CPR Training

The presenter of the course, Riaan Nothnagel, who has given a number of courses over the years to the Gauteng teachers, has been in the Emergency Medical Services for 25 years and is accredited with the RCSA. He has been an advanced life support paramedic for the last ten years and is presently working for the Life healthcare group of hospitals as a Life Support Unit paramedic. He also teaches a variety of courses for different training  providers. These courses range from basic CPR to advanced cardiac life support for experienced providers.

In our course we learnt the techniques of CPR, which includes giving compressions and breaths, to adults, children and infants. We learnt the correct compression technique and rate, as well as the correct technique to ensure that oxygen actually goes into the patient’s lungs. We also learnt how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). In addition, we learnt how to deal with choking, where the technique for babies differs from that used for adults and children.

CPR is used when a patient collapses and is not breathing normally and the heart is not pumping blood. The purpose of CPR is to keep the blood circulating to the heart and brain, thus providing oxygen until the heart can be restarted and take over the task of circulating blood again. An AED is a simple device that can be used to “shock” a person’s heart back to normal and, as we learnt, the device is easy to use as it has both visual aids and voice prompts.

 The course consisted of a practical as well as a theoretical component. The training was hands-on and took us through all the steps that should be followed from the time of finding an unconscious person to the time that professional medical help arrives. 

This included assessing the safety of the area, assessing the responsiveness and breathing of the patient, calling for emergency services, applying CPR and using an AED. We practised this series of step separately for adults, children and infants, by using CPR manikins and barrier devices (pocket masks).

 We also practised how to help a person that was chocking, whether an adult, a child or a baby. To obtain a RCSA certificate of competence in CPR, chocking and the use of an AED, we had to demonstrate that we were able to perform all the above steps and skills satisfactorily and also had to pass a multiple choice test on the underlying theory.

 We had a very informative morning, worked hard, learnt a lot, enjoyed ourselves and came away with our certificates!