Thinking of taking a CPR class

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
M

MCAT or bust

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
129
Reaction score
24
Members don't see this ad.
So, my friend is trying to get me to take a $40 CPR member training course thats only for a day

Now when I looked this up, people were saying its worthless and shouldn't be on a application since you have to do it 3rd year anyway

should i do it and put it on a app anyways?
 
MCAT or bust said:
So, my friend is trying to get me to take a $40 CPR member training course thats only for a day

Now when I looked this up, people were saying its worthless and shouldn't be on a application since you have to do it 3rd year anyway

should i do it and put it on a app anyways?
Click to expand...

Only if you want to, dont do it because you think itll help your app.
 
Get a job that requires it or do it because you're bored and like the idea. Otherwise, total waste of time.
 
I'm not sure there's any way to include this on an app...
But get it because it's good to know how to do CPR!
 
a) I agree that it won't help on your app, but unless you live in Seattle, the number of people who can give compressions is very low and many patients die waiting for first responders because their family members are too distraught to listen to the dispatcher's directions. If this upsets you like it upsets me, then get certified.

b) Don't pay $40! Look up your local Red Cross chapter or something. The card costs like $4.

c) It won't make a huge diff in the long run because you will be ACLS certified early on during your medical education.
 
i took BLS for healthcare providers cuz a school required it and it was $70 🙁
 
MCAT or bust said:
So, my friend is trying to get me to take a $40 CPR member training course thats only for a day

Now when I looked this up, people were saying its worthless and shouldn't be on a application since you have to do it 3rd year anyway

should i do it and put it on a app anyways?
Click to expand...

I took the class, and it later helped me save someones life. CHECK CALL CAB
 
Everyone who is physically able, should know how to perform CPR (and know how to use an AED). That's my opinion anyway. See if your school or employer will sponsor your certification class. And if not, it's only $40 and still worth it. Not for your application, but still.
 
Become a CPR instructor and then I'll be impressed.

/CPRinstructor
 
CPR is not going to help support your application in the least bit.
 
^ On the other hand, if you have the skill and can use it to save a life, you have the start of a good personal statement (and not the same old, "something terrible happened to someone and I stood by helpless because I was not a doctor").
 
LizzyM,

After reading all the personal statements you have, do you believe there is still original thought left amongst pre-meds? (I am actually wondering).

Signed,

Wondering in Winner
 
LizzyM said:
^ On the other hand, if you have the skill and can use it to save a life, you have the start of a good personal statement (and not the same old, "something terrible happened to someone and I stood by helpless because I was not a doctor").
Click to expand...

😡

I just finally made a PS I was happy with, but I think mine is different enough to not make you cringe that much. Thanks for ruining a good thing.
 
Definitely do CPR training. Like several of the other posters have said, it's a good life skill to have. You never know when you might need to use it. Who cares whether it's good for your app or not if you could end up saving a life.

I hope every one (who can) donates blood on a regular basis, too. Donating 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Can't put it on your app, but so what?
 
PsychYouOut said:
I hope every one (who can) donates blood on a regular basis, too. Donating 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Can't put it on your app, but so what?
Click to expand...

No... I'm sure people put that in their app. I would recommend against it.
 
PsychYouOut said:
I hope every one (who can) donates blood on a regular basis, too. Donating 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Can't put it on your app, but so what?
Click to expand...

I did see one person put it on the application but the applicant was donating 6 times a year for many years and promoting blood donation on campus and really made a big deal of it. One adcom member was not impressed but another was. One hour every 7 weeks is not enough to put on the application but if you organized blood drives and expanded it into a leadership thing it could be ok.
 
I haven't found a CPR class cheaper than $25. But its still useful to know. I personally would try to get this certification as part of job training, if you can...
 
The right Path said:
Everyone who is physically able, should know how to perform CPR (and know how to use an AED). That's my opinion anyway. See if your school or employer will sponsor your certification class. And if not, it's only $40 and still worth it. Not for your application, but still.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

A few years back someone had a heart attack at my gym. He collapsed right in front of the line of treadmills. Immediately someone starts asking if there's a doctor in the house and, you know, there isn't one because it's the middle of the day in the middle of the week and they're probably all too busy saving lives to hit the gym right at this moment. Fortunately the employees grabbed the AED and jumped in really quickly. I don't know if the guy made it or not, but they gave him every chance... he couldn't have even been down a minute before they started CPR. I went out and got BLS certified a few weeks later. Trust me, if you ever find yourself in that situation, you do not want to be standing around not knowing how to help. It sucks.
 
I'm a Red Cross CPR/Lifeguard/First Aid/AED/blah blah blah instructor and trust me CPR is a vital skill to know but to take it just to put it on your app? I don't think it's that great because it doesn't take much time investment, in fact it's a class that everyone from 16 year olds and babysitters to EMTs/Paramedics take. The class is 3 hours long, the test is 25 questions, and you renew it every 2 years. Really simple, and a great skill to know. With raised prices, processing fees, paperwork fees etc. $40 isn't too bad, and as an instructor I haven't seen it for cheaper in years. Go get it! It would be worth it if someone needs your help someday. 🙂 good luck!
 
Bacchus said:
Pump on chest to circulate O2 in blood already. Find AED. Call 911. Use respirations only if you have a pocket mask.

Send $40 to the Bacchus Mod Fund.
Click to expand...

Exactly! And if you have the mask, tilt the head back to open the airway before giving breaths. Don't hyperextend on an infant, and if you see CSF or blood in ears/nose or battle signs just pull the jaw forward to open the airway, don't tilt the head back unless you absolutely have to... oh and hold/support their head if you suspect head/neck/back injury. That's all you need to know really!
 
Having done CPR in an ED as a tech...I think one of the challenges of taking the class is that when you work on a manikin, your compressions will be too weak to be effective. Remember that you're doing CPR on essentially a "dead person," since he/she will have flat-lined before you begin compressions. Meaning that you can't hold back. Therefore, if you want to be useful, make sure your compressions are hard, and they count.

Regarding personal statements...honestly I feel that with all of the volunteering and whatnot people do, it fascinates me how little people reflect on such experiences, or use other experiences to tie back to what MDs do. just my two cents.
 
CPR anecdote:

My friend was at the gymn and one of the members had an arrest. While everyone around was freaking out (including the employees, unfortunately) my friend stepped up and provided CPR for that guy and had someone get the AED. Long story short, the guy survived and made it back home to his family.

I am really proud of my friend. You (all) need to get trained and be confident in stepping up to help. Time is too precious to go looking for someone who knows what to do or to wait for EMS to arrive.

When considering whether you should sign of for the class or not, whether it is worth it or not- it is. Period. Because you just never know.

*stepping off the soapbox now*
 
Just do it at a community college. Over here it's a 0.5 unit course, which costs around 15 bucks with all the fees added. The course is only 2 days. The downside is that you might have to send a transcript from this place, but many community colleges give one free transcript delivery.
 
do the CPR training then get instructor certified and teach for the red cross which you can then talk about on your app!
 
LizzyM said:
^ On the other hand, if you have the skill and can use it to save a life, you have the start of a good personal statement (and not the same old, "something terrible happened to someone and I stood by helpless because I was not a doctor").
Click to expand...

When I was an EMT, we got called for a man who collapsed in the gym. There WAS a doctor there and the patient still didn't make it. Moral of the story, OP, you with CPR training have just as much of a chance saving someone's life when their heart stops as a physician with CPR training. 🙂 Get certified!
 
TheMightySmiter said:
When I was an EMT, we got called for a man who collapsed in the gym. There WAS a doctor there and the patient still didn't make it. Moral of the story, OP, you with CPR training have just as much of a chance saving someone's life when their heart stops as a physician with CPR training. 🙂 Get certified!
Click to expand...

perfect logic
 
TheMightySmiter said:
When I was an EMT, we got called for a man who collapsed in the gym. There WAS a doctor there and the patient still didn't make it. Moral of the story, OP, you with CPR training have just as much of a chance saving someone's life when their heart stops as a physician with CPR training. 🙂 Get certified!
Click to expand...

Absolutely right! Not everyone survives a witnessed arrest but no one survives a witnessed arrest if everyone stands around hoping someone else will do something.

And becoming a physician does not give you magical powers over death such that your loved ones will not die. (I get so many essays that state that a family member, usually a grandparent, had died and the applicant's motivation for medicine as a career will be to save other families from the pain of losing a loved one.)
 
The right Path said:
CPR anecdote:

My friend was at the gymn and one of the members had an arrest. While everyone around was freaking out (including the employees, unfortunately) my friend stepped up and provided CPR for that guy and had someone get the AED. Long story short, the guy survived and made it back home to his family.

I am really proud of my friend. You (all) need to get trained and be confident in stepping up to help. Time is too precious to go looking for someone who knows what to do or to wait for EMS to arrive.

When considering whether you should sign of for the class or not, whether it is worth it or not- it is. Period. Because you just never know.

*stepping off the soapbox now*
Click to expand...
It's good your friend knew what to do, but I'm sure the deciding factor was the AED and not the immediate CPR. Thank god they are almost fool proof to use.
 
Alejandro said:
Paraphrased: Can't use AED for everything. Plenty of situations we do chest compressions with no AED... tamponade...
Click to expand...
Based on the clinical scenario you described, AED is the best choice. Obviously it isn't the treatment of choice in every cardiac situation. If I was tamponading I'd rather receive pericardiocentesis than have someone start thumping my chest...
 
Last edited:
Bacchus said:
Pump on chest to circulate O2 in blood already. Find AED. Call 911. Use respirations only if you have a pocket mask.

Send $40 to the Bacchus Mod Fund.
Click to expand...

I'd like to add that you should do chest compressions to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees (100/min). It really helps.
 
LizzyM said:
Absolutely right! Not everyone survives a witnessed arrest but no one survives a witnessed arrest if everyone stands around hoping someone else will do something.

And becoming a physician does not give you magical powers over death such that your loved ones will not die. (I get so many essays that state that a family member, usually a grandparent, had died and the applicant's motivation for medicine as a career will be to save other families from the pain of losing a loved one.)
Click to expand...

So, how come you get so many crappy PSs? I thought there's a stats cutoff before you go reading them.
 
LizzyM said:
Great stats are no guarantee that a person can write a decent PS, or get someone to write one for them.
Click to expand...

Is it possible to tell if a professional paid was to write a personal statement for the applicant?
 
LizzyM said:
If the supplemental is much more poorly written than the PS, it raises questions.
Click to expand...

That's pretty sad. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I faked my way into my career.

It could be though that the applicant was burnt out from writing so many secondaries...
 
Bacchus said:
It's good your friend knew what to do, but I'm sure the deciding factor was the AED and not the immediate CPR. Thank god they are almost fool proof to use.
Click to expand...

Actually, it took several defib attempts before ROSC with SR/ST occurred. Without CPR to circulate oxygenated blood in the meantime, it would have been less likely to have successful defib not to mention anoxic neurologic sequelae.

So, yeah, the sooner the AED is used, the better- however, the first priority is maintaining compressions, doing cutdown of clothes and applying pads while CPR is in progress. You only stop to analyze and shock (if indicated) and then immediately resume compressions.

Lol, tamponade. In the field, you're not going to know whether someone has tamponade or not. An AED is only going to suggest a shock for Vfib/Vtach. Any other PEA regardless of cause can only be addressed with compressions, meds, etc. until the cause is identified/treated.
 
The right Path said:
Actually, it took several defib attempts before ROSC with SR/ST occurred. Without CPR to circulate oxygenated blood in the meantime, it would have been less likely to have successful defib not to mention anoxic neurologic sequelae.

So, yeah, the sooner the AED is used, the better- however, the first priority is maintaining compressions, doing cutdown of clothes and applying pads while CPR is in progress. You only stop to analyze and shock (if indicated) and then immediately resume compressions.

Lol, tamponade. In the field, you're not going to know whether someone has tamponade or not. An AED is only going to suggest a shock for Vfib/Vtach. Any other PEA regardless of cause can only be addressed with compressions, meds, etc. until the cause is identified/treated.
Click to expand...
Look... the point is, if this person who collapsed had what sounds like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (at least that's what I'm getting from buzzwords) ultimately the AED brought back cardiac function, not the compressions. Did they keep him from becoming anoxic? Obviously. Would I ever stop compressions unless shocking? Not unless TOD was being called. We know CPR isn't extremely effective, even in the hands of trained professionals. There's a reason there is a push to have AEDs in all public places.
 
Bacchus said:
Look... the point is, if this person who collapsed had what sounds like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (at least that's what I'm getting from buzzwords) ultimately the AED brought back cardiac function, not the compressions. Did they keep him from becoming anoxic? Obviously. Would I ever stop compressions unless shocking? Not unless TOD was being called. We know CPR isn't extremely effective, even in the hands of trained professionals. There's a reason there is a push to have AEDs in all public places.
Click to expand...

I don't think we have a disagreement here. Who knows what this dude had? It's beside the point anyway. Most adult arrests (outside the hospital) are Vfib/Vtach, and that is exactly what an AED is good for. So yes, having one in all public places is ideal. And of course it is a rarity to get ROSC by CPR alone. However, getting it started immediately and keeping it as continuous as possible gives a person the best chance to be resuscitated and survive til discharge from the hospital neurologically intact.

In a hypothetical situation, if you're by yourself (assuming you've already called 911 on your cell): If you had to delay or pause CPR to spend 5 min. looking for/retrieving an AED, it is better to just keep doing CPR until EMS arrives. During those 5 minutes without circulation, the Vfib/Vtach could have deteriorated to asystole and then that AED is useless and all organs have been anoxic for 5 min. In an ideal situation, there is someone else available to run for the AED while you do CPR.
 
Last edited:
Like other posters, there are several, which is a good life skills. You never know when you might need to use it. Who cares if it is your application or not the end, if you can save a life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Not taking planned calculus class anymore
Replies
2
Views
300
holajola
H
Anthodite
Is auditing a class a red flag?
Replies
7
Views
551
LunaOri
LunaOri
A
Marking an audited class as a repeat?
Replies
1
Views
254
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
R
Applying to med school while taking Education classes
Replies
7
Views
810
Goro
Goro
M
No Credit for a A/B/C/NC class
Replies
15
Views
641
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top