Medical Club Sponsors CPR Training

On Oct. 23 and 24, 12 students at Parkway North High School learned and became certified in CPR by attending a training session hosted by the medical club.

“CPR training is important because if you are in a situation where CPR [is needed], it is important [to] know how to handle the situation,” said sophomore Bhavana Yerragunta.

Last year, Medical Club began offering CPR training for a fee of $10 for the four hour long class.  They decided to offer the class again this year because of a renewed interest in the certification.

“[Medical Club] is trying to promote things that will help people to have a better life,” said Biology teacher and medical club sponsor, Francis Leverenz.

CPR helps people to live a better life by giving them the knowledge needed to save a life.  According to the American Heart Association, nearly 88% of all cardiac arrests, when the heart stops beating, happen in the home.  Having proper training can prevent unnecessary deaths.
“You never know when someone [will be] in need of [medical] assistance,” said robotics teacher Brad Ziegler.

During training, students watched several brief videos that demonstrated proper CPR techniques.  Then students were allowed to practice on dummies before taking a test to be certified.

 “[There is] so much to remember [in CPR training]. It can be hard to remember everything,” said Levrenz.

The CPR certification for students only lasts one year, which requires students to continue taking the course and renewing their skills annually.  In addition to this, the methods used for training are reviewed and slightly changed every five years.  Requiring individuals to take the course more than once helps them to keep their skills up to date.

“The bottom line is that [CPR] can save lives,” said Levrenz.  “The more [people] are trained, the more likely that the outcome will be positive.

by Gianna Sparks