It’s not easy to deal with emergencies. But as much as you wish they will never happen, you do have to be prepared at all times. CPR and first-aid are just some of the things that everyone must know, especially for people who care for children or older people.
You might not recognize the significance of first-aid or CPR certification training until you will be able to encounter a life-threatening circumstance. For some, an emergency may never happen, but for others, it may occur more than once. Whether you’re a new parent, a budding babysitter, nanny, or a senior care aide, the value of first-aid and CPR training is vital in any emergency.
Who Needs to Undergo First-Aid and CPR Training
Recognizing what to do during an emergency could save the life of someone special to you. Based on the study conducted by the American Heart Association:
- CPR can double or triple an individual’s chance of surviving from an incident.
- More than 90% of cardiac arrests usually happen at home and not in a hospital. Many victims even look healthy or don’t also have a history of heart disease. Only less than eight percent of those who experience cardiac arrest survive.
- Globally, cardiac arrest takes more lives compared to HIV, pneumonia, auto accidents, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, and firearms.
- Seventy percent of Americans feel incapable of responding during a cardiac emergency because they don’t know how to perform CPR accurately.
- Being able to provide appropriate care quickly during an emergency can help lessen a victim’s recovery time and can also stop them from having a temporary or long term condition.
Anyone can and must undergo basic first-aid and CPR training. For these individuals, learning such vital skills are primarily essential.
Parents
The most common injuries for kids include:
- drowning
- poisoning
- choking
- burns
- falls
- firearms
- and suffocation
To adequately address these kinds of emergencies, you need to undergo appropriate training, calmly, and confidently. You will also be able to learn acronyms that will guide you on what to do, and you will obtain reference materials about how to provide proper care in an emergency. As a parent, you also need to learn how to perform illness assessments to recognize critical ailments or injuries that may not be instantly obvious.
Children
Based on a recent study, 86 percent of children who are nine years or older could accurately administer CPR after joining in hands-on training. Even if a kid doesn’t have the physical strength to do CPR, they benefit from participating from role-plays on what to do during an emergency and learning basic first-aid. You can make sure everyone in your family is safe by taking a class together.
Adult Caregivers
Lessened motor skills, medications, and other factors put older individuals at higher risk for injury. Knowing how to notice a stroke, what actions you need to do, and not after a fall and how to perform CPR are just some of the vital skills you must learn if you live with or cares for an older person. Even a minor but or laceration can become a severe injury if not treated well.
Job-seekers in Certain Fields
Emergency responders and healthcare providers are not just the ones obligated to undergo first-aid and CPR training.
Professional jobs that require CPR training or first-aid training.
Childcare Providers
Even the most observant babysitter, nanny, or daycare employee can’t be everywhere at once. Because young children are more prone to choking, falling into pools, and seeking their way into dangerous situations, childcare providers must undergo both CPR and first-aid certification.
Firefighters
Firefighters are usually the first to arrive at an emergency scene. In addition to dealing with structure fires, firefighters are frequently called in to rescue individuals from car accidents and other tragedies where there may be multiple victims.
Law Enforcers
Sheriff’s deputies, police officers, and others who work in law enforcement frequently find themselves in unpredictable situations. On the frontline, officers may respond to save the life of a victim of violence, an innocent bystander, or the life of their partner.
Jails and Prison Staff
In a secured area like a prison or jail, correctional officers should be the first responders during medical emergencies. And because of this, all jail and prison employees need to have basic first-aid training or maintain current CPR certification.
Lifeguards
Drowning and cardiac arrest are just two of the life-threatening emergencies that a lifeguard may experience. Whether at a pool, beach, or lake, CPR is an essential skill for lifeguards.
Medical Office Personnel and Medical Professional
For obvious reasons, paramedics, doctors, and nurses must know how to perform CPR. Clinic or hospital personnel and medical assistants must also get AHA CPR Instructor Training if other medical staff needs assistance. All employees at a medical facility must learn how to use the on-site AED machine.
Coaches and Personal Trainers
Pushing athletes to their physical limits is part of a coach or assistant coach’s job description. And because of this, CPR and first-aid certification is a must for coaching jobs and most personal trainers.
Flight Attendants
At 33,000 feet above the ground, flight attendants should always be prepared to respond with whatever comes their way, which includes cardiac arrest. Flying with a medical professional is never an assurance, that’s why flight attendants need to have proper knowledge about first-aid, CPR and must know how to operate on-board AED unit.
Other Jobs that May Require First-Aid or CPR Training:
- Security guards
- Teachers
- Nursing home staff
- Gym employees
- Dentists and Dental Assistants
- Outdoor recreation instructors and guides such as skiing, scuba, hiking, etc.
Importance of CPR and First-Aid Training in the Workplace
Generally, large organizations provide health and safety training for the benefit of their employees. However, CPR and first-aid training are often overlooked. CPR and first-aid training are necessary for all employees and implement to every industry regardless of its size.
Whether the workplace is in a factory, on a construction site, or a standard office, each organization has employees who will gain something from CPR certification. It’s not a matter of “if,” but it’s about “when” the situation will happen. For a more safe workplace, employees must undergo first-aid and CPR training.
Benefits of First-Aid and CPR Training for Employers
Minimize workplace accidents – First aid and CPR training help staff to become more aware of workplace safety. When an employee undergoes first-aid training, they become more mindful of security and can identify hazards and possible incidents before they happen.
Employees also become more vigilant to their environment and will acknowledge potential problems more efficiently if they understand the dangers and risks of their environment. It may lead to lesser workplace accidents. Reducing hazards to the staff and minimizing incidents in the workplace benefits everyone.
Quick response during an emergency – During a situation of a medical emergency at work, a fast response from a first aider can bring a huge difference between life and death. Staff trained in CPR and first-aid will know the steps required during an emergency, and that’s because of their improved confidence and preparation. A quick response from a first aider employee can lessen recovery time, which may lead to less lost productivity due to injuries.
Valuable life skills – Training for first-aid and CPR is a life skill that every staff can maintain through ongoing refresher classes. The employees can now perform CPR and first-aid to their families, friends, and everyone effectively during an emergency.
Encourage teamwork – First-aid and CPR training is also an excellent team-building exercise. When all the staff gets the chance to learn the skills together, it also brings them closer to each other, especially this kind of training will help them look out for one another.
A more positive work environment – employers can show their employees that they care about developing a safer work environment. First-aid and CPR training in the workplace can also help boost morale, and it’s also an excellent team-building activity.
Benefits of First-Aid and CPR Training for Employees
Safety even while working alone – training for first-aid and CPR teaches staff on how to operate life-saving medical treatments, how to use first-aid kits appropriately, and how to remain calm and confident in an emergency. While these abilities are vital in providing first-aid to other people, they also come in handy for those who work alone. It can help an employee buy time until the paramedics or other medical responders arrive.
You’ll have what you need in the first-aid kits – first-aid training won’t only teach all the staff how to act during a medical emergency, but it can also teach them precisely what should be inside the first-aid kit.
It can save lives – First-aid and CPR training offer your employees with the skills and confidence to respond right away to an incident, illness, or injury. During a medical emergency, when properly trained, a fellow staff can perform necessary medical treatment or CPR when needed. A first-aid or CPR provided while under critical and life-threatening accidents, health complications, or injuries in the workplace can save lives.