By Sam Antenucci

I remember the first time I received CPR training as an undergraduate student. I did not quite know what CPR entailed, but I knew it was an important skill to learn in an emergency. In the American Red Cross CPR course, I first learned what a cardiac arrest is. Cardiac arrest is more than just chest pain; the heart ceases to beat.

After we learned more about the anatomy and physiology of the heart, we got to practice. We broke out the CPR manikins and learned the proper placement for hands and how to deliver effective breaths when delivering compressions. The golden rule was to push fast and hard on the chest for 30 sets of compressions with two breaths in between each set.

After mastering adult CPR, we moved on to child CPR, talked about critical differences between adults and children, and focused on how to apply an automated external defibrillator (AED) for both age groups. It was an invigorating 4 hours with plenty of individualized practice. We left feeling capable of handling a cardiac emergency from thereon.

It has been many years since my first CPR course, and in that time, I have become an EMT and taught CPR to new EMT students. Though it is one of the first skills we learn as EMTs, it is one of the most important because it can be the difference between life or death for a person in cardiac arrest. My students bring me stories of successful CPR attempts and instances where they had to perform CPR outside of a hospital. The techniques they have learned and refined have helped save someone’s life outside of our classroom. Thanks to the rigorous training a CPR class provides, they feel more capable of handling a cardiac emergency.

In support of the National CPR and AED Awareness Week, the Red Cross urges everyone to become CPR certified. According to the American Heart Association, more than 475,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest each year. A more frightening statistic is that 90% of those who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will die. However, bystander CPR can double the odds of survival if performed immediately!

Within one course, you could be the difference in saving someone’s life. If you are interested in bringing down the above statistic, the American Red Cross CPR classes are designed with a busy schedule in mind! Courses are offered on weekdays and weekends with many different modalities that best suit your learning styles. These include instruction in-person, online or hybrid. You can get the skills and confidence needed to perform this lifesaving intervention when needed the most, regardless of which type of course you take.

For more information on the courses offered in your area, you can search for classes through the American Red Cross’s CPR training website.