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CPR Instructor Class
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CPR Instructor Class
Having a job as a CPR instructor and healthcare professional is one of the most rewarding careers around. However, there are quite a few steps you have to take to become one. Taking a CPR instructor class is the main obstacle you'll have to overcome, and in this article, we're going to explain what it takes and how you can become a CPR instructor yourself.
If you're passionate about helping people and saving lives, then a career in First Aid instructing might be for you. You'll get to work with different groups of people every single day, and there is always a high demand for instructors and plenty of work available.
Read on to find out more about becoming a CPR instructor and what you need to do to get there.
How do I become a CPR instructor?
If you want to become a CPR instructor, then you'll have to take an instructor course. These courses are broken down into quite a few different sections, so it does take some time to get fully qualified. Specifically, you'll have to complete an introductory online CPR instructors class and a full 8 hour day of training and assessments. Finally, you'll be observed and monitored as you teach your first class.
As well as passing the instructor course you'll also need to be a great teacher and be able to listen well to people if you want to be a successful instructor. The best instructors are great at answering questions, giving feedback, and helping their students get through the more difficult parts of the course.
What is a CPR Instructor?
CPR instructors are people who help train others in CPR and emergency response procedures. They may be specialized in Basic Life Support, CPR/AED, and First Aid, or just be a teacher for one of those disciplines.
Once you complete the instructor training, you'll be fully qualified to lead your own classes. You could work for an agency that supplies instructors to businesses and groups, or even start your own business if you have some good contacts.
AAST CPR instructors are trained, authorized and overseen by American Aquatics and Safety Training. Our instructor program follows American Heart Association (AHA) ECC guidelines for resuscitation science. After qualifying, you could progress and become an instructor trainer yourself, helping to train other prospective instructors.
What do I need to take an Instructor Course?
There are a few things a training provider might ask for before allowing you to take an instructor course. This isn't the same for all the instructor courses though and the requirements will probably be different at each training center.
Past Experience
A training center might require instructor candidates to have some past experience. This usually means they must have taken some kind of First Aid or CPR/AED course in the past. Most people who have worked at a business and taken a workplace safety course will probably qualify for example.
Prior Qualifications
In some cases, a training center might require that a student already has some form of First Aid, CPR/AED, or BLS certification. If you've been trained as a lifeguard in the past, then you've probably got these certifications. The CPR training in particular will be useful if you want to get onto a First Aid instructor course.
As we said before, not all courses will require past experience and prior qualifications. You just need to make sure that you are only applying for courses that you are eligible for.
What will the course cover?
Instructor training packages can be broken down into 3 main sections. They are the Instructor Essentials course, the skills training day, and the observation sessions.
Instructor Essentials Course
This is the foundation of the whole instructor training and is completed online, either at home or at your workplace. This section will teach you all you need to know about being an instructor such as how to plan sessions for students and how to be an effective instructor. It will also test your past knowledge on things like Basic Life Support (BLS) and emergency medical procedures.
This section tales around 3-6 hours to complete depending on how fast you can work. Once students have completed this section they can then book onto a skills training day.
Skills Training Day
The next part of the training is an 8-hour session that contains the main bulk of the instructor program. This will cover all the practical skills you need, such as equipment cleaning, issuing course materials, and administering a course.
You'll also get tested on your own knowledge on this day.
Observation Session
The final part of the course is the observation session. Here you'll be assessed by professionals who will make sure that you're implementing everything you've learned.
If this all goes well then you'll be issued with a certification card which will last 2 years before it needs to be renewed!
The part of instructing that is not about CPR
Teaching CPR competently requires two things that have little to do with your own technique: managing a room, and being willing to fail someone. A class of a dozen candidates working on manikins produces a dozen different errors at once, and the instructor has to notice, prioritise and correct them without letting the session drift. That is a learned skill, and it is what the instructor course spends most of its time on.
The second part is harder. Every instructor eventually meets a candidate who is pleasant, has paid, has attended, and cannot perform compressions to standard. Signing that person off is the single worst thing an instructor can do, because the certificate says someone verified them. Holding the line, explaining precisely what was short and telling them how to fix it is the job, and it is uncomfortable every time.
Before enrolling, make sure your own certification is current and your own technique is genuinely sound rather than remembered. You will be demonstrating continuously, and candidates copy what they see far more than what they are told. An instructor whose own hand position drifts will produce a room of candidates whose hand position drifts.
Reviewed by Jackie Stern, Lifeguard Instructor, Firefighter and EMT. Jackie Stern has taught lifeguarding for more than 20 years and works as a firefighter, EMT and swim instructor. She reviews course content, prerequisites and rescue standards against current certification requirements.
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