Hospital CPR Training

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the professional rescuer (CPRO) is a course that emergency medical personnel, firefighters, lifeguards and other professionals working in similar environments are required to take. This course resembles regular CPR courses taken by the general public but supplements with advanced techniques and emergency care equipment.

Basics

• There are no prerequisites for taking CPRO, as it covers all of the material covered in regular CPR classes. The class is designed to be taught in eight hours, depending on there being "six participants per instructor, [reasonable] experience and abilities of participants, experience and abilities of instructor [and] the recommended amount of equipment needed at each class..." Students will participate in the class divided into two "learning teams" in which they will role-play as rescue teams in hypothetical emergency situations. Participants must complete all portions of the class to acquire certification and should assure that they are physically capable of completing all practice skills before paying to take the class.

Media and Supplies

• CPRO classes are taught through discussion, video, skills practice and a final written exam. Adult, child and infant CPR manikins will be used to test compression and rescue breathing skills. Training devices include automatic external defibrillator replications that do not deliver electric shock but do function in all other ways as a regular AED would. Participants will also learn how to properly use disposable gloves before and after they are soiled, bag-valve-mask resuscitators (BVMs) and single-person resuscitation masks.

Breathing Emergencies

• The first lesson takes approximately three hours and 50 minutes. It reviews the basic functions of the emergency medical system and the role of the professional rescuer in that system. Next, it takes time to go over legal considerations, including protection under the Good Samaritan law. It provides a framework for having the confidence to take action by describing how to perform the following skills: "Moving a Victim, [using] Resuscitation Masks, [making the] Initial Assessment, [recognizing and responding to] Breathing Emergencies [for adults, children and infants], [using a] Bag-Valve-Mask Resuscitator [and learning how to clear] Airway Obstruction [in conscious and unconscious choking adults, children and infants]."

Cardiac Emergencies

• Lesson two goes over how to recognize a heart emergency through signs and symptoms and the importance of acting quickly. Proper CPR skills, including hand placement, chest compression pace and depth, clearing the airway and rescue breathing are taught for adults, children and infants. Rescuers are then taught how to check for a heartbeat and how to use an AED if no pulse is detected. The instructor will lead AED/CPR skill scenarios, which students will complete with their learning teams. After a review of course content, students will take their final exam. This lesson takes approximately four hours and 10 minutes, with the class totaling eight hours.

Objectives

• CPR for the professional rescuer intends to communicate to emergency responders the importance of their responsibilities. It seeks to give responders the confidence they need to make quick, informed decisions in the event of breathing and heart emergencies. By teaching responders the functions and uses of emergency tools and what to do if these tools are not available, they will have a greater chance to sustain a victim while ensuring their own safety and the safety of bystanders at an emergency scene.