Choosing a CPR trainer is an important task that is often overlooked and under appreciated. With more and more people becoming “CPR trainers” with thoughts of making a quick buck, there is a lot of choices in trainers available. For individuals and employers there are some questions that you should ask your prospective CPR and/or First Aid instructor.
How experienced is the instructor that will be teaching my course?
Does the instructor have any real world experience with the material being taught?
What does the course cover?
How many manikins will there be for the group?
How much hands-on time will I get?
Is my training Nationally Accredited?
What training materials will I have and what can I keep?
Will I have the opportunity to actually practice with an AED?
Are there any other training options? Online?
Unfortunately the only questions typically asked is: What is the cost? How long will it take? As an employer, you want the best training that you can get within your budget. When we are trained we never anticipate using the skills that we learned in real life, for most people CPR and First Aid training is simply done to meet an employer or regulatory requirement. If you hear that you can get CPR and First Aid Training in 30 minutes? Run the other way. There are many really great instructors out there. There is also a lot of very inexperienced instructors that don’t fully understand the scope of what they are teaching.
One thing we hear frequently is that: I know a nurse or a fireman. They can teach me CPR. Just because someone is in the health care profession doesn’t mean that they are qualified to teach lifesaving skills. We teach many health care professionals CPR and First Aid. We want you to be ready for the unexpected emergency. We teach our students the skills needed to act appropriately during an emergency situations. Our quality instructors are experienced in emergency medicine and can give real insight into actual emergencies versus just what the book says. Our students will each have their own manikin during CPR training and will have the opportunity to actually use a defibrillator or AED.
