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As great as sports can be, it’s not all fun and games at all times. If you’re a coach, you have a huge responsibility to keep your team safe before the season begins. No matter what precautions you take, emergencies can still happen, and it’s important to be prepared. Discover why coaches should learn CPR before the season starts and equip yourself with the best tools to keep your kids safe in every situation that arises.

The Importance of Emergency Preparedness for Sports

You can be the best coach in the world, and accidents can still happen. That’s why it’s so important to prepare for emergencies before they occur. Emergency preparedness for any sport is crucial to caring for your team and ensuring they have the tools to feel safe.

CPR is one of the most important lessons you can learn to keep your team safe this season—especially if you take a combination first aid and CPR course. This combination course allows you to learn the basics so you can utilize the tools any time you need them—in both training and sports events.

When you’re training on your own, there’s no EMT present, and it’s more crucial than ever to have emergency response tools equipped in your head. Even at sports events when an EMT is present, it’s still important to have these tools. You’re the only one who’s present with your team at all times—in the locker room, on the bus, at a restaurant, etc. Preparing for an emergency where someone might stop breathing or get an injury on your watch can quite literally save a life. You know your team better than anyone, and you’ll be the first to know if they need help if an emergency happens.

Emergencies Can Happen at Any Time

Emergencies can happen anywhere—during practice, at sporting events, in the middle of team meals, on the bus—and the common denominator is the coach. A coach is the one who is always present and is the first one to respond in an emergency. Learning CPR is a huge step in protecting your team to the best of your ability.

In an ideal world, you’d never be put in an emergency situation. However, when you’re the sole person responsible for an entire team, there are no promises. Anything can happen at any time.

Equipping yourself with the highest education and the proper tools is the best way to keep your team safe. If someone bumps their head, stops breathing, or simply gets a minor injury, you’ll be the first one available (and able) to protect them with knowledge of CPR and first aid until professional help arrives.

Coaches Are the First Line of Defense

As a coach, you’re the closest one to your team. Whether you’re practicing, coaching at a sporting event, staying with them for away games or meets, or on the bus traveling to events, you’re the first person they rely on and the adult they know best (and who knows them just as well). You’re the closest one to your team (literally, especially when parents are watching from afar), and you know your players well. Sometimes, you’re closer than EMTs, and you’re the first one who can tell when something is wrong.

CPR Saves Lives—And It’s Easier Than You Think

No one wants to have to utilize CPR in their lives. It’s a scary situation, and you take on so much responsibility in a single moment. However, there’s also so much that could go wrong if you don’t learn to equip yourself with the knowledge of CPR and first aid practices. In an emergency, it can be scary if you don’t know what to do, and CPR can, quite literally, save lives—and it’s a lot easier than you might think.

“What goes into CPR?” you might ask. Here’s a quick summary of the basics that you would learn in a CPR course:

• Recognizing cardiac arrest (unresponsiveness, weak pulse, etc.)
• Applying chest compressions (proper hand depth, pacing, etc.)
• Learning rescue breaths (mouth-to-mouth)
• First aid skills (sometimes included in a CPR course)

In more specialized or advanced courses, you can also learn:

• How to use an AED
• Advanced CPR skills
• And more

Related Blog: How Long Does It Really Take to Get CPR Certified?

Set the Standard for a Team Rooted in Care and Safety

When you’re responsible for a whole team of kids or adults, you want to show you care and that you’re keeping them safe. The best way to set the standards for both your team and their parents is to get CPR-certified, so you can reassure everyone you’re prepared in any situation. This often sets a higher standard for other coaches to match and makes you stand out as someone who is both trustworthy and credible. Both parents and your team will appreciate the level of care and expertise gained.

Meet Standard Coaching Requirements

Not only is getting your CPR certification helpful, but it’s also sometimes required in certain coaching positions. Especially in more dangerous or high-contact sports like football, wrestling, hockey, swimming, etc. While CPR isn’t always required in specific states, certain schools might still mandate it according to their preferences and specific sports. If you’re not sure whether it’s a requirement, speak to your employer to ask more questions. Either way, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and get certified so you can keep your team safe in any situation thrown your way.

Get CPR-Certified Before the Season Starts

Understanding why coaches should learn CPR before the season starts is a great first step to being informed in emergency situations. The next step is learning more information or registering for a course.

Here at HeartCert CPR, we offer individual sign-up options, group courses, and even virtual CPR courses. Whether you’re a coach or the head of a school who needs to enlist your coaches, we can help. Our expert instructors can guide you through the class to help you gain your certification(s) in no time. Ready to register today?

Sign Up for CPR and First Aid Courses

HeartCert is your trusted training partner for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EMR, First Aid, CNA, IV, EKG and more, throughout the United States.

Courses include CPR/AED/First Aid, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Certified Nursing Assistant training, IV training, EKG training, babysitter basics and more. Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available. We offer virtual courses and certifications, in all 50 states as well as in-person classes at our headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan and major cities in Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

As with any class or course, you might anticipate that CPR certification takes a long time. After all, wouldn’t something so crucial to someone’s safety take days to master? With years of experience offering certifications in various locations, we know exactly what it takes at HeartCert, and we promise, it’s a lot more doable than you think. How long does it really take to get CPR certified? We’ll cover that and more in this blog.

What Is CPR?

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the life-saving response someone can perform to keep blood pumping and keep someone alive until more advanced measures take place. Oftentimes, CPR is used as an emergency response to:

• Cardiac arrest
• Choking
• Electrocution
• Drug overdoses
• Suffocation
• Drowning

The goal of CPR is to keep a person’s blood flowing and respond in an emergency to improve someone’s odds of surviving. Oftentimes, the practice occurs until a regular heartbeat returns or until help arrives. In the scope of training, it’s often accompanied by learning other life-saving techniques and first-aid responses, depending on which course you take.

Related Blog: What is CPR and Why is it Important?

CPR Certification Types

To understand just how long CPR takes to get certified, it’s important to know what goes into each course and certification. Here are the main CPR certifications and what the classes offer:

Basic CPR and First Aid Training

Basic CPR and first aid training covers the basics in an emergency situation. It entails how to apply chest compressions, enact rescue breathing, and respond to choking. On top of that, it also covers the basics in emergency responses and wound care.

CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Training

CPR and AED courses include the basics of utilizing both cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to use an automated external defibrillator. While this might seem more intensive than other courses, it only takes around four hours to learn the essentials.

BLS (Basic Life Support) Training

Basic life support (BLS) courses are a bit more intensive than the CPR essentials, but they still only take 4-6 hours, with renewal courses taking half the time. This advanced training is geared towards health professionals who need to get certified in their field.

Related Read: The Difference Between a BLS and a Heartsaver Course

ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) Training

Advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) is the most comprehensive course that medical professionals can take to learn the proper response in an emergency. Not only does it include the fundamentals of CPR, but it also touches on advanced life support techniques, such as how to manage cardiopulmonary arrest and cardiovascular events. It teaches early recognition and management in emergencies, including:

• Responding to respiratory and cardiac arrest, peri-arrest conditions, ACS, and strokes
• Related pharmacology
• Opening airways
• How to lead and support a resuscitation team

How Long Do CPR Classes Take?

Now, the question you’ve been waiting for: How long do CPR classes take? The average CPR class takes just four hours to learn the basics. However, if you’re learning more advanced courses, such as advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), that could take a day or two and lasts three times as long as the base course, as it involves more intensive training. For most people and medical professionals, however, CPR is relatively quick and easy. Around four hours of learning is all it takes to get certified to save a life.

Types of Training and CPR Courses

Now that you have a better understanding of how long CPR courses are expected to take, you might be wondering what types of courses are available. Many establishments offer a variety of in-person and online courses and applications to help you get your CPR certification. Here are a few types of training and CPR courses that we offer at HeartCert:

• Individual training
• Organizational training
• Nursing and CNA training
• Private kiosk training
• Virtual training
• Online training

Where to Get CPR Certified

Now that you know how long it takes to get certified in CPR, you might be interested in pursuing a course so you can learn the proper techniques to save a life. Here at HeartCert, we offer a surplus of courses, both online and in-person, to match your individual or organizational needs. Reach out today if you’re ready to get started.

Request Class Information

HeartCert is your trusted training partner for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EMR, First Aid, CNA, IV, EKG and more, throughout the United States.

Courses include CPR/AED/First Aid, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Certified Nursing Assistant training, IV training, EKG training, babysitter basics and more. Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available. We offer virtual courses and certifications, in all 50 states as well as in-person classes at our headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan and major cities in Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.