Why Everyone Should Take a CPR Class

Taaran Kaur, 6/30/24

Suppose you just walked into a coffee shop in the morning to get your morning cup of coffee. You’re giving your order to the barista when the middle aged man waiting behind you suddenly collapses to the floor. His wife starts screaming. What do you do next? 

This may seem like a far-fetched scenario that would never happen, but it does. A sudden collapse, like described above, is often attributable to cardiac arrest, which is when the heart stops working properly (it is either not beating at all or just quivering). According to the American Heart Association, more than 436,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest every year. Proper CPR and the use of a Defibrillator (or an AED) can reverse cardiac arrest and drastically increase the chances of someone surviving. In the case above, the man’s life depends on someone in the coffee shop being prepared and ready to react. Why shouldn’t that be you? 

CPR classes are short, effective, and are sometimes even offered for free. They are offered in a variety of formats–online and person–by many organizations such as American Heart Association, Red Cross, and local hospitals. Most of all, they can help you save a life. My high school requires all students to be certified in CPR before they graduate, and CPR classes are built into the sophomore year health curriculum. I believe that this should be a standard in all schools. Anyone over the age of 13 should take a CPR class at some point in their lives, even if they don’t keep up with certification, because it will give you a foundation on how to react in an emergency to save a life. To begin, your instructor will go over how to react in any emergency situation, and how that changes based on whether you are alone or in a crowd, and the age of your patient. Then the instructor will teach you to determine if someone needs CPR by checking for responsiveness and breathing. After that, you will learn how to give effective compressions and rescue breaths and how to use an AED. Some CPR classes have built in first aid instruction as well. 

But what else can you do to be more prepared? First of all, it’s important to know where AEDs are in public places that you frequently visit. You should know where the AED is located in your school, workplace, place of worship, gym, etc. If there isn’t one, talk to the manager or someone in charge about getting one. In most states, businesses and public buildings  are required to have an AED if they are used by a certain number of people. You should ask if the AED is in proper working condition as well. While it may seem complicated, AED is fairly intuitive and easy to use. It gives audio instructions once turned on and the pads have diagrams showing where the correct placement is. An AED is perhaps the most important thing to increase a cardiac arrest patient’s chance of survival.

Overall, remember to always be aware and alert. If you are in a situation with a person who may be suffering from a medical emergency and can safely help, remember to call 911. Even if you haven’t taken a CPR or first aid class (even though I can’t stress enough how important it is), the operator will give you instructions on how to provide help. If you are worried about making the situation worse, remember that, though it might not be as effective as proper CPR, even bad CPR can somewhat increase a patient's chance of survival. And all states have good samaritan laws that protect people who are acting out of goodwill to help save a life. All this being said, CPR classes are still the most important thing when being prepared in emergency situations. Take a few minutes to check out your hospital’s website and the helpful resources below to schedule classes at a time that works for you. Dedicating a few hours of your time can add years to someone’s life.

Sources to Check Out! 

Cardiac Arrest | American Heart Association

CPR classes from the American Heart Association 

Find a Red Cross CPR Class