The American Red Cross is the United States' lead emergency response organization. As part of its mission, the American Red Cross offers various cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid and automatic external defibrillator certification programs to promote health and safety. The courses include lecture formats, hands-on training and interactive video demonstrations that illustrate potential emergency situations.
For Individuals, Employees and Schools
First aid, CPR and AED certifications are offered for individuals, employees of various entities and schools. The first aid/CPR/AED course teaches lifesaving skills, basic first aid for treating many types of injuries and skills to react to sudden conditions, such as poisoning or stroke. Participants also learn perform CPR on adults, children and infants and use automatic external defibrillators. The course grants a two-year certification. The Bloodborne Pathogens Training course teaches ways to prevent the transmission of diseases. It is intended for employees who work in environments with the possibility of exposure to blood and bodily fluids. The course results in a one-year certification. The Responding to Emergencies course is intended for high school or college students and covers provide adequate care during emergencies that affect adults, children and infants. The course includes CPR, first aid, prevention of disease transmission and injury management. It culminates in a two-year certification.
For Professional Health Care Personnel
Specialized courses are offered for professional health care personnel, such as health care providers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. The CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer course is intended for medical workers who respond to cardiac, breathing and other emergencies involving adults, children and infants. Participants learn to use AED on adults and children and optional training on use asthma inhalers and epinephrine auto-injectors. The course results in a two-year certification. The Administering Emergency Oxygen course provides training to professional rescue personnel on how and when to use breathing equipment and administer supplemental oxygen. Participants also develop advanced abilities in airway management. This one-year certification course requires certification in adult, child or infant CPR.
Hands-Only CPR
The Hands-Only CPR course provides basic training to individuals on perform CPR using only the hands-only method. This method does not involve any mouth-to-mouth contact and is intended for use in sudden emergencies. It assists with increasing the survival of cardiac arrest in non-medical settings. The goal of the American Red Cross is to provide hands-only CPR training to 5 million people to increase the survival of various cardiac emergencies.
Additional Training Options
The American Red Cross offers additional training certifications in specialized areas. The Wilderness and Remote First Aid course is intended for individuals who are regularly involved in outdoor situations, such as remote environment workers, scouts and nature enthusiasts. The two-year certification course provides training on respond to emergencies when medical assistance may be delayed. Participants learn about various situations, such as wounds and wound infection, heat-related emergencies, hypothermia, allergies and head injuries. The minimum age requirement is 14 years and participants must have current adult CPR/AED certification. The Sports Safety Training course provides training on first aid and injury related to sports events. It results in a two-year certification and provides training on sudden illness, cardiac and breathing emergencies and skeletal and soft tissue injuries. Voluntary child CPR training is also available with this course.
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