If you have been considering undertaking coursework to achieve your BLS certification, it can help to be familiar with the central tenets of the class beforehand. BLS Certification, which provides you with a two-year certificate in basic lifesaving knowledge, can empower you to act in an emergency, regardless of the circumstances.
Here’s what you need to know about the basic philosophies of BLS training.
Situational Awareness Is Key
In a BLS course, you will receive special training in how to assess an emergency. This often sounds simpler than it is. When tensions are high, it can be easy to act in ways you normally wouldn’t act—and miss an important environmental detail or critical step. BLS training gives you a way to evaluate a situation so that if you are ever presented with a crisis, you can keep your cool and follow proper protocol.
Human Anatomy Is Fundamentally the Same
Regardless of body size, race, gender, or creed, humans all have hearts that pump blood throughout their body to deliver blood to thirsty organs, especially the brain. It can be easy to get in your head during an emergency—and get overwhelmed by the nuances of a given victim’s medical history—but BLS training teaches you how to avoid getting caught up in the details and simply act to save a life.
Acting Swiftly Saves Lives
Whether you are responding to an adult whose heart has stopped beating, or to a child who has stopped breathing, BLS certification teaches you that time is everything in an emergency. Its central tenets of acting swiftly in an emergency can help contribute to a much better chance of survival for a victim. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that when people whose hearts stop beating outside the hospital are attended to with immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), their chances of survival can double or triple. Reporting in the New York Times adds to this testimony, noting that when bystanders act quickly, a cardiac arrest victim can survive to tell the tale.
Keeping Yourself Safe Is Important
Have you ever been instructed to “apply your own oxygen mask first” when boarding an airplane? The same tenet applies in BLS training, as well. Bystanders must ensure their own safety when they are attending to a victim and attempting to save a life. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the viral status of a victim may be unknown, it’s critical to learn lifesaving techniques that can keep you safe and healthy. At the American Academy, we offer COVID-19 recommendations for BLS CPR and make sure that our students understand how to apply lifesaving skills in ways that also guarantee their own safety.
More about BLS Certification
Contrary to the notions of some, a BLS class teaches more than just cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. As noted by The Huffington Post, certified BLS training can help you go beyond the basics of CPR skills and broaden your lifesaving abilities. At the American Academy, you can receive your BLS certification from the comfort of your own home.