Knowing how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is utterly important for the chain of survival. Once you learn CPR, you’ll be able to assist in a medical emergency involving someone on the street, in the office, or at home.
However useful knowing CPR is, the knowledge can fade over time, and that’s totally normal. If it’s been a while since you’ve learned how to do CPR, it will be more difficult to remember the steps to proper resuscitation. Even someone trained in CPR might forget some of the steps within a couple of months of the training.
Staying on top of the current trends and requirements in CPR is very important because it’s how you maintain your lifesaving skills. This article discusses the importance of recertifying your CPR certification, as well as the leading reasons calling for it. You’ll also learn the best time to renew your CPR certificate, along with some other CPR-related matters.
Why Do You Need to Recertify Your CPR Certificate?
You do need to recertify your CPR training and do it after two years of attaining the certificate. The two-year time frame usually applies to non-medical persons, but health professionals (lifeguards, EMTs, etc.) might be required to get CPR recertification more often.
There are several reasons why CPR recertification is important. There’s always a possibility that the CPR techniques have changed since you last received your CPR certificate.
CPR Techniques Might Have Changed
Due to the advancement of technology and the emergence of new, more detailed research, CPR techniques may have altered from what you’ve learned during your training. In fact, medical professionals and researchers are constantly evolving their approaches to improving CPR techniques, so it’s only to be expected changes will happen.
Even the best practices can go through some changes. What’s been considered top-notch medical practice in the past might not be valid today. Instructors are always up-to-date on the novelties and will teach you basic CPR and how to save a life.
Regardless of the imminent changes, chest compressions are still considered the essential and most important step in CPR. Moreover, compressions surpass rescue breaths, so CPR-performing individuals are encouraged to administer chest compressions.
The ABCs of CPR Have Changed
According to today’s CPR techniques, chest compressions are considered more efficient than rescue breaths, which wasn’t a practice a while ago. Previous CPR practices (back in 2010) imposed three steps in a particular order.
A-B-C: A for airway, B for breathing, and C for compressions. Now, the order of steps has changed, so instead of ABC, people learn how to do CPR following the C-A-B pattern: C for compressions, A for airway, and B for breathing.
As you can see, breathing, aka rescue breaths, come last now, while 10 years ago, they were the first step in CPR. This is the main reason for stressing the importance of recertifying your CPR certification, whether in Sacramento, San Diego, Plano, or anywhere else.
Your Employer Might Require CPR Recertification
Another reason why CPR recertification matters is that your employer might condition your employment with it. Some occupations are more volatile than others, which is why employers want to ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace.
For one, if you’re considering a career in the medical field, then you’re absolutely required to be certified (and recertified) in CPR. Also, individuals involved in law enforcement or other occupations that deal with the public regularly must be certified in CPR and recertify whenever needed.
Some examples of occupations that require CPR recertification include the following:
- Firefighters;
- Babysitters, nannies, daycare workers, etc;
- Construction workers;
- Electricians;
- Lifeguards;
- Security guards;
- Social workers;
- Restaurant servers;
- Flight attendants, and more.
It Makes Good Practice
Practice makes perfect, as in life, and so in CPR. Sometimes, people tend to forget things, which doesn’t exclude the steps in CPR. If it’s been some time since they last performed chest compressions, they might cause more damage than good if they try to help save a life.
One of the more significant reasons that emphasize the importance of recertifying your CPR certification is the option to increase self-confidence and your CPR skills. The more you practice CPR, the better you’ll be at saving someone’s life.
In addition, when the time to act comes, confidence is crucial. Being confident you know how to perform CPR saves precious time dwindling over whether you can properly do chest compressions.
Options for CPR Certification Renewal
Re-certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) means staying in check with changes in the field and mastering key concepts. As mentioned, the average CPR certificate is valid for two years, after which it should be renewed. This will ensure that CPR skills are up-to-date and safe to deploy.
Renewal Courses and Exams
Although not mandatory, there are many reasons to renew your certificate. These courses normally tend to the most recent guidelines and provide information on the latest CPR techniques, including defibrillation, chest compressions, and breathing. Additional courses may also cover specific legal requirements such as infant, child, or adult CPR.
On average, renewal and recertification classes last for five and a half hours and, context-wise, are pretty similar to the CPR courses you would initially take. To get CPR recertified, you’d need to complete the recertification course and then pass the skills test, which is done in person. The test requires you to showcase your CPR skills on a mannequin. Upon completion, you receive your recertification, valid for another 2 years.
Online CPR Recertification Options
Online CPR recertification courses are a great option for busy individuals with practically no time to spare attending the course in person. Enrolling in an online CPR recertification class is pretty straightforward:
- find a service provider
- sign up using your device of choice
- choose the time that works best for you to get recertified
Today, almost everyone takes advantage of online CPR recertification classes because they’re super convenient and more affordable than in-person classes.
Who Needs CPR Recertification?
Anyone whose line of work includes working with the public, or interacting with a lot of people daily, should get their CPR recertification. Depending on the scope of work, some occupations are more exposed to dangerous situations, which require certain levels of medical preparedness.
- Medical professionals: Anyone employed as a healthcare professional must stay abreast of the latest CPR techniques and practices. These professionals must comply with CPR guidelines by keeping their CPR certificates up to date.
- Parents: The reason why parents should learn CPR is manifold. First, children are most prone to accidents, choking, drowning, etc. In such circumstances, time is of the essence. Knowing how to perform chest compressions on children differs from adult CPR, making CPR recertification essential.
- Caregivers: Caregivers are commonly in contact with the elderly and people of poor health, which puts them in an environment prone to medical emergencies. If caregivers aren’t recertified, they might not be able to properly conduct CPR and risk damaging the victim’s condition even further.
In Conclusion: The Importance of Recertifying Your CPR Certification
In essence, anyone with a CPR certificate must get recertified, and we can’t overstress the importance of it. For example, let’s say you got your CPR certificate 5 years ago and think you know how to perform CPR. But, would you be aware that the order of CPR steps has changed?
By recertifying your CPR certificate, you are practically doing your best to stay on top of the most recent practices in CPR, knowing that should a medical emergency arise, you’d know how to act. There are a handful of pointers to the importance of recertifying your CPR certification, and each of them carries its own weight. Whether your employer in Sacramento requires you to recertify your CPR certification or your line of work simply entails you understanding the recent CPR practices and guidelines, by recertifying your CPR certification, you are doing what responsible adults should do.