Basic Life Support (BLS) courses teach people how to provide emergency care in the event of a heart attack, stroke, or choking. Courses are available for the general public, healthcare professionals, and those who want to become instructors. Certification lasts one or two years and includes CPR and AED training.
Basic Life Support (BLS) courses are available to the general public, healthcare professionals, and those who want to become instructors. Each course offers varying levels of training that enable people to act as first responders and provide emergency care in the presence of someone having a possible heart attack or stroke. Students also learn methods of assisting victims during a choking emergency. Courses taught by certified instructors are available at many locations in the community.
Cardiac associations create a basic BLS course for the general public who have little or no medical training. Individuals can complete the course in one session, which generally lasts about four hours. Those scheduled to attend the course are typically required to purchase an instruction manual in advance. Each course generally explains the basics of cardiopulmonary anatomy and function, as well as providing signs and symptoms associated with heart attacks and strokes. Students are also instructed in various methods of dislodging foreign objects causing a choking event.
Through lectures, demonstrations and role-plays, students who participate in a BLS course learn to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), providing respiratory support and maintaining circulation. Each class teaches people how to perform prehospital care, in the form of one- or two-person rescue maneuvers, on adults, children, and infants using mannequins. The instruction manual also usually contains information on methods to ensure heart health. After instruction, students demonstrate skills and complete a multiple-choice quiz to earn a course completion card.
Healthcare providers and certain rescuers must continually acquire up-to-date BLS certifications as part of their professional licensing protocol. CPR courses at this level usually offer a certification that lasts one or two years. Healthcare professional BLS training usually involves one or two four-hour sessions with instruction designed for people with a medical background. In addition to prehospital care, students learn the function and operation of an automated external defibrillator, also known as an AED. After instruction, students display acquired skills through physical demonstration and a multiple-choice quiz to receive a certification card.
Those who wish to become BLS course instructors usually acquire a letter of recommendation. After receiving the endorsement, people typically complete the class from a primary instructor online, complete the class at home using course materials, or attend a conventional classroom class. Upon completion of the core course, future instructors receive additional training in a specific discipline, which includes Basic Life Support, Heart Saving, Advanced Cardiovascular Support, or Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Successful completion of all course requirements allows individuals to conduct a BLS course while under the supervision of a certified instructor.
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