If you’ve ever wondered ‘How and where can I learn CPR?’ – we’ve put together this post to answer that very question.
Here at WEL Medical we believe CPR is an essential skill that should be taught to everyone in schools, colleges, sports clubs, professional companies and more besides. But if you don’t have CPR training on offer in yours, and you want to know where you could learn it – and exactly what you should be learning – then read on!
What are the seven steps of CPR in order?
The seven essential steps taught in any reputable CPR training course are:
- Clear the scene
- Check the casualty is fully unconscious by shaking them or speaking loudly
- Retrieve an AED and use it as quickly as possible
- Check their breathing
- Do chest compressions at a rate of 120 per minute
- Give two rescue breaths
- Continue alternating chest compressions and rescue breaths until first aid responders arrive
Alternatively, if you are immunocompromised or worried about virus transmission, you may wish to remove the rescue breaths. Visit out blog post World First Aid Day: CPR Guidance in a Covid-19 World for more info.
How to learn CPR?
There are a number of different well-known brands in the UK offering courses or facilities where can you learn CPR. In fact, with some you can practice CPR training without even leaving your home!
1. RevivR™ from The British Heart Foundation
A free, interactive online CPR training course from the respected heart health charity British Heart Foundation, RevivR™ promises to give you the skills and knowhow to save a life in just 15 minutes. All you need is a mobile phone or a tablet and a cushion to practice your CPR compressions on.
Admittedly, a cushion won’t give you quite the same feedback you’d get from a specially designed manikin used on an in-person training course, but the sheer ease of use that RevivR™ offers makes it, in our opinion, an excellent introduction to CPR training.
2. First Aid Courses with British Red Cross
Crisis charity The British Red Cross offers first aid and CPR training at over 150 different locations across the UK, and can also travel to give CPR training for groups of up to 12 people.
Their training itself is split into two different kinds, and will give you the skills to help someone in an emergency – although they won’t provide you with an official first aid certificate.
They offer:
- A four-hour baby and child first aid course for family members
- And a different four-hour CPR training/first aid course for adults who want to help other people should an emergency happen.
Find out more at the British Red Cross’s first aid courses page.
3. LifeSaver by Resuscitation Council UK
LifeSaver is a suite of tools from Resuscitation Council UK that includes an interactive game, a training tool that meets national standards for both AED and CPR training, and an VR experience for young learners and first aiders across the UK.
First launched in 2013, it’s an entirely different way of e-learning CPR to the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR™ course, which says a lot for the passion people have for helping people to find high-quality virtual CPR training!
Learn more about Lifesaver here.
4. CPR certificate with St John’s Ambulance
One of the market-leaders in first aid and CPR training, St John’s Ambulance offers a two-hour in-person course that, unlike the BRC one, will give you a CPR certificate at the end of it.
You don’t need a pre-existing HSE-approved first aid qualification to take the course, just a basic grasp of English and willingness to listen for the details. The course itself covers CPR training, along with how to survey a scene and attend to an unresponsive adult. It’s assessed by a trainer and can be booked for groups at their own premises, with St John’s Ambulance traveling to you – making it easy for as many people to learn CPR as possible.
Learn more about the ST John’s Ambulance CPR certificate course.
5. Find a CPR course near you
We’ve already given four examples of where you can learn CPR (two in-person and two digital) but there are many, many more places across Britain where you can find CPR training near you.
The CPR page at Find Courses offers a number of relevant courses, so check that out and decide how to learn CPR at a time and place that works for you!
Don’t just learn CPR – become a Defib Angel!
If you’re passionate about saving lives, why stop at CPR training? Here at WEL Medical we run an initiative called Defib Angels designed to raise awareness of the need to publicly accessible defibrillators.
If you’re interested in setting up your own Defib Angels group for your local area, we’d love to hear from you.
Visit our Defib Angels page to learn more, and get in touch with us to get started.
