Raven EMS Education Program Manual
RAV-240 Basic Life Support (Red Cross BLS) Course

This course provides the basic knowledge and skills necessary to perform infant, child, and adult CPR and to manage foreign body airway obstruction (NC Community Colleges, 2024).

Course Description

American Red Cross BLS training classes can help you safely and effectively respond to medical emergencies in your community. By blending reading and lecture with hands-on experience, our Basic Life Support training allows you to learn new techniques and sharpen your skills so you can deliver care to those in need and help improve patient outcomes. Available for individuals and teams, our BLS courses are modular and flexible – and can help you meet your organization’s standards for care. The American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) course is designed to train healthcare professionals including nurses, physicians, EMS professionals, and other healthcare and public safety personnel to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, children and infants. Created with the latest information available, our BLS classes allow you to learn life-saving techniques and can help prepare you for a career in the medical field, as a police officer or firefighter or another career where caring for others is part of the job (ARC, 2024).

Prerequisites

None

Course Options

• In Person: Led by best-in-class instructors, our in-person courses combine lecture with hands-on skills sessions. Created for those who learn best in a traditional classroom setting, our in-person classes give you the time you need to learn the information presented, ask questions and become comfortable with the hands-on skills you’ll need to pass your BLS certification exams.
• Course length: Four (4) hours (ARC, 2019)
• Student to instructor ratio: Maximum of nine (9) students per instructor
• Passing score: Minimum of 84% is required on the final exam
• In Person Review (ARC, 2019): The purpose of the Basic Life Support Review course is to give individuals the opportunity to review the course content within a formal class setting. The format optimizes a participant’s ability to successfully complete the knowledge and skill evaluation. The responsibility for preparing for the testing scenario and final exam is shared by the instructor and the participants. To be eligible to participate in the review course, the participant must possess an American Red Cross Basic Life Support certificate (or equivalent). Those without a certificate may not participate in the review course option. They can only participate in a full course or a challenge.
• Course length: Two (2) hours
• In Person Challenge (ARC, 2019): The purpose of the Basic Life Support Challenge course is to give individuals the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skill competency outside a formal class setting. Preparing for the testing scenario and final exam is the responsibility of the participant.
• Course length: No minimum length
• Blended Learning: Using a combination of self-paced, interactive online BLS classes and in-person skill sessions, our blended learning program gives you the ability to train on your schedule, improve your clinical decision-making skills, learn the latest science-based protocols, then demonstrate your skills to a certified instructor.
• Online course length: One (1) to three (3) hours (ARC, 2021)
• In-person course length: Two (2) hours
• Student to instructor ratio: Maximum of nine (9) students per instructor

Course Topics

• Rapid Assessment and Visual Survey
• CPR/AED for Adults, Children and Infants
• Obstructed Airways
• Opioid Overdoses
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication and Teamwork
• The Emergency Medical Services System
• Legal Considerations
• Precautions

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