30 before 30: #9

get CPR certified.

i was looking to cross something "easy" off my list when i realized that getting cpr certified really just requires enough free-time to take a class. i heard universities sometimes have discounted prices for students and faculty and, sure enough, the student price for my university's heart saver course was only $12! if you're looking to get certified, i definitely suggest looking in to whether or not your school or workplace offers a discount.

the confirmation email didn't really tell us to bring anything or what to expect, so for the 4-hour class, i just brought a notebook and pen, a water bottle, and dressed in clothes that i would be comfortable leaning over on the ground in: a high neck shirt, leggings, and flats. all of this ended up being perfect.

post-class in my comfy duds.

the course was really interesting. it didn't have a true first-aid component, but briefly went over what to do if someone in the workplace gets injured. then, we learned how to do chest compressions on adults, children, and infants who aren't breathing. we also had some practice with the aed, which i thought was really cool. the course also went over how to stop choking in victims of all sizes and ages. it took about 3 hours to go over all the information and to practice on the dummies.

the last section of the course was an exam. part of the exam was our ability to demonstrate our cpr skills and the other part was a multiple-choice test. there were only 15 or 20 questions, but i was still nervous! i usually over-think answers on exams, and this was no different. but luckily, in the end, we found out we all passed and would have our cards sent to our home address in the next few days. our parting gift was a cpr/aed manual and a key chain with a mask (which i'm modeling in the first pic) to use if we find ourselves having to give chest compressions and breaths to a stranger.

and just like that, i am cpr certified!

complete with an incorrect spelling of my last name...

my second thing on my 30 before 30 list is complete! only 28 more to go!

are you cpr certified?

-b