One Red Cross volunteer calls learning first aid 'empowering'

The Canadian Red Cross, as one of the nation's largest non-profit organizations, offers humanitarian relief to numerous individuals in need, but also encourages self-empowerment and safety through many programs. One of the most popular and successful is first aid and CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.

Enroll today
Ever wanted to become CPR-certified and learn some first aid basics? The Canadian Red Cross offers a comprehensive two-day course - roughly 14 to 16 hours of class time - that teaches individuals about proper CPR technique and first aid skills. It's ideal for those who require training for work or just want to be prepared for emergencies at home or in the community.

The courses are taught by Red Cross First Aid Instructors or Instructor Trainers, and completion requires full attendance, demonstration of skills and a passing grade on a written exam. The certification for Standard First Aid and various CPR levels lasts three years, and recertification only takes six to eight hours of class time.

The course content includes topics such as "Check, Call, Care," learning to identify and alleviate airway emergencies, breathing and circulation emergencies and first aid for respiratory or cardiac arrest, as well as some wound care and treatment for head and spine injuries, among numerous others.

Each participant will get to take home a certification card. Plus, he or she will be given an official Red Cross First Aid & CPR Manual. 

Sandra's story
Sandra Brunner is a member of the Canadian Red Cross Social Team and works as a Red Cross digital volunteer. She recently posted her own personal story of CPR certification on the Red Cross Talks blog.

Sandra wanted to update her CPR and automated external defibrillator training to include infants, as she was preparing to teach a mom and baby pilates class, so she figured she should get her Standard First Aid training from the Red Cross as well and signed up for the two-day course.

As Sandra put it, she was a little nervous signing up. While it's great to learn skills that might save someone's life, that's also a lot of responsibility to take on. Luckily, the instructor - Brian - was really great and paced the material perfectly, keeping the class engaged the whole time. According to Sandra, there was plenty of CPR practice, as well as role-playing emergency scenarios and learning bandaging techniques. As she put it, the more practice the class got in, the more second-nature the skills became.

Sandra wrote that Brian told the class at the end of their time together that while the skills they'd learned were important, he hoped they'd never have to use them. And Sandra agreed.

"I hope I never have to use them," she wrote. "At the same time, learning CPR/AED and first aid is very empowering. I feel good knowing that in an emergency situation, I can provide help. I'm grateful to the Red Cross for the first aid training."

Want to learn CPR and first aid? Enroll in a course today. You can also donate to the Canadian Red Cross and help keep programs like these available.