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CPR & First Aid Instructor Certification

Teaching CPR and first aid techniques may seem like simple memorization. A potential instructor must take into account the importance of the material she teaches. If her students learn lifesaving skills properly and thoroughly, that knowledge may one day save a life. By reaching out to a diverse audience, a CPR and first aid instructor will make a difference in individual lives as well as communities.

  1. Background

    • To teach CPR and first aid, a person must "understand how to work with and serve as a resource to different communities," says the American Red Cross. Almost all places of employment, schools, hospitals, sports facilities and other organizations are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide employees with CPR and first aid certifications. The instructor should consider that she may be asked to teach to people that she is unfamiliar with. She must be adaptable and have communication skills that allow her to work with many different kinds of people.

    Certification

    • A potential instructor should seek certification with a well-known organization, such as the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. Instructor classes happen less frequently than regular CPR and first aid classes. You will have to clear out a full work week to attend required training hours. Classes will cost between $500 to $600 depending on the organization. When signing up, ask if there are any CPR or first aid events occurring in the near future. Sometimes organizations in desperate need of teachers will give free teacher training to someone who agrees to teach a pre-determined number of classes as a volunteer.

    Specifics

    • Instructors must be CPR and first aid certified. The potential instructor should ask for prerequisites before signing up, as some organizations may include this training with the instructor course. Teachers will be asked to understand the learner's perspective. They will be taught to motivate students and help them find value in the material, associate material with real-life situations, repeat important information in a way that does not become boring, and use multimedia to appeal to all useful learning senses such as sight, sound and touch.

    Management

    • Instructors will be taught to manage a classroom without creating a distance between themselves and their students. This training includes knowing how to bridge topics by proving to students that the material is important, useful, and relevant. Teachers will also be taught to assign tasks politely and assertively. A teacher must be able to provide positive, non-judgmental feedback, fail students who absolutely cannot perform the skills correctly, intervene during inappropriate conversations and create a positive learning environment.

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