A good first aid can make the difference between life and death of a person in case of a serious injury, and especially if administering a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is needed, it must better be carried out by a person who is well trained in first aid techniques. This is for the very obvious reason that the life of a person depends on the quality of CPR training that you received. Hence it is important that you properly judge and assess the necessary certifications and reputation of the CPR trainer that you are looking to employ.
You should check out whether the trainer is recognized by any renowned medical establishment and how good his reputation is with his previous clients. If the trainer is certified by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association (AHA), you can be fairly certain about the competence of the trainer. There are mainly two reasons as to why you should look for a AHA certified CPR trainer, apart from the fact that the life of a person in distress depends upon it, are as follows.
First of all, any well informed person at the site of the injury will not let you perform CPR on the injured person as long as you do not have a certificate from an endorsed authority in the health sector vouching for your competence in performing CPR. Another major reason is that in case you fail to revive the person with CPR, a certificate from an authorized trainer will help you avoid the legal complicacies that would otherwise have arisen.
Your first aid training should not only give you a thorough training in the various possible techniques of providing CPR, but also should enable you to adapt you various situations and according to the condition of the victim. The basic CPR course comprises of CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which is useful in case someone is choking and you need to help him regain his breathing and regardless of which walk of life you are from, it is never a waste to do a certified basic course in CPR. A training in CPR and AED cannot be complete without practical training in the class room. These practical trainings, usually done in the form of group activities in the class room, not only help you to practice your skills in administering CPR, but also make sure that you can be ready whenever the need to perform a CPR on a choking victim arises. For people without medical background, it is important to get a completion certificate for heart saver CPR and AED from an endorsed authority. When you are choosing a CPR trainer, you should also inquire about the class timings and the cost of the course.
Only a properly certified and well experienced trainer can provide you with all the necessary training that you need to be a successful and valuable asset in any first aid or life saver team or the Coast Guard and will also help you treat people in your everyday life.