If you want to be trained as a CPR rescuer, then a class with Portland CPR is what you’re looking for. Portland CPR in Oregon is a CPR training provider that has classes for Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support CPR. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a group of skills used to keep the heart pumping blood to the rest of the body when it goes into cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest happens when a person’s heart cannot pump blood effectively, causing blood and oxygen deprivation in the major organs of the body.
Portland CPR training programs range from 4 hours to 16 hours long. They are available all through the week, with several with accompanying re-certification classes. Enrolment is very easy; trainees can send their application over e-mail, telephone, or in-person. The easiest way to sign up is on the Portland CPR website, with the online application form.
Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS)
Portland CPR programs are categorized under BLS or ALS training. BLS programs teach students the basic in giving CPR – how to recognize that cardiac arrest and how to manage it until emergency medical help arrives. There are three BLS programs available, one for the general public and two for healthcare providers (HCPs). The program curricula are focused on developing and building skills in chest compressions, rescue breaths, and defibrillation.
- Basic CPR training – Basic CPR is four hours long for the general public. The HCP version of the program (Basic CPR C) is longer – 4.5 hours. The program teaches trainees how to give 1-person CPR, basic first aid, and how to use an automated external defibrillator.
- Basic Life Support – BLS training is for HCPs and run for 4.5 hours. It teaches trainees 1 and 2-person CPR, basic first aid, AED use, and about the BLS guidelines from the AHA.
Advanced Life Support programs go much further than that, teaching trainees about the medical management of cardiac arrest. There are two programs under ALS training, ACLS (for adult victims) and PALS (for pediatric victims). The structure of the program curricula is the same. They cover the basics in BLS, but focus on how to give CPR in a clinical setting with equipment and medication. ALS programs also include ECG training, with trainees learning how to use an ECG and interpret ECG tracing.
The prerequisites for ALS training is a BLS training certificate and a passing score on the pre-tests, a skills and written exam. Only HCPs can take ALS training.
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) – The ACLS program is is completed in 2 years, with 16 hours total. The program teaches trainees how to manage adult victims, use adult-sized equipment, and about indications for medication used during and after cardiac arrest.
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) – The PALS program is also completed in 2 days, but runs shorter – 14 hours total. The basic curriculum structure is the same as ACLS, but for pediatric victims. Pediatric victims are younger than 18 years old; CPR for infants and younger children are very different from CPR for adults.