Life-saving skills like CPR and defibrillation are invaluable for healthcare providers, but they can degrade quickly without regular practice. At CPR Kansas City, an American Heart Association training center, we believe maintaining competency in basic life support (BLS) should be a priority for everyone with a clinical background. Read on to learn strategies for retaining your skills between BLS renewals and why consistent practice is so important.
Skill Retention Strategies
BLS covers essential techniques like CPR, using an AED, and relieving choking. But without regular reinforcement, these abilities fade quickly. Studies show CPR skills start to decline in as little as two weeks and continue falling off over time. Here are some ways to keep your BLS knowledge fresh before it's time to renew your certification again:
Practice with Friends or Family: Set aside 10-15 minutes every month to demonstrate CPR, AED usage, and choking relief on a practice mannequin with a partner. Having someone watch you perform key skills will keep you honest.
Watch Training Videos: Refresh by viewing CPR instructional videos to maintain proper positioning, timing, and technique. Seeing skills performed correctly helps reinforce best practices.
Download Apps: Many free apps provide virtual practice for CPR, AED usage, and choking. These make perfect refreshers when you only have a few minutes to spare.
Attend Informal Classes: Many training sites offer informal monthly or quarterly skills practice specifically for current providers needing to tune up abilities between renewals. Check local options.
Consider Teaching: Becoming a BLS instructor yourself requires maintaining expertise. Teach friends or family members to keep your skills sharp.
The keys are consistency and diligence. Set reminders to practice every 4-6 weeks. Track your progress. Enlist others to hold you accountable. Maintaining BLS proficiency takes work, but it could save a life!
Important Things to Know About BLS Renewal
To keep your BLS provider status current through the American Heart Association, you must retake the full course every two years. Here are some key facts about the renewal process:
Renewals Can Occur Anytime in the Final Month: You can take your renewal course up to 30 days before your current certification expires. Don't wait until the last minute!
Online Renewals are Available: For convenience, many providers now offer online renewal courses you can take from home. Contact us to learn about virtual options.
Renewal Course is Shorter: Renewal courses are typically 2-4 hours instead of the full 8 hours since they focus on skills practice and essential updates.
Bring Your Current Card: You must bring your current BLS provider card to the renewal course as proof you completed the initial curriculum previously.
Written Exams May be Required: Some renewal courses include a written exam covering critical concepts from the BLS curriculum. Be prepared to take a test.
Expect Skills Practice: At least half the renewal course will consist of hands-on skills sessions and simulations to confirm your abilities. Come ready to perform!
Renewing on schedule is important, but maintaining proficiency between renewals is critical. Consider taking a renewal course every 18 months rather than waiting the full two years so skills stay fresher.
Practicing BLS Techniques Regularly
Consistent practice is key to retaining high-quality BLS skills. Here are some tips for practicing effectively:
Use Realistic Scenarios: When possible, run through drills that simulate real-life emergencies. The intensity helps improve reaction times and decision-making.
Practice Without Prompts: Instead of having someone talk you through each step, try performing skills from memory. This mimics responding in the field.
Focus on Weak Areas: Use a checklist to identify skills that don't feel solid, like mask seals or compressions. Spend more time honing these.
Consider "Testing" Yourself: Have a partner monitor you and provide feedback and scores on a practice test sheet. Treat it like a real exam.
Use Mannequins When Possible: Practicing realistic mannequins can help with positioning, force, and other key skills.
Watch the Clock: Pay careful attention to timing for things like compression rates and AED procedures. Rushing leads to mistakes.
Debrief After Drills: Discuss what went well and what needs work. Feedback from others observing you is invaluable.
Make it Fun: Practicing as a group or team, adding music, and injecting humor makes skills practice more enjoyable and effective.
BLS skills are honed through repetition. Set reminders to practice regularly and find ways to immerse yourself in using CPR, AEDs, and other techniques as often as possible.
Stay Proficient in Life Saving
At CPR Kansas City, an American Heart Association training center, we know maintaining your skills in basic life support helps ensure you'll respond quickly and effectively when faced with real emergencies. Let us help you stay proficient! Here are some key reasons to renew your BLS certification regularly and practice between renewals:
Skills Save Lives: Performing high-quality CPR and using an AED properly can dramatically impact survival odds in critical events. Routine practice ensures you're ready.
Patient Safety Relying on Rusty Skills Risks Harm: Outdated or clumsy CPR and AED use can cause injury. Keeping techniques fresh helps avoid preventable mistakes.
Employers Value Current Providers: Having an up-to-date BLS card proves your commitment to providing safe, high-quality care. It can impact job prospects and advancement.
Insurance and Liability Protection: Valid BLS certification may provide legal and insurance protections if involved in an emergency. Don't let it lapse!
Confidence inspires Action: Recent practice results in assured responders ready to take action without hesitation. Saving lives takes confidence!
It's a Professional Obligation: For healthcare providers, maintaining BLS competence is both an ethical and legal duty. Patients rely on your skills.
Don't lose your edge! Renewing your BLS certification is only the first step. The real key is finding ways to drill regularly between renewals so your skills remain sharp. Contact us today to learn about our flexible practice options and top-quality training. At CPR Kansas City, we're helping providers stay proficient in life-saving.
Ready to renew your BLS certification or bolster your skills between renewals? CPR Kansas City offers engaging American Heart Association courses, realistic practice, and experienced instructors to help you maintain proficiency. Contact us today at [913-998-7499] or visit acls-bls-kansascity.com to learn more!
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