Importance of CPR Training in High Schools

Cardiac arrests can occur in anyone regardless of their age or sex. This is why it is important to start CPR training as early as high school.

We are living in a fast-paced world where everyone is almost always seemingly playing catch-up. It is no wonder that cases of cardiac arrests in teenagers as well as young adults are on the rise. The sensible thing to do would be to equip the younger generation on life-saving skills such as CPR. High schools should facilitate training for the same or where possible guide their students on how to get CPR certificate online. Here are some benefits of doing so.

Increase the Chances of Saving Lives

The saying ‘Knowledge is Power’ and ‘there is strength in numbers’ have never made more sense than in this scenario. Most population around the world follow a similar trend. Their demographic graphs tend to look like pyramids. In layman’s terms, this simply means that there are more young people in any population than there are elderly people.

Training high school students how to perform CPR increases the chances of saving lives should instances of respiratory and cardiac distress occur. Remember these young minds are not restricted to school grounds and these incidences can happen even at the shopping malls.

Create Awareness

Offering lifesaving training does more than just train people on ABC’s of giving CPR. One is taught how to be calm in the event such an emergency occurs. Secondly, one receives training on what to look out for in such situations. Not all emergency situations will happen in environments conducive for performing CPR. It is therefore important that one knows what dangers to look out for to ensure their safety and that of the victim. It is also important that one knows what to do and how to react to any potential threats.

Furthermore, some of the techniques used to administer CPR can prove useful in other scenarios such as saving a choking victim. Respiratory distress is not always accompanied by a cardiac arrest. Knowledge of how to handle a cardiac arrest may just help save the life of someone in respiratory distress.

Part of the training on life-saving skills includes raising awareness of the factors that make one susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest. This knowledge often prompts people to go for screenings for these predisposing factors helping to catch them at early stages and consequently increase the chances of effectively treating them.

Encourage Positive Behavioural Changes

High school students are either addressed as teens or adolescents. They are in the point in their lives where they live for the thrill and all other consequences do not matter. Subjecting such adrenaline-seeking minds to CPR training may just work to sober them up.

See, some students may be suffering from pre-existing heart conditions that can be made worse by experimenting with a variety of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. This is true for those suffering from chest complications. Explaining the negative effects of indulging in some of these activities from health rather than a moral standpoint may just work to quell the rebellion that is characteristic of this stage in life.

Improve their Employability

It might be too early to start thinking of issues of employability at high school but it never hurts to start early. Due to the sedentary yet stressful lifestyle that most people lead today, employers are beginning to consider knowledge in life-saving a plus. AEDs are now becoming a common thing in the workplace. It, therefore, makes sense that employers will not only look at the suitability of potential employees to their roles but will consider knowledge on the use of AEDs as a plus. Should an emergency that necessitates its use arises, they know they have someone to handle the situation before help arrives.  What’s more, a CPR certificate will definitely look good on a college application if not as part of your resume.

Always be Prepared

Cases of sudden cardiac arrest do not always come with a warning attached to them. While they are more likely to occur in high energy or high-pressure scenarios, they can literally occur at any moment. Equipping high school students with knowledge of how to effectively carry out CPR procedures allows them to be better prepared in the eventuality that someone has a sudden cardiac arrest around them. So help them know how to get CPR certificate online.Remember these high energy and intense activities do not only happen in school. It is the nature of teenagers and young adults to seek out a myriad of thrills with every opportunity they get. Equipping them with such knowledge, therefore, enables them to stay calm enough to handle such situations should they happen at school or home and if the victim is their classmate or parent.

Life-saving skills are important to have regardless of your age or sex. So if your school cannot facilitate this training try and get a CPR certificate online.