Someone who needs CPR is a person who is not breathing. And if a person is not breathing, that means they are dead. And you cannot harm a dead person. You just can’t do it!
The way I look at it is there are two possible reasons if you fear Scary Fact #3:
- You had a lousy CPR trainer.
- You had a bad CPR trainer.
Either way you cut it, you had a lame CPR trainer. The whole point of the training is to learn the skills and come away from the time having the confidence to help in an emergency. It’s true that no one can fully predict how they will react in an emergency situation, especially when we are talking about loved ones and co-workers who are not breathing. Nevertheless a good CPR trainer will alleviate that concern by teaching you that there are no CPR police, you can’t make a mistake. And the only wrong thing you can do is to do nothing! Furthermore a good CPR trainer will ensure that you are satisfied as well as the trainer himself or herself is satisfied that you have mastered the skills and are confident to help in an emergency. That trainer cannot let you leave the training room and is doing everyone in this industry a disservice if he or she lets you walk out of the training with a certification card when you do not have the confidence to help in an emergency or have not understood or fully mastered the skills.
Finally and to reiterate, a good CPR trainer will point out the fact that if someone is not breathing and thus needs CPR, then that person is dead.
And you cannot hurt a dead person!
Until next time!
-Steve