In a matter of seconds, your friend grasps above their heart, then falls to ground struggling for air. Then suddenly they are silent. If this were a movie and CPR was performed, it would only take mere minutes to save a person. However, according to the BBC, the truth isn’t always so optimistic. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, as many know it, has long been used in films as an agonizing yet often restorative mechanism. In reality, the chances of survival are much slimmer depending on response time, age of victim and causes.
That is not to say one should not try to revive an individual in order to buy time before EMTs arrive. According to the BBC, “The idea of CPR is not to start the heart beating again, but to get oxygen into a person’s lungs to prevent brain damage. To restart the heart would usually require an electric shock.”
At Keene State College, while it is not required of professors to have CPR training, some students find that they should.
KSC sophomore and nursing major Jordan Medeiros said she thinks that professors and faculty should be certified.
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“Because they are the ones that have the responsibility in the classroom. Even on campus, people recognized them as someone they should feel safe with, so if there [was] ever a problem, teachers should be the first one to respond,” Medeiros said.
Medeiros said she was first certified in high school. “It’s pretty essential for all nurses to have CPR certification, and the class itself teaches you more than [CPR]; you learn about other things that don’t necessarily have to do with CPR,” Medeiros said.
KSC first-year Brendan Felix said that, just to be safe, everyone should be CPR trained. He also said it can help calm people down if there is someone available to reassure worried bystanders by performing CPR.
“I’ve experienced [it] myself where someone actually had a heart attack [and] we did CPR [but] sadly they didn’t make it. But the fact that there was someone on the beach there, it was a lot better than if someone hadn’t known [CPR],” Felix said.
KSC alumnus Dan Derohan said that professors are covered under the Good Samaritan law, however there could be issues regardless whether the school required them all to be CPR certified.
“A professor putting hands on a student could open a can of worms I would assume the school doesn’t want. I personally believe it’s a good idea but with the amount of people in this world that are sue happy, it would never happen,” Derohan said.
Biology Professor Dr. Kenneth Bergman said, “I don’t know what the risk of legal vulnerability is, something might go slightly wrong and you could be sued.”
He said he himself is not certified, but has always thought it would be beneficial to have the training.
“I would guess that most professors are not because there’s been no systematic requirement for it,” Bergman said.
“I suspect that the main reason why (most professors aren’t certified), is just [that] people haven’t given the time [or] taken the time to do it, [they’ve] just been busy. I [myself] don’t have one night typically to give up.”
Derohan, who also worked as a Residential Assistant, said that being aware is key.
“It takes a special type of person to be able to actually perform those tasks. It’s not for everyone and when it comes time to do it let the one who is trained do it. Don’t offer help, don’t get in their way. They will do what they need to do and if they need help they will ask for it.” Derohan said.
“I think RAs that want to know CPR should have the opportunity to learn it free of charge although [in] under pressure situations, I’m not sure all of them could actually handle doing it. I’ve done CPR to keep someone alive, [and] before me…my partner did it for thirty minutes,” Derohan said.
He continued, “If they (RAs) were to be trained in CPR I would want other training along with it such as AED, first aid and epinephrine auto injection. That way they don’t see it as something to brag about but more of an ‘I’m now able to use this in a crisis situation’ type of attitude.”
According to the BBC, “It’s not dangerous to do it to someone who turns out to be conscious after all. If they open their eyes and start pushing you away then you can stop. The greater risk is that people mistake a person’s final gasps for breath as a sign of consciousness and then decide not to do CPR.”
KSC alumna and nurse Kristina McGuirk said she feels more equipped now that she’s been trained and certified for CPR. She said, “It’s easy to get swept up with adrenaline in a situation that requires CPR. [Remember] to stay calm and remember the basics of CPR until more help arrives.”
McGuirk said it’s a task that requires a lot of confidence.
“It’s important to remember that you could be saving someone’s life,” McGuirk said.
CPR classes held will be from January 19 to March 4 2016, on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Dorothy can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com