I decided to take a refresher course, mainly because I wanted to do some further learning on my CPR and First Aid qualification. I wanted to ensure that I had fully grasped everything that I had already learned, as I had gained valuable experience by undertaking each of the courses previously. My main aim was to increase my personal comfort and confidence in carrying out CPR and First Aid, but it also made me more knowledgeable about the subject matter, which is always a good thing to know. By further understanding the theory behind the techniques, you are more confident when you go into a real life situation and can thus react more quickly.
If you have not yet taken up CPR and First Aid, you may be wondering if you need to complete a CCRN course before you apply for your CPR and First Aid certification. There are many different reasons why people would like to take up CPR and First Aid qualifications. For example, someone may have been involved in an accident where they were the victim of drowning or cardiac arrest, which could result in them not being able to carry out CPR themselves and calling for an operator. CPR and First Aid are an important skill, which is only useful if someone else can help. Therefore, being able to complete a CPR course and get a CPR and First Aid certificate would give the person a higher degree of confidence when they go out and try to help someone in need.
Another reason to complete a course is so that you will be more qualified to offer assistance to your friends and family when they are in a real emergency, which makes it more important than ever to have this training and qualification. You will then want to decide whether you want to go and study from a course provider, or whether you would prefer to go online. Both methods are perfectly valid options, and it is down to your individual needs and preferences which one you choose to do.
One thing you should consider when you are deciding between online courses and a classroom course is the cost. You do need to find a high quality provider who can guarantee a good result for a reasonable price, and in the case of CPR and First Aid, this will need to be a full certificate. Online courses are very reasonably priced, but you will still need to ensure that you do get enough training before you apply for your certification, and that you do not miss any sessions due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances. If you have any doubts at all as to the suitability of an online course provider, then it would probably be better to contact a local training centre for more information and advice.
A good idea before you start any training is to read up on what you will need to do, as well as how long the course is going to take and in what order. By knowing exactly what you are getting yourself into, you will make sure that you know exactly what to expect when it comes time for your training, and you will be able to plan ahead accordingly. If you know there is a certain aspect of your training you are unsure about, it is always best to ask a training officer or somebody who has previously taken a CPR course to help you understand it better. Once you know the basics, you will then want to begin your training, and if you are taking an online course make sure that you read all the material and make sure that you understand it completely.
It is very important that you do not just complete one CPR course, you want to complete as many as possible in order to fully prepare yourself for your certification renewal. However, you do not want to hurry through them, because this can cause you to not get everything out of them that you could. Therefore, make sure you pace yourself, but also make sure that you do not take too many courses at one time, or else you will be making yourself less effective, and ineffective. You will want to pace yourself so that you do not feel rushed, but you also do not want to feel overwhelmed. In order to properly renew your certification, you should take at least five hours of CPR course work in a week, and you should take this course no less than four times per year. The reasoning behind this is because you do not want to become dependent on taking a refresher course, because you will quickly forget everything you learned in a few months!
There are many different resources that you can use in order to make sure that you are doing everything in your power to ensure that you receive a CCRN certification renewal. You will want to make sure that you check with your local fire department, your doctor, your local county courthouse, and even make sure that you contact the national governing body, the CPR Association, to make sure that you are following all of the requirements of the course. It will be very important that you do everything in your power in order to get your certificate back!