BLS certification involves taking a course and an exam in order to learn all of the basics involved in providing basic care to patients prior to arriving to the emergency room. BLS stands for basic life support, and involves all of the actions that a person takes for a patient. This involves providing CPR and basic care of cuts and broken bones to prevent them from being worsened on the way to the hospital.

During BLS training, you take a course that covers subjects like CPR and how to act in emergency situations. In addition to the more “textbook” involved part of the course, there is also a skills section that requires you to practice and perform some of the life-saving skills that you have learned during the course. Once you think you are prepared to take the exam, it is time to take it. If you pass the exam (which includes a multiple choice section and a demonstrative portion), then you get your certification.

Now, taking the BLS course just once is not necessarily enough to make you remember everything you learned for forever. Some occupations that rely on BLS activities on a daily basis will often require you to re-take the course and get a BLS recertification. Some jobs even require taking the course every 2 years as a refresher!

Recertification of the BLS is essentially the same process as the original BLS. It provides you with all of the knowledge necessary to help a patient before he is admitted into the emergency room. However, because you will have already been certified, the course essentially gets cut in half because they expect you to already know and remember what you learned from the previous course. Though, you will still need to take the course, practice necessary skills, and also take a recertification exam.

The place where you took your first certification course will likely offer a recertification program as well, and the recertification course and exam are generally less expensive than the first one. This is because it is only a refresher course and you will not be learning as much new information. Though part of the reason for recertification is to be knowledgeable of new information and procedures, most of the basic information is relatively the same.

Basic life support (known more popularly as BLS) includes the activities that are performed on a patient prior to being taken to an emergency care facility. These activities include giving the patient CPR, and also taking basic care of minor cuts and broken bones. Prior to being able to perform these activities, you need to be BLS certified. Basic life support certification involves taking a training course and passing an exam.

Certification Levels

Unlike many other types of certifications, there is only level of certification available for BLS. There are two types of people who require certifications: those working in medicine; and those who require BSL training and certification for their jobs. The first group includes physicians, EMTs, first-responders, and other types of people in healthcare who deal with patients. The second group needs a certification for safety precautions; just in case something happens to people they are with. This includes people working with the elderly or with children, or lifeguards.

Process

The process involved in becoming BLS certified is a relatively easy one. First, you will need to sign up for a BLS course, which can be taken either in a classroom or online. Once the course is done, then you will have to prepare for the exam. Once you feel adequately prepared, then you will take the exam. If you pass the exam, then you receive your certification.

Requirements

There are no requirements that are needed to begin the course. Most people don’t just take the course for kicks a giggles, though. They take it because they are required to by their employer in order to perform their job duties.

Classes

The course study involves just one class, which lasts at least 4 hours. It can be either taken onlineor in a classroom setting. However, that is only one portion of the course. There are also skills that you need to learn that can only be taught in person. If you decide to take the course online, then they often have a list of facilities that you can go to in order to practice your skills.

Exam

The exam is comprised of a multiple choice section that tests your knowledge of the subjects you learned during the class, and a demonstrative portion that test you to make sure that you know the proper procedures. There are exam preparation materials and study guides that are available online, or through the place where you took your exam.

When you go to the doctor, you trust that she knows what she is doing. She puts that icy cold stethoscope on your skin that sends goosebumps up and down your body. She also sometimes pokes and prods you with strange instruments, and you’re hoping that she actual has a reason for causing all of that discomfort. In addition, you expect her to have a background of knowing basic life support in addition to all of the technical and complicated stuff that she knows. You trust that she will be able to resuscitate you back to stability if you suddenly collapsed on her table and couldn’t breathe.

What is BLS?

This is where basic life support (BLS) for health care providers comes in. It’s really not much different than BLS for other people; in fact, it’s just about the same thing. All BLS courses are geared towards teaching the students the basic skills needed to keep a person stable on the transport to the emergency room. BLS involves activities such as CPR and taking basic care of minor cuts and broken bones. Now, the point of BLS isn’t to provide total healthcare to the patient, it is just the activities that will keep the victim stable and to keep them alive for longer so that when they get to the ER, the emergency medical staff will have more of a chance to save this person’s life.

BLS Courses

BLS courses are available either online or in a classroom setting. There are different components to the course, such as the actual learning part, and then there is a skill performance part. The learning part teaches basic healthcare information and how to perform certain procedures, and the skill performance aspect allows you to practice what you have learned in the class. If you have chosen to take the course online, the skill practice aspect obviously cannot be taken online, so the course will often have a list of facilities where you can go in order to get the physical training.

Exam Preparation

Once the course is done (if you take it online you can take as long as you want within a certain time frame, and in a classroom it is at least 4 hours), then you must prepare for the exam. Your course will often offer study materials, and there are practice quizzes available online for your use as well. Once you feel like you are prepared for the exam, then it is time to take it.

The Exam

The exam is comprised of a cognitive section with multiple choice questions that tests you on what you have learned in the course. The second part of the test is the demonstrative portion, which will allow you to prove that you can perform the actions that you learned. If you have passed the exam, then you earn your BLS certification for health care providers!

What is BLS?

BLS is an acronym that stands for basic life support, which essentially all of the actions that a person takes prior to a patient getting to the emergency room. BLS does not necessarily save a patient, but it does keep the patient alive and stable long enough to reach the hospital so that the emergency healthcare staff will be able to perform more intense and involved activities to save the patient’s life. Like many other procedures, there are certain BLS guidelines that need to be followed when performing this on a victim.

Age Groups

BLS involves mostly CPR and getting the victim to breathe properly, and there are certain guidelines that need to be followed when dealing with CPR. Adults, children, and infants obviously do not have the same body dimensions, which leads to having different guidelines for dealing with each one of the groups.

Initial Breathing

Adults are considered people aged 14 and older, children are between the ages of 1 and 14, and infants are below 1 year of age. It is important to follow the ABCs of BLS, which are airway, breathing and circulation. If the airway is constricted in any way, then it is difficult for the victim to breathe properly. For all age groups, the chin should be tilted up to get as much air flowing as possible. In addition, two breaths for one second each should be given initially.

Advanced Breathing

For advanced breathing, this is where times differ between age groups. For adults and children, give one breath every 5 or 6 seconds, and for infants it is 1 breath for every 3 or 5 seconds. If there is an obstruction in the airway, it needs to be cleared out. Adults and children receive abdominal thrusts while infants receive chest thrusts and back slaps.

Circulation

The C part of the ABCs is circulation, which is also something that is different for each age group. For adults and children, check the circulation from the carotid; and for infants it is brachial. Compression methods also differ between the three:  for adults, use 2 hands (heel of one hand and the other hand on top) at 1.2 or 2 inches; for children, either 2 hands (heel of one hand and the other hand on top), or 1 hand (heel of hand) at either 1/3 or 1/2 the depth of the chest; and for infants, use 2 fingers at either 1/3 or 1/2 the depth of the chest.

These are basic guidelines that should be kept in mind when performing BLS activities on a victim. Most of BLS is performing CPR and keeping the victim breathing until he gets safely to the hospital. Once he arrives at the hospital, then it is up to the emergency medical staff to provide more medical attention to keep the patient alive.

Basic life support (more popularly known as BLS) includes all of the activities that are performed to a victim while and prior to being transported to the emergency room for further and more intensive care. CPR is one of the most important activities during the BLS process because it allows the victim to breathe and keeps him stable. In addition, BLS activities include providing basic care to cuts and broken bones.

Classes

Before being able to practice BLS activities, you will need to have the proper training. This involves taking a course that has a lot of subject matter to learn. This course has subjects such as: CPR for adults and children, practicing scenarios with another person, resuscitation scenarios, stroke, cardiac arrest, and many other scenarios. There are courses available in just about every city, so be sure to check your local listings to see where this course is offered. Class length varies by place, but it tends to run around 4.5 hours, and can either be taken online or in a classroom setting.

Test Prep

Taking the BLS course is only the first step. The second step in basic life support training is practicing your skills. During the course you learn all about BLS, but this is the part when you actually get to practice what you have learned. In addition, there are materials available either through the class that you took, or online to help you prepare for the exam. The study materials are scenario questions and are usually a multiple choice set-up.

Exam

Once you have taken the course and think you are prepared enough, then it is time to take the exam. The exam is composed of a cognitive multiple choice portion as well as a demonstrative skills portion. Unlike the course, the exam cannot be taken online because you will need to prove that you can perform the activities.

How Long?

As mentioned above, the course itself takes about 4.5 hours, but it depends on where you decided to take the course. If it’s online, then it’s more on your pace and you can take as long as you want. Once you have finished the course and the skills portion, most programs give you around 60 days to take the exam.

If you’ve ever been involved or interested in the health industry, then you have probably heard dozens of acronyms, and it’s kind of hard to keep up with all of them. From CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), there are several of them in the medical world. BLS is another one of those acronyms, and it stands for Basic Life Support.

When is it Used?

BLS is performed on patients in emergency situations prior to reaching the hospital. It may not always save the patient, and is not necessarily designed to do so, but it often keeps the patient alive long enough to reach the ER. This procedure is often performed by EMTs in the emergency vehicle during the transporting process, or first-responders on the scene. Once in the ER, it is up to the emergency medical staff to give the patient more intense and involved medical attention to save his life.

What’s Involved?

During BLS, it is important to be mindful of the ABCs: airway, breathing, and circulation. This means making sure that the patient is able to breathe, so giving him oxygen is very important. Also, the blood needs to continue to circulate and pump to the heart to keep him alive. Often, CPR is done and repeated during the transporting process. In addition, BLS involves basic treatment for cuts, bruises, or any broken bones. This doesn’t mean setting the broken bone, but more so creating a makeshift splint so the damage does not further progress.

Certification Classes

BLS training is offered to just about everyone who needs to be certified in order to do their jobs. This includes those working with the elderly or with children, or people who are in the healthcare field. During training, these people learn the basic skills and what to do during an emergency situation. Students in the class learn CPR and how to perform the ABCs of BLS.