Do you want to be a Florida certified personal trainer? Get your CPR AED Certification first.

Aug. 25, 2009 - PRLog -- Florida - A lot of people are looking at new careers or second jobs as personal trainers and what better way to do it than to get the best training and certifications available.  If you are planning to get certified by any of the 7 major programs they require current CPR certification.  A lot of people dread this.  They often recall a boring press press blow CPR class with “Annie” in high school.  One way people try to get out of taking a real CPR class is with the online CPR classes.  In my opinion online classes don’t work.  There is a lot more to CPR than press press blow.  In fact, sometimes it’s just press press press with no blow (rescue breathing).  It all depends on the situation.

The 7 NCCA Accredited Personal Trainer Certification Programs:
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
American Council on Exercise (ACE)
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF)
National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association (NESTA)
National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT)
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

If you are reading this then you are either already a fitness professional or thinking about becoming one.  This means your job is (or will be) to help people get into shape.  Some of your clients may be elderly, overweight, or in poor health and all will be challenging their hearts, lungs and bodies.  What if one of your clients collapsed during a training session?  What would you do?  Same question, what if she was pregnant or had a pacemaker?  Would you treat them different?

Taking a live CPR AED and First Aid class with a knowledgeable instructor that has real, hands on experience with medical emergencies is a very good idea.  Just like hiring a personal trainer, you want the best and you should interview your CPR instructor first.  Here are a few questions to ask:
1. Has the instructor ever performed CPR on a real person?
2. Has the instructor ever used an AED – Automated External Defibrillator on a real person?
3. Does the instructor have an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) background?
4. How many different types of AEDs will you be demonstrating during class?
5. Are the classes interactive, easy to follow, hands on and taught in an easy to understand and memorable way?
6. Do you show lots of videos?  If they say yes, this is a bad sign.  Good instructors interact with their students and do not rely heavily on video or PowerPoint.

As you may have noticed, I included first aid in with CPR.  Typically you are not required to take First Aid for your certification however I believe you should have this knowledge.  You will learn about the warning signs and treatment for heat exhaustion, cuts, burns, stroke, heart attack and choking as well as treating muscle sprains, strains and fractures.  These are just a few of the first aid emergencies discussed in a typical First Aid class that you may encounter as fitness professional.

1. What is an AED and how does it work?

An Automated External Defibrillator or AED is a portable, battery operated electronic device about the size of a laptop computer. The AED automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a victim and is able to treat the patient by an electrical shock which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. AEDs are designed to be simple so that anyone can use one. So simple that I often start my classes by selecting someone from the class that has never seen an AED and I ask them to demonstrate how to use an AED by following the AEDs voice instructions.

2. Should my health club have an AED?

Yes.  Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are becoming more popular and can be found in many public places.  FAA regulations require commercial aircraft that fly passengers to have AEDs on board.  You will also find AEDs in many gyms and health clubs, hotels, schools, casinos, cruise ships, sports stadiums, malls, condo and homeowners associations, movie theaters and a variety of other locations.  If your health club does not have an AED they should consider getting one.  It will soon be considered the standard of care.

3. What are the benefits of owning an AED?

Without the AED the chances of surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) outside of a hospital setting are very small – less than 5%. However, if the AED is applied to the victim quickly their odds increase to about 70% - 90%.

Based in Palm Beach County Florida, The CPR School travels to your Florida business to perform onsite group CPR AED and First Aid training for you and your staff.  We work with many health clubs, gyms, boxing clubs, MMA clubs (including American Top Team in St. Lucie County Florida) and aerobics studios.  We also train numerous Fortune 500 clients including hotels, construction companies and manufacturing firms.

In addition to training we also sell Automated External Defibrillators – AEDs.  Interested in purchasing an AED or need parts for your AED please call us at 561-762-0500.

To learn more about scheduling a CPR AED First Aid Safety Training Class at your Florida business please visit http://www.TheCPRSchool.com or call The CPR School at 561-762-0500.

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The CPR School provides American Heart Association, ASHI and ECSI CPR, First Aid and Automated External Defibrillator - AED Training Certification Classes anywhere in Florida. We also sell, maintain and upgrade Automated External Defibrillators - AEDs.
AED Sales, Service and Program Management.

Based in Palm Beach County Florida we travel anywhere in the state of Florida for CPR AED First Aid Safety Training. Call us for your safety training and AED needs.