In the course of your research on First Aid and how to conduct CPR, you will most likely come across the term BLS. First you need to understand what BLS is. BLS stands for Basic Life Support.
These certifications are considered fundamental and core for healthcare providers and come with strong recommendations.
Even though your employment doesn’t need you to perform lifesaving procedures, getting your Basic Life Support (BLS) certification can be a very worthwhile endeavor.
In this post, we will discuss what it means to have BLS Certification as well as why it is necessary for medical students and current healthcare providers.
What Is BLS Certification?
According to the American Red Cross*, basic life support (BLS) is a term that is used to describe the type of care that is provided by first responders, healthcare providers, and professionals working in public safety to anyone who is experiencing cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, or an obstructed airway.
It is necessary to have the information and abilities necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use automated external defibrillators (AED), and relieve airway obstructions in patients of all ages.
According to Omid Parto, who serves as the Academic Dean at our Garden Grove Campus, “BLS” is typically the conventional phrase or synonym for “CPR.” “In all actuality, Basic Life Support (BLS) is an advanced CPR training, and the American Heart Association (AHA) only offers certification in BLS for healthcare service providers.”
Who Needs BLS Certification?
Basic life support training and certification classes, on the other hand, are geared toward healthcare providers and other medical professionals because of the responsibilities that come with their jobs. In contrast, anyone can become certified in CPR. B
ecause of this, the vast majority of professional rescuers, including nurses, paramedics, and lifeguards, are obliged by their employers to undergo training and become certified in basic life support.
The ability to recognize a wide variety of life-threatening emergencies, provide high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other basic cardiovascular life support skills, use an automated external defibrillator (AED) correctly, and relieve choking in a way that is safe, prompt, and effective is required of healthcare professionals.
Why Is BLS Certification Essential?
Training in basic life support will enable healthcare practitioners and other medical professionals with the knowledge and abilities essential to offer the necessary medical care in an emergency circumstance that poses a risk to the patient’s life.
The BLS test has the potential to determine whether someone lives or dies. The recipient of a BLS card has demonstrated that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide prompt and appropriate medical attention, increasing the patient’s likelihood of survival.
How To Get BLS Certification?
Earning your BLS certification is a simple process. There is a wide variety of certificates available. To become certified in Basic Life Support, all that is required of you is to enroll in and successfully complete a course offered by any AHA BLS provider, health organization, or training center.
There are a few different routes that one can take in order to become BLS certified, and the path that one takes will ultimately be determined by the individual’s requirements and preferences.
You have the option of enrolling in BLS certification programs that are held in-person, in the form of hands-on skill sessions, at predetermined days and hours, and guided by instructors, or you can choose to take BLS certification classes online.
The online course is a popular choice that many working professionals like to take advantage of, mostly because it is more flexible and has a cheaper overall cost.
No matter which approaches you choose, you need to make sure that your training is in compliance with the recommendations made by the American Heart Association about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care.
Your digital certification will be available for rapid download after you have successfully completed all of the learning courses. In between two and five days of business, the official completion card will be sent out. In addition, you are required to attend certification renewal workshops once every two years in order to keep your present certification in good standing.
Basic life support, sometimes known as BLS, is a skill that, in the event of an emergency, has the potential to save lives. With the assistance of basic life support training, a person is able to learn how to respond effectively to a variety of different medical emergencies.
If you have any doubts about whether or not your current job requires BLS certification, make it a point to inquire about it. On the other hand, if you are looking for new work, you might be surprised to learn how many different industries the certification is applicable to. Continue reading to learn more about the BLS and to find out who should acquire one.
Other Professions That Require BLS Certification
Because they are typically the first individuals “on the scene,” law enforcement personnel have a responsibility to be ready to take prompt action in potentially hazardous situations. Because they have received BLS training, they will have the knowledge and ability to perform measures that can save lives while they wait for medical assistance.
Even though they are unusual, situations that could put a patient’s life in danger do crop up occasionally in the field of dentistry. Although the particular criteria of each state’s dentistry legislation are likely to vary greatly from one another, the majority of states mandate that dentists earn their BLS certification, in addition to perhaps earning other certifications.
The BLS regulations that are applicable to an individual educator will be determined either by the state Board of Education or by the local school district in which the educator works. Teachers are expected to be prepared for any type of emergency and have an understanding of the physiological differences between children’s and adults’ bodies.
Those who work as lifeguards often receive their training from the Red Cross or another organization that is analogous to it. Because “guarding lives” is the primary job of a lifeguard, that individual must be aware of what to do in the event that a customer suddenly loses consciousness.
How Long Are BLS Courses?
The AHA course descriptions indicate that both the online course and the teacher courses can be completed in a variety of time frames.
The online course is divided into two parts: an online Heartcode BLS portion that can take anywhere from one to two hours, and a hands-on skills session that can last anywhere from seventy minutes to two hours, depending on the prior knowledge and expertise of the student.
The Basic Life Support (BLS) course that is led by an instructor takes approximately 4.5 hours to complete, and this time period accounts for both the skill practice and the competence testing that follows. The BLS renewal courses each take around three hours to finish. The time allotted for this class is predicated on having one instructor, six students, and two manikins.
Both the online and instructor-led versions of the BLS course completion card, which serves as proof that the student has successfully completed the course, are valid for a period of two years.
Summary
The Basic Life Support (BLS) certification does not have to be difficult. Things can be made a lot simpler if one has a good understanding of the differences between Basic Life Support (BLS), Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and other medical certifications, as well as the reasons why each is vital and how to obtain certification cards.
