Learning to provide Basic Life Support (BLS) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) gives you the skills you need to potentially save a life. BLS and CPR courses are highly rewarding. Some can be completed online, lasting only a few days. However, their impact can last a lifetime.
What is BLS Certification?
Imagine this situation: you are at work as normal and suddenly one of your co-workers is taken ill. They might look pale, feel some pain, and are struggling to breathe. What to do now?
Your colleague may need basic life support. BLS is the type of care that a first responder can provide before medical professionals arrive. BLS can help someone in respiratory distress, a person going through a cardiac arrest, or someone dealing with an obstructed airway.
Providing basic life support is easier than you may think, but it does require proper training and certification. Becoming certified to offer someone basic life support teaches you all the skills and knowledge required to make a difference. BLS certification is required for many healthcare providers and their teams, but classes are open to anyone.
How to Get BLS Certification
One of the most convenient ways to become BLS certified is by pursuing BLS certification online. Basic life support certification online can be completed in as little as one hour. Different certification levels focus on specific aspects of BLS, such as caring for adults or children.
Some courses are restricted to standard first aid. Others include the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), which can be critical for heart problems. Most BLS classes also cover cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths.
BLS for healthcare providers online is a convenient option to train teams with busy schedules without causing disruption. This type of training includes infection control training as well as CPR and first aid. Signing up for BLS certification online takes only a few minutes. Simply select a course of choice and start studying for your certification online.
Importance of BLS Certification
For many professions, BLS CPR certification online is required. Obtaining a qualification or keeping it updated takes an hour or less but can make the difference between life and death for others.
Workplaces may require certified first responders. Healthcare providers need to ensure the adequate qualification of their teams. BLS and CPR qualifications are also needed in mental and behavioral health facilities as well as at events or in other situations where people come together.
Up-to-date BLS certification can help save lives. BLS training online not only lays the foundations for helping others, but the training can also help those who are already qualified refresh their skills. BLS guidelines change regularly, thanks to new knowledge. For that reason, it is crucial for healthcare providers and others to keep their skills updated.
What are the Main Components of BLS?
According to the American Red Cross, BLS includes three main components – assessment, recognition, and care. To be effective, BLS requires a systematic approach to ensure nothing is overlooked and the patient receives the best possible level of care.
In practice, the steps of BLS include:
- Visual assessment and checking for responsiveness
- Checking for breathing
- Alerting emergency medical services
- Opening the airway and providing chest compressions and rescue breaths, if necessary
- Informing emergency services of the patient’s condition when they arrive
BLS classes start by teaching students to evaluate the condition of a patient. Whilst first responders may not be facing a medical emergency every time a person feels ill, it is important to understand when someone’s condition is serious.
Checking for breathing is another critical step in the process. A person that is not breathing is most likely in respiratory arrest and may be at risk for cardiac arrest. They are in urgent need of professional care.
Alerting emergency services is the next step. To treat a patient effectively, paramedics need as much information as possible. A BLS-trained first responder understands which questions they need to ask to provide EMS with the right information.
Non-breathing patients require CPR to be started as soon as possible and to be continued until emergency services arrive. Knowing how to provide this type of care can save a person’s life.
BLS and CPR courses online can make a difference to anyone in need of medical help. Online certifications are easy and convenient and last for two years. For more information, contact our team today.
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