CPR Instructor Job Summary

A CPR instructor teaches cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

A CPR instructor teaches cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

While a CPR instructor isn't a superhero, her ability to perform and instruct CPR techniques makes her a real-life crusader. She teaches important safety and life-saving skills to others including health professionals, teachers, lifeguards, rescue workers, employers and employees, and parents so they can perform resuscitation in the emergency situations they may encounter.

Customizes Courses

A CPR instructor customizes her courses to fit her students' professional and personal health and safety goals and needs. For example, without effective course planning, she might waste an elementary school teacher's time by covering water rescue techniques, when only lifeguards and rescue personnel need that information. A CPR instructor also designs her classes to accommodate certain guidelines for specific groups. For example, if she is teaching employees at a certain company, the course must follow the policies and regulations established by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. CPR instructors obtain their certifications from such organizations as the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross, which also provide specific guidelines for courses. Most CPR instructors offer both entry-level and advanced courses to meet the personal and professional goals of their students.

Prepares Instructional Areas

When a CPR instructor teaches at an off-site location, she must prepare the room before class begins. Preparation might include unloading and setting up "Rescue Annie" dummies, organizing workbook materials or setting up a computer and projector screen for a slide demonstration or instructional video. "Rescue Annie" dolls are heavy and are designed to simulate the human body, so she might need a helper to assist with the set-up. She might also reorganize the tables and seating in the room to accommodate class size and training needs.

Instructs Students

CPR instructors must use their strong interpersonal and communication skills to create an effective classroom environment. Boring lectures, monotone speeches and robotic ramblings about safety will lose the audience. According to the website CPRInstructor.co, instructors must use their creativity, practical experience and communication strengths to teach life-saving techniques. Examples of specific coursework might include automated external defibrillator training, cardio pulmonary resuscitation for daycare workers, teachers and parents, first aid for emergency personnel and professional rescuers and bloodborne pathogens training, according to the EMS Safety Services website. Even though the educational content is specific and detail-oriented, a friendly and conversational presentation style can help a CPR instructor keep her students interested and motivated.

Performs Administrative Tasks

A CPR instructor performs administrative tasks before and after each class. She must register students, file paperwork, issue certificates and provide sufficient documentation for coursework completion. Certificates are often mailed to participants, so the instructor must ensure that she has sufficient mailing and contact information. If a student doesn't satisfy the minimum requirements to pass a course, the instructor might reschedule the student for another attempt.


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