6 Benefits of Basic Life Support Training

Basic life support training (BLS training) is often one of the first steps taken on a career path in health and medicine. But it’s also a worthy pursuit for anyone who wants to help in an emergency. 

More than that, basic life support training can be powerful for caregivers. This type of caregiver education teaches caregivers how to respond in emergency situations, giving them skills and confidence. The training could even save your loved one’s life one day.

Earning a BLS certification takes a lot of effort, and navigating the different available classes can be confusing. So, it’s essential that you understand all the potential benefits of taking and passing a class, along with the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. 

Keep reading to learn what basic life support training is and how it can benefit you in six substantial ways. 

What is Basic Life Support Training?

Basic life support is a set of skills that can help you intervene in emergencies, helping people who are injured, sick, or experiencing a medical event. For example, BLS training teaches providers to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on people in cardiac arrest. 

There are many different courses you can take, and the standards vary by program and location. But in general, BLS training includes a few fundamentals everywhere it’s taught, including:

• Performing high-quality CPR
• The basics of body systems 
• Emergency first aid for trauma
• Splinting and spinal immobilization
• Pressure dressings, the use of tourniquets, and other bleeding control techniques
• Scene management, safety, and awareness
• Medication administration

It’s easy to see how relevant these skills are to caregivers. Indeed, life support training may be one of the most easily accessible forms of training for caregivers.

Benefits of Basic Life Support Training: Getting a BLS Certification

BLS training is often part of a career pathway, but there are other benefits to completing a BLS certification. 

1. Learning to Help Others

When faced with an emergency, many people feel helpless. If you happen to witness a medical crisis, car accident, or injury to a loved one, knowing what to do can make all the difference in the world. Similarly, BLS training means you know what to do if the person you are caring for experiences a stroke, a heart attack, or another sudden issue.

If you want to understand how to help others, one of the best places to start is with basic life support training. As part of your BLS training, you’ll learn the skills to intervene in medical emergencies. Therefore, America’s 261,000 EMTs and paramedics often start their medical education by earning a BLS certificate. 

But, even if you’re not working towards a career in EMS or healthcare, BLS training can give you the fundamental knowledge to help someone who is injured, sick, or suffering from severe life threats like:

• Stroke
• Cardiac arrest
• Choking
• Traumatic injuries and bleeding
• Anaphylaxis 
• Drug overdose
• Shortness of breath
• Complications during childbirth
• Heart attack

2. Building Confidence

One concept that every BLS student learns is that the skills you learn and the knowledge you possess can help boost your confidence. That’s because BLS training builds on basic knowledge of the body, teaching specific skills and medical interventions that mitigate life threats. 

For example, BLS students learn enough about anatomy and physiology that they understand the relationship between blood loss and shock and that when left untreated, the combination of blood loss and shock can lead to cardiac arrest and death. 

So, they learn to keep all trauma patients warm under a blanket, they train on the use of tourniquets and direct pressure to stop bleeding, and they understand the urgency of activating the 911 system and getting the patient to the hospital promptly.

Knowing what to do in an emergency can give you the self-assurance to step into action rather than remaining a bystander. 

Instead of feeling powerless, BLS providers have the skills to meet challenges head-on, and if you successfully meet the demands posed by a crisis that may translate to increased confidence in other aspects of your life. 

When you have proven your mastery of BLS skills, you have enough training to become an essential part of an emergency response. When you successfully put those skills to use in the real world, you also overcome your own fears and the temptation to look away. That can buoy a person’s self-esteem, self-assurance, and pride. And it all starts with taking a BLS certification class. 

3. Be Prepared for Emergencies 

You never know when an emergency will occur or what the nature of the incident will be. It’s hard to be ready for anything, but BLS training is very thorough. Successful completion of a BLS course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to step up when the situation presents itself. 

This includes emergencies related to seniors, including anyone you’re providing care for. 

Even when an emergency isn’t necessarily medical in nature, BLS training stresses the need for threat reporting and a team approach to mitigation. For example, many BLS courses feature a component that touches on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). 

These systems offer a functional approach and foundational guidelines for managing any emergency. Whether you’re dealing with a weather event, a hazardous situation, an active shooter, or a healthcare crisis, these tools help all the responders involved operate in unison. 

Components of BLS training also include understanding scene safety, personal safety, and the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Your BLS training will help you learn how to prepare yourself and your gear for action, ready to intercede when called upon. 

When you successfully pass a BLS certification class, you will have the knowledge and preparation you need to act in an emergency. 

4. Open Doors to Employment and Advancement

Earning a BLS certification is a confidence booster that helps drive preparedness. But it can also help open doors. Many jobs in hospitals, clinics, and other settings where people congregate might require BLS training. 

For EMTs working in an ambulance, BLS training is usually a requirement. But, BLS training and the exact skills you learn vary considerably depending on where you take it. So, it’s essential to make sure that the BLS certification course you take matches the expectations of potential employers.  

For instance, in the state of New York, an official state BLS certification earns you a credential as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). But, if you take a BLS class in another state, it might not meet New York’s requirements. 

However, BLS certification is often a gateway to working in an emergency room, health clinic, or other patient care setting. Sometimes, babysitters, lifeguards, and first responders might also need to possess a BLS certification before they can work. 

So, while the requirements vary from job to job, and BLS courses vary from each other, your BLS certification can offer a way to get your foot in the door as a new employee. You may also be able to move up the ladder with your employer if you earn your BLS certification and open up career advancement possibilities. 

5. Saving Lives

BLS skills can help save someone’s life. Whether it’s the application of supplemental oxygen, the use of an airway adjunct, or performing CPR, BLS providers have the education and skills to intervene in an emergency. 

It’s often an uphill battle, and not everyone can be saved, but without BLS training, you probably won’t have the skills, confidence, or education to act. For example, when someone suffers a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital, their odds of survival can double or triple when they receive prompt CPR. When skilled, trained BLS providers can intercede quickly, they are essential. 

The fundamentals of BLS prepare you to activate the 911 system and function within it, providing urgent care to those who need it. And sometimes, that will lead to saving a life. 

But those skills aren’t only applicable to work situations or ambulance responses. 

BLS skills will follow you wherever you go. So whether you’re at a park, in the office, or attending a sporting event, there might be a need to act. It wasn’t long ago that NFL television audiences saw CPR save someone’s life right on the field. 

6. Helping as a Caregiver

Basic life support training is relevant when you’re caring for a family member too. 

After all, family caregivers are often thrown in the deep end with no training and little information about what they’re meant to be doing. 

The skills you even help save a loved one’s life, as you know what to do in the case of an emergency. BLS skills also provide you with extra confidence. This means you’re less likely to freeze up when there’s a crisis, even if that crisis is different than what you trained for. 

Maintaining BLS Certification: Recertification 

Even experienced BLS providers need to recertify periodically. The science that drives BLS interventions can change, so continuing education is an important component of maintaining your BLS certification.

Requirements and standards differ regionally, but you can expect that your certification will lapse if you don’t keep up with your ongoing training. The good news is that many BLS recertification courses are available to help keep you up to date. Just make sure the course content matches your local, regional, and employment requirements.

Benefits of BLS Training: Wrap-up

BLS certification has many benefits. Its skills can become applicable at any time, anywhere, and whenever there is an emergency. Working through a class successfully and earning your BLS certificate can boost your confidence, prepare you to help others, equip you with skills to mitigate an emergency, and more. 

For many jobs, a BLS certification acts as a passport to employment, and you must earn it before you can work. Since BLS courses and job requirements can vary significantly, make sure to check with your potential employer about the specific training you need before you sign up for a course. 

Perhaps most importantly, in some cases, a BLS education and the skills you maintain might help you save someone’s life – including the life of someone you’re caring for. So, if you’re thinking about gaining any of these benefits, sign up for a BLS certification course today.