First Aid & CPR Basic Life Support (BLS) refers to a level of medical care that is used by nurses to handle patients who face life threatening injuries and illnesses. The nursing profession was created for the specific responsibility of caring for the medical needs of patients. When patient’s face life-threatening medical conditions, they depend on immediate help from trained nursing professionals. Nurses must be able to identify the signs of various life-threatening conditions that require immediate attention. In order to save the lives of their patients, nurses must pass the First Aid & CPR nursing course in nursing school.

What is First Aid & CPR Basic Life Support (BLS)?

First Aid & CPR Basic Life Support (BLS) should only be administered by medical professionals who receive the training.  This type of care is used until the patient can get to a medical facility to receive full care from medical professionals. In many cases, First Aid & CPR Basic Life Support can be administered to patients without any type of medical equipment.

Administering CPR to patients before they receive medical care increases the chances that a highly qualified medical responder will arrive and provide the patient with Advanced Life Support (ALS). During the CPR portion of the courses, nursing students learn how to provide CPR for adults, children, and infants. Nursing students also learn the proper use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to save lives. They also learn about barrier devices, bag-mask techniques, and mouth-to-mouth.

The First Aid portion of the course teachers nursing students how to respond to children, adults, and infants who develop illnesses that may include asthma, seizures, and diabetes. They also learn to provide treatment of fractures, shock, burns, bandage applications, and bleeding.

When time is of the essence, it is important for nursing professionals to handle various medical conditions as quickly as possible until the patients can begin to breathe on their own, or until additional medical equipment and supplies are readily available for use.

How Nurses use First Aid & CPR (BLS) on the Job

Nurses use First Aid & CPR (BLS) on the job to help save their patients’ lives. To determine the course of treatment for each patient, nurses use CABs to determine the treatment. CAB stands for Circulation, Airway, and Breathing. Note: In 2010, AHA (American Heart Association changed it guidelines and switched from ABCs to CABs.

Nurses must take care of their patients’ circulation needs to help them survive their life-threatening conditions. The care includes supplying the proper amount of blood to organs and tissues and removing metabolic waste from the body.

Nurses take care of the patient’s airways by maintaining clear airways so that carbon dioxide and oxygen can pass freely from the atmosphere to the lungs. They also must take measure to protect the patient’s airways as well.

Nurses also help their patients to breath when they cannot do so on their own. Nursing professionals must use methods to deflate and inflate the patient’s lungs until they can regain their ability to do so on your own.

Nurses may also have to use medical devices in the nostrils or mouth to unblock the airway of the patient. They may also have to stimulate the patient’s heart manually until the heart begins pumping again on its own.

Study Guide for BLS for Healthcare Providers CPR by AHA (American Heart Association)

Before a student or nurse can take a BLS CPR class they must have the BLS study manual. You can buy this student manual online or from your instructor. It is always important to study and read the material before attending the class so you will be prepared. Here is the most current BLS for Healthcare Providers CPR Student Manual with the new guidelines:

Tips on How to Study for First Aid & CPR (BLS) in Nursing School

With so much information to learn in nursing school, students must have a good system in place to study the vast amount of information they need to know. Here are a few helpful tips that can help nursing students retain the information that they need to know for the First Aid & CPR (BLS) examination.

• Create visual flashcards. Flashcards can help nursing students remember their content. Using visual aids along with written information can help reinforce the content.
• Use acronyms to remember information. Acronyms can help nursing students remember lengthy pieces of information that they need to know to save patients’ lives. Write the acronyms on flashcards so that they are easier to remember.
• Group information before studying. CPR & First Aid methods are very different for certain individuals. Infants, adults, and children are all groups that require very different methods to handle their life-threatening conditions.

Learning how to administer First Aid & CPR is vital to the daily survival of nursing professionals. Their timely assistance can mean the difference between a patient dying and living out the remainder of their lives. Nursing students use the information they learn in their First Aid & CPR (BLS) course to prepare for life-threatening situations in nursing.