF that. Not enough lemme tell you.

Z