Take a Basic Life Support Class

Basic life support includes fundamental knowledge and skills that can help provide someone with life- saving care in a cardiac emergency. If you are not already certified in basic life support, discover some good reasons to take a class.

Save a Loved One's Life

The most important reason to complete a basic life support certification class is so that you are prepared to help save someone's life in the event of a cardiac arrest. Chances are, that someone could be a loved one. 

According to one study, 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home. Family members are, therefore, some of the most likely people to first see someone having a heart attack. If you see someone in your family have a heart attack, basic life support training could help you provide CPR until help can arrive. 

Moreover, knowing how to render CPR can make a major difference in the likelihood of a family member attack. Almost 45 who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting survive when they receive CPR surviving their heart percent of people from a bystander.

Even if your loved as much as possible to help them. If you do everything you can, you will likely find more comfort even in the midst of a tragedy than if you were only able to stand by and watch.

Make Your Community Safer

While 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home, the remaining 20 percent take place in public settings. If someone nearby witnesses an episode and renders CPR quickly, the person who's having a heart attack falls into the group that survives almost 45 percent of the time.

Given these statistics, you make your community safer when you complete a basic life support certification class. If someone in your community has a heart attack in your presence, you can be the bystander who renders CPR and gives the person a greater chance of survival.

If you are ever in a position to save someone's life, they will likely be eternally grateful. Even if they are a complete stranger, you will still be glad you could provide such an important service to the person.

Learn to Use an AED

In a basic life support certification class, you will learn how to use an automated external defibrillator. An AED is a machine that shocks the heart when it is in cardiac arrest, which can reset the heart so that it functions properly again.

If you know how to use an AED, you can potentially increase a person's chances of survival even more than CPR alone does. Among people who have cardiac arrests outside of hospitals, 66 percent survive when a bystander applies a shock with an AED. This survival rate is specific to bystanders who are sometimes one doesn't survive a cardiac arrest after you render CPR, at least you'll have tried able to render a shock before first responders arrive.

You may find yourself in a position to save a stranger's or a family member's life with an AED. These machines are in many public settings, and you might also consider getting one for your home if a family member is at an increased risk of cardiac arrest.

Qualify for Many Jobs

From a professional perspective, a basic life support class that includes CPR certification gives you more opportunities for potential jobs. Many jobs require CPR certification:

  • Firefighters
  • Coaches
  • Construction workers 
  • Electricians
  • Flight attendants

Many medical careers also require the certification.

With so many different fields, the opportunities that CPR certification opens up almost certainly include something you would like to do.

To enroll in a basic life support class, contact ACLS EDU today!