Group CPR Training

Mannequins used in CPR group training classes.

Group CPR training allows large groups of people to get trained in CPR, also known as cardio pulmonary resuscitation. The more people who know CPR, the more lives that can be saved from sudden cardiac arrest. CPR-trained people know how to assist a victim to keep blood flowing to the heart and brain until emergency medical help can arrive.

Function of CPR Training

A person that needs CPR performed on him may be a victim of drowning, choking or heart attack. Cardio pulmonary resuscitation is the process where a person keeps a victim alive until emergency medical help arrives. A trained CPR person learns how to effectively perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by keeping oxygen flowing into the lungs. He also learns how to do chest compressions on the heart to keep the blood pumping through the body. During a CPR training class, you learn up-to-date legal and medical information about performing CPR on a person who needs intervention.

History of Group CPR Training

According to the American Heart Association, the first documented use of CPR was in 1740 when the Paris Academy of Sciences recommended its use for drowning victims. Dr. Friedrich Maass developed the first documented method of chest compressions in 1891. By the 1960s, the American Heart Association was conducting group classes to teach CPR, mainly to physicians first and then the general public soon afterward.

Who Conducts Group CPR Training

The American Red Cross and the American Heart Association are the two major group CPR trainers in the United States. Local police departments, universities, employers, fire departments, hospitals and city entities have group CPR training classes, but often their instructors have received certification through one of the two major CPR entities. If your employer requires CPR training, it can schedule regular group CPR classes through an outside company or have one of its employees receive certification to become a trainer.

Benefits of Group CPR Training

The American Red Cross states that its group CPR training offers convenience because classes can be scheduled at your facility during a time that works for you. Group CPR training is cost effective because you share the instructor's time and materials. When you have completed a group CPR course, you should receive a certification card that will last one to two years. More employers are finding it beneficial to require their employees to be trained in CPR and are providing group training.

What You Learn in Class

In a CPR class, your instructor will go over the laws that govern CPR. These laws are based on the Good Samaritan Law. You will probably watch a film and/or read a booklet about CPR. During the class, you will be trained how to do the Heimlich maneuver for choking victims. You will learn how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions successfully on victims of different ages and sizes. The instructor may have mannequins to help you learn exactly how to perform CPR. At the end of class, you will take a test to make sure you understand the information taught.

References

• American Heart Association: Bystander vs. Lifesaver--Training Makes a Difference
• American Heart Association: History of CPR
• American Red Cross: Preparing and Getting Trained
• American CPR Training
• New York City Fire Department: Make a Difference--Learn CPR