Staying Up To Date with CPR
One of the fundamental techniques you should learn to work in the health care field is how to perform CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
As a nurse, EMT, paramedic, or firefighter, it is crucial to have a firm understanding of this treatment that may help to stabilize patients and save lives. It may be one of the first things you learn how to do before entering a health career, with some training programs requiring you to be certified in CPR before even enrolling.
However, just because CPR is something you learn early in your training does not mean it’s something you won’t have to revisit as a student. Renewing your CPR certification is as important as staying up to date on your practitioner license, and many jobs in your field will require proof of recertification.
Why You Need to Recertify
Staying up to date with your CPR credentials is about more than receiving a piece of paper to show your employer. Performing CPR may be a huge indicator of whether or not a patient will survive in the event of a cardiac episode, so it’s a crucial skill to have. As you move through your career in the health care field, it’s possible to become rusty on certain techniques that you don’t perform often, or to develop bad habits that are even just a slight step away from the “textbook” method. Refreshing your CPR certification ensures that you are always performing CPR correctly and in the safest manner for your patient and yourself. Additionally, medical research is often issuing new information, including techniques and best practices, that may alter conventional wisdom. A refresher course is the best way to stay in the know regarding this life-saving procedure.
How to Get Your CPR Certification Renewed
If you work in a hospital, fire house, or first aid squad, ask your supervisor about opportunities to renew your CPR certification. In settings like these where many people require refresher courses, opportunities for classes and testing may be available right in your workplace. The Red Cross also offers renewal classes and exams and may be in your area at any given time. Before your certification expires, visit redcross.org to view upcoming refresher courses near you.
