CPR, First Aid & AED Skills Certification Preparation — Teacher Aide / Paraprofessional

Objective. Students demonstrate adult, child, and infant CPR with proper rate and depth, correct two-rescuer technique, AED operation, responsive and unresponsive choking response, and basic wound care, meeting the performance checkpoints required for American Heart Association or American Red Cross CPR/First Aid certification.

Why This Lab Matters

Cardiac arrest, choking, and severe bleeding can happen in any school setting. As a paraprofessional, you are often the first adult on the scene. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Red Cross both offer CPR/First Aid/AED certification that proves you can act correctly under pressure. This lab prepares you to pass the hands-on skills evaluation and written knowledge component of that credential.

Before You Touch Anyone — Universal Precautions

Put on nitrile gloves before you contact blood or bodily fluids. If a barrier mask is available, use it for rescue breaths. These steps protect you and the person you are helping. Remove and properly dispose of gloves after care and wash your hands immediately. Never skip PPE because you feel rushed — exposure to bloodborne pathogens is a real occupational hazard.

Recognizing a Cardiac Emergency

A person in cardiac arrest is unresponsive, not breathing normally (or only gasping), and has no detectable pulse. Tap the shoulders firmly and shout, "Are you okay?" If there is no response, call 911 (or direct a bystander by name: "You — call 911 now!") and get an AED. Start CPR immediately. Every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduces survival odds, so acting fast matters.

Adult CPR — Rate and Depth

Place the heel of your hand on the center of the chest (lower half of the sternum). Compress at least 2 inches deep but no more than 2.4 inches. Push at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute — the beat of the song "Stayin' Alive" is a commonly used memory aid. Allow the chest to fully recoil between compressions; do not lean on the chest. Deliver 30 compressions, then give 2 rescue breaths (1 second each, enough to see the chest rise). Continue cycles of 30:2 until the AED is ready, the person shows obvious signs of life, or trained help takes over.

Child and Infant CPR

For children (approximately age 1 through puberty), compress at least one-third the depth of the chest, roughly 2 inches, using one or two hands depending on the child's size. The rate remains 100–120 per minute and the ratio stays 30:2 for a single rescuer.

For infants (under 1 year), use two fingers on the center of the chest just below the nipple line. Target depth is at least one-third the chest depth, roughly 1.5 inches. With two rescuers, the two-thumb encircling technique is preferred. For infants and children, if two trained rescuers are present, switch to a 15:2 ratio.

AED Operation

Turn on the AED and follow its voice prompts. Attach the pads to bare, dry skin — one pad below the right collarbone, one pad on the left side below the armpit. Plug in the connector. The AED will analyze the heart rhythm; make sure no one is touching the patient during analysis. If a shock is advised, announce "Clear!" confirm no one is touching the patient, and press the shock button. Resume CPR immediately after the shock. If no shock is advised, continue CPR and let the AED re-analyze every two minutes.

Choking Response

For a responsive adult or child who cannot cough, speak, or breathe, deliver five back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, then five abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver). Alternate sets until the object is cleared or the person becomes unresponsive. If they become unresponsive, lower them to the ground, call 911 if not done, and begin CPR — look in the mouth before giving breaths and remove any visible object.

For a responsive infant, hold the infant face-down on your forearm and deliver five back blows, then flip face-up and give five chest thrusts with two fingers on the center of the chest. Never perform abdominal thrusts on an infant.

Bleeding Control and Shock Recognition

For serious external bleeding, apply firm direct pressure with a clean cloth or gauze pad and maintain it — do not lift the dressing to check. Add more gauze on top if blood soaks through. If bleeding is from a limb and is life-threatening and a tourniquet is available and you are trained in its use, apply it according to your training. Signs of shock include pale, cool, clammy skin; rapid weak pulse; confusion; and nausea. Keep the person still and warm, do not give food or fluids, and monitor until emergency services arrive. Do not move a person who may have a spinal injury unless there is an immediate life threat such as fire.

Recognizing Stroke — FAST

Use the FAST acronym: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911. Note the time symptoms started; this information is critical for medical providers.

Documentation After an Incident

After any first aid event in a school, complete an incident report. Record what you observed, what care you gave, the time of each action, and who responded. Accurate documentation protects the student, you, and the school, and is required by most district policies.

Lab Safety Rules

Wear gloves during all manikin practice; disinfect manikin faces between users per manufacturer instructions.
Use only training AEDs and training supplies — never practice with live equipment.
If you feel lightheaded during compression practice, stop and rest; inform the instructor.
Report any manikin damage or torn supplies to the instructor immediately so equipment is safe for the next user.

Key terms10

Cardiac arrestSudden cessation of effective heart activity, resulting in unresponsiveness and absent or abnormal breathing; requires immediate CPR and AED use.

Compression rateThe number of chest compressions delivered per minute; the AHA and Red Cross standard for CPR is 100–120 compressions per minute for all ages.

Compression depthHow far the chest is pushed down during each compression; at least 2 inches for adults, roughly 2 inches for children, and roughly 1.5 inches for infants.

AED (Automated External Defibrillator)A portable device that analyzes heart rhythm and, if appropriate, delivers an electrical shock to restore a normal heartbeat; used with voice-prompt guidance.

Universal precautionsAn infection-control approach that treats all blood and bodily fluids as potentially infectious; requires gloves and barrier devices before patient contact.

FASTA stroke-recognition acronym: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911.

Abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneuver)An upward thrust applied to the abdomen of a choking responsive adult or child to expel an airway obstruction; never used on infants.

Chest recoilThe full return of the chest wall to its normal position between compressions, allowing the heart to refill with blood; leaning on the chest prevents this.

Direct pressureFirm, continuous pressure applied to a wound with a clean cloth or gauze to control bleeding; the primary first aid method for external hemorrhage.

Shock (circulatory)A life-threatening condition in which the body's tissues do not receive adequate blood flow; signs include pale cool clammy skin, rapid weak pulse, and confusion.

In class: Instructor demonstrates and narrates each skill sequence — adult CPR, child CPR, infant CPR, AED use, adult and child choking, infant back blows and chest thrusts, bleeding control with direct pressure, and recognition of shock — using a training manikin set, a training AED, and standard first aid supplies; students observe, then immediately practice on manikins in groups of three, rotating roles (compressor, airway, AED operator) every five minutes. · Students complete a timed skills circuit: each student must perform a full adult CPR and AED sequence (assessment, call for help, 30 compressions at correct rate and depth, two rescue breaths, attach and operate training AED) while a peer evaluates them against the AHA or Red Cross performance checklist; the evaluator gives immediate verbal feedback and the pair switches roles. · Students review the written knowledge component of the CPR/First Aid credential by answering 25 multiple-choice questions covering recognition of cardiac arrest, stroke warning signs (FAST), when to call 911, universal precautions and glove use, and documentation of an incident; the class reviews all items together, with the instructor clarifying any misconceptions about PPE use (gloves required before contact with blood or bodily fluids) and when not to move an injured person.
Materials: Adult, child, and infant CPR training manikins (one set per three students), training AED device, gloves (nitrile, disposable), CPR barrier masks, AHA BLS Handbook or Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Participant Manual (current edition), first aid training kit (bandages, gauze, tape), skills performance checklist (AHA or Red Cross format), 25-item written practice quiz
Check: Each student must pass the AHA or Red Cross hands-on skills evaluation checklist (all critical steps marked satisfactory) and score at least 80% on the 25-item written quiz; students who do not meet either standard receive remedial one-on-one practice and are re-evaluated the same day before leaving the lab.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.