To become CPR certified, juniors in Respiratory Science III are taking a month-long course that teaches them techniques and prepares them for future medical emergencies. CPR certification is required for any medical profession.

“If you come in the field with your certification, it shows that you care about what you are doing,” Respiratory Science teacher Vicki Smith said. 

The course is expected to take a month to complete. The students will be performing chest compressions on mannequins and learning how to use oxygen mask throughout the process.

“This month of CPR training has been great so far because I have learned a lot more than I expected,” junior Emily Giblin said. “At the end of this course, I will be a professional at CPR and all things related.”

Randomly paired, students are given scenarios that require critical and on-the-spot thinking. Students will be put in groups in order to give students the experience of how a medical facility works.

“I want to test my students’ knowledge.” Smith said, “I hope they realize that the information they are learning is truly life or death. Everybody should know CPR because it is a good skill to have and you can help save other people’s lives. I have had countless experiences where I have had to perform CPR on strangers in restaurants, side of the road, on the street, etc.”

If other students want to complete this course, they can participate in after-school sessions with professionals in CERT. The program is free for HOSA members and there is only a limited amount of spots.

“This ongoing unit is really preparing me for the future,” junior Angelica Pangan said. “You never know when you will need to perform CPR. If you know what you are doing, you can save a life, which is a wonderful thing to know.”

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