There are more ways than one to do your part in the ongoing battle against cardiac arrest deaths. To start, you can get your online or in-person CPR certification. These classes are affordable, readily available, and accommodating of all schedules. Additionally, you can choose to share your skills with others by becoming a CPR instructor. But how do you become a CPR instructor? And what requirements and skills do you need? This blog discusses both the how and the why behind becoming a CPR instructor.
Becoming a successful CPR instructor is about more than a side income and walking students through the basic CPR online course. You have to be passionate about your purpose: helping others and providing information to potentially save lives. The American CPR Care Association is here for all your CPR certification needs. We pride ourselves on offering affordable, attainable CPR certifications. Continue reading to learn more about the CPR instructor certification and how you can do your part to save lives affected by cardiac arrest.
What Is CPR?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a potentially life-saving procedure that uses chest compressions and rescue breaths. This procedure keeps blood and oxygen circulating throughout cardiac arrest emergencies and can potentially revive victims. It doubles or even triples the chances of survival in cardiac arrest victims.
Why Become a CPR Instructor?
There are more than a few reasons to become CPR certified. The first reason is that organizations might require some of their employees to become CPR certified to teach other employees, eliminating the need to pay outside organizations. Having a CPR instructor in-house means that the accredited employee can train the other employees. This automatically makes you a more valuable employee.
The other reason someone might want to earn their CPR instructor certification is to earn a side income. The flexibility that a CPR instructor certification provides is a highly sought-after commodity. For one 4-hour class, you can make $300. Additionally, CPR instructors can feel the sense of accomplishment and purpose that teaching CPR provides. We are in dire need of both CPR instructors and certified bystanders. Becoming an instructor gives you the chance to respond to that communal need.
Should I Become a CPR Instructor?
CPR instructors lead classes and teach the proper techniques and guidelines to revive people suffering breathing or heart emergencies. They must coordinate class times, locations, transport their equipment, and evaluate student performance.
What Is Work Like for CPR Independent CPR Instructors?
CPR instructors can rent or own their building for classes. Others might also work in their clients’ facilities, community centers, or in rented spaces. CPR students will likely favor night or evening classes due to schedule conflicts, so instructors must accommodate those hours. Hours also vary depending on how many classes instructors choose to teach.
The nature of CPR instructors’ jobs requires some physical strength and administrative prowess. They must transport their equipment to and from their office or certification facility.
CPR Instructor Requirements
According to the American Red Cross, the following are the requirements for CPR certification:
- A high school diploma or equivalent.
- For the American Red Cross, instructors must be BLS certified. Other organizations might not require BLS certifications.
- Organizations typically require 2-3 years of teaching experience to be considered as an instructor.
- CPR instructors’ median salary is $54,220.
- CPR instructors must have a valid driving license.
How to Become a CPR Instructor
Meet the Instructor Requirements
Some CPR programs require CPR instructors to have at least a high school diploma. They might also need their participants to be at least 16 years old. Before enrolling in a program, you should research their specific requirements to ensure that you qualify.
Earn Your CPR Certification
Independent CPR instructors can receive their approval from American CPR Care Association. We offer both online and blended CPR certification classes that make certification simple, fast, and easy. If your schedule keeps your busy, you can become a CPR instructor online.
Provider Card
Before becoming a CPR instructor, bystanders must earn their provider card in the discipline they teach. For example, if you want to become a BLS instructor, you must get certified as a BLS Provider.
Complete the Instructor Course
Take the instructor course to learn about the different teaching styles that help others understand CPR. When earning your CPR instructor certification, the primary objective is to teach others your CPR skills.
Monitored Classes
After completing training, you have to complete your first classes under the supervision of other faculty members. You must complete these first courses within six months of earning your certification. Instructors monitor your training criteria, examining elements such as adequate content delivery and the correct usage of media for instruction.
Teach Full Classes
After other faculty members have monitored your first classes, you will be ready to teach others CPR skills. You can also start working for an organization or choose to train independently.
Obtain a Business License
If you plan to run your own certification business, you must obtain a business license. Earning a business license allows you to train others in your immediate location.
Renew Your Certification
Your CPR certification lasts two years, so you need to renew your CPR certification every other year. You can do so either online or in person. CPR Care offers affordable CPR recertification courses that sharpen your skills and help you retain the skills required to teach other CPR skills.
What Makes a Quality CPR Instructor?
If you plan to become a CPR instructor, you will need to keep some attributes in mind:
Empathy- As with any other training position, CPR instructors should empathize with the students receiving their certification and the 475,000 lives lost every year to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). To be a CPR instructor, one has to care about the change they’re affecting.
Initiative- To teach students and keep them engaged in the course material, the CPR instructor needs to be involved themselves. To teach the same course repeatedly to reach people, instructors need to be self-motivated and exercise discipline regarding teaching the course material. If the instructor lethargically walks students through the course material, they will serve little purpose in emergencies.
Presentation- CPR instructors must deliver the course material in a manner that makes sense to the students. If they can’t explain the material in an approachable way, the students won’t retain the material and may be forced to retake the class.
Communication- Instructors must also communicate with the students about any questions they have regarding the course material. Emergencies aren’t straightforward. While basic CPR procedures might seem simple, you should encourage students to follow up with questions.
Marketing- When independent CPR instructors work for themselves, they must promote their business within the communities they serve.
Conclusion
Becoming a CPR instructor takes more than just a desire for some extra income. Effective CPR instructors have to be motivated by the desire to save lives. While making a side income is a nice perk, it can’t be the focal point of your certification.
CPR instructors need to be empathetic, passionate, and have sharp interpersonal skills to communicate with others clearly about their potential questions or confusion.
If you’ve been looking for a way to do your part for the cause of saving cardiac arrest victims’ lives, you should consider American CPR Care Association. Our online CPR certification courses, knowledgeable CPR instructors, and flexible course schedules make CPR certification steps fast and simple without getting in the way of life’s other responsibilities.
Contact us today to learn more about American CPR Care Association’s CPR certification and Recertification courses.
