Basic Info On BLS Certification

By Ericka Marsh


When health care workers are off work, they are often called upon to act as Good Samaritans if an emergency takes place in public. For these persons and first responders, or the people that are credentialed to deal with medical problems when they encounter an accident and are first on a scene, this is an educational requirement. Having a BLS certification can be helpful for any person with or without a medical background, and doesn't take long to acquire.

The acronym stands for basic life support. This means that when used correctly, the skills obtained in this course can help to prevent death and support life saving efforts. The AHA or American Heart Association began offering these courses as a means of helping everyone be more informed about how to assist in a medical emergency, and as an opportunity for health care workers to get educational credits for credentialing. Other professions that require this could include daycare workers, babysitters and those working with the safety of the general public like security guards.

When someone takes this course, they should know that basic first aid is also included. This means you will deal with caring for and cleaning a wide array of wounds, strokes, seizures and how to deal with a heart attack. With this training is another special training on how to use AED and CPR for people of all ages including infants.

The CPR and AED or automated external defibrillator training will cover a one person and a two person team situation, showing a person how to breathe for another person. Using the AED to assist in life saving efforts is much more common today where this apparatus is available, and can mean the difference between life and death in some situations. Therefore knowing how to properly use one is essential in conjunction with CPR.

There is a written test, and it covers protecting yourself from infection with the use of universal precautions as well as bacteria, bloodborne pathogens and parasites. Using the proper personal protective equipment in a medical situation includes barriers, guards, gloves and goggles. Every one of these are found on the exams offered by the AHA.

Many different providers offer this certificate, and it's a requirement for professionals that offer it be certified to be allowed to do so. Your local AHA can partner with schools, companies, individuals and institutes to allow someone to confer this certificate to a student when they pass. Make sure that your provider can show this, so that your completion is legal.

There are not set costs for the course, as this is based on the practitioner or location that offers the class. Your charge could include materials and books, the dummies used for CPR and AED training as well as time for the practitioner to offer the course. You should ask about what is covered by the charge before you enroll, and ask about the time length requirements to complete as well.

Getting certified not only can help a student get hired into certain positions, but is useful in a personal way as well. Any one who comes into contact with the elderly, toddlers or the general public could benefit from this knowledge. You never know when you will be called upon to save a life.




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