Students are being encouraged to take advantage of a free 15-minute training course offered by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which provides guidance on CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
Using RevivR, the BHF’s interactive course, you can learn very quickly how to save a life and, once you’ve completed it, you’ll receive your own CPR certificate. All you need to take the course is your mobile phone or tablet and a cushion to practise on. You can start the training now, or save it for later and get it sent straight to your inbox, so it’s ready when you are.
Recognising a cardiac arrest
CPR is an emergency life-saving procedure, performed when the heart stops beating. Each year over 30,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK, with less than one in 10 surviving. Giving CPR and using a defibrillator can more than double someone’s chance of survival.
As part of the training, you’ll learn how to recognise a cardiac arrest and what to do in an emergency situation. You’ll also learn when to call 999 and what to expect with a simulated practice call. RevivR will give you feedback on your CPR technique and help you perfect it while you practise. You’ll also learn how to use a defibrillator and be shown how to find your nearest one.
Maxine Martin, from the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, recently completed the BHF course. Maxine said: “When I had a tour of my building I was shown a defibrillator but had never had training. Although the defibrillator does tell you what to do when you use it, I think it could still be quite daunting using it with no prior knowledge.
“The BHF training was excellent and I would thoroughly recommend it to everyone. The training only takes 15 minutes to do – and one day your knowledge could save someone’s life.”
You can access the BHF’s online course here.