1. Set the room up for hands-on practice.
Before class, the tables were pushed to the side of the room. They were laid on the floor facing the screen. It was clear walking into the room that we would be expected to kneel on the floor to practice compressions on the manikins.
2. Small student to manikin ratio with ample equipment.
The instructors prepared enough equipment so we never had more than two people. Each student had their own pocket mask for the mask ventilation practice. Hands-on practice time was smooth with minimal downtime.
3. Instructors gave timely and concise feedback.
While we were following the timed practice with the video, the instructors were walking the room and providing timely and concise tips to improve compression rate, compression depth, or hand placement.
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4. Stayed true to the BLS and healthcare provider instruction materials.
Our instructors followed the AHA videos as they were designed to be played. I’ve heard too many instructors say, “You all probably know this, so we are going to skip ahead.” Although CPR is regularly re-trained and practiced, it is rarely used. A regular refresher of knowledge and skills is crucial to effective performance.
5. Enough with the ‘war stories’ and extraneous information.
Our instructors shared minimal “war stories.” In the context of CPR, especially with healthcare providers that have a low likelihood of actually providing CPR, I am not sure if stories about broken ribs, vomit, or dentures increase or decrease the provider’s likelihood to take quickly take action should they witness or respond to a sudden cardiac arrest. Too often field anecdotes only inflate the storyteller’s ego while adding little value to the course.
