None of us ever wish to find ourselves in an emergency situation where we must take urgent life-saving measures, but the unfortunate truth is that accidents can happen to anyone. No matter your age, race, gender, or health status, you or a loved one could be the victim of a serious car crash, a dangerous slip-and-fall incident, or even a heart attack due to an undiagnosed condition.

This is why everyone should know CPR, regardless of whether they are in the health profession or not. Many basic first aid measures are very straightforward and easy to learn, though they do require some practice and training in order to be most effective. However, many people believe that this is a “one and done” lesson that can then be performed correctly all throughout their life, which isn’t true. If it’s been several years since you learned CPR, you will need to recertify: here’s why, and how you can achieve this quickly and affordably.

You may have forgotten exactly how to perform CPR

While cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a basic first aid measure that anyone can learn, it can cause more damage than good if performed incorrectly. You need to know where and how to place your hands, how hard to apply pressure, and the rate in which you need to pump the chest, or it will not be effective. Because CPR requires quite firm pressure, if you do not place your hands properly or do not pump in the right rhythm, you will bruise or even break ribs without actually helping to circulate blood.

Many of us can become overconfident on how much we actually retain from any training we receive, but the fact of the matter is that we often remember less than what we think we did, especially if it’s been a while since we first received training on the topic. This is becoming far more prevalent given the advent of the internet, which often makes it difficult to accurately recall everything we’ve learned from a given subject.

CPR standards change with further research

Given that emergency medicine is such an important subset of healthcare, it stands to reason that researchers are always finding ways to improve the efficacy of CPR based on studies and a greater understanding of the human circulatory system. This means that cardiopulmonary resuscitation methodology has been changed since what you may have learned when you were younger – or even a few years ago.

Over the years, researchers have determined that chest compressions are the most effective component of CPR, and they now privilege these above rescue breaths. Now, many organizations encourage hands-only CPR, though some still encourage rescue breaths every 30 compressions.

As CPR classes cover a number of other common emergencies, you will also learn updated measures for how to care for someone who is experiencing other issues, such as seizures. Many decades ago, you were asked to place something in a person’s mouth to keep them from biting their tongue, but now you are told not to place anything in their mouth to prevent them from choking. Instead, you should clear the area around them, lay them on their side so that they do not choke, and time the seizure to inform the first aid responders when they arrive. Similarly, you will learn about other forms of seizures than the well-known grand mal seizure, including absence seizures and petit mal seizures.

Online CPR recertification is affordable and convenient

If you’re wondering how you can receive recertification in CPR that fits your busy schedule, it’s now possible to learn basic first aid entirely online and on-demand. Flexible online CPR certification allows you to learn at your own pace and on your own time rather than scheduling an in-person course. You can access the materials at any time with on-demand videos and training manuals, which allows you far more agency over the process.

These classes are incredibly effective and very affordable. Courses like those at protrainings.com/courses/cpr/recertification cost less than $65, with hours of training right at your fingertips. Taught by highly qualified instructors, you get world-class education at a fraction of the price.

There’s no time like the present to become CPR recertified so that you can jump in and save a life at any time. We never know when we might face an emergency, so don’t delay any longer: sign up for an online CPR recertification course so that you know you’ll be able to intervene no matter the situation.