Infant CPR Offered at St. Joseph's Hospital North

Could you save your child if he or she were choking or needed CPR?

It's an important question that instructors at St. Joseph's Hospital-North Hospital want to help you answer.

Next month, the hospital will host an Infant and Child CPR course. Participants will learn how to perform life-saving CPR and choking rescue techniques on both infants and children according to American Heart Association guidelines.

Lutz Patch sat down with instructor and child advocacy educator Deborah Sickman to learn more about the class and what it offers.

Patch: What are some of the most common situations that require CPR?

Sickmon: A person only administers CPR when the victim is unresponsive and is not breathing. So any scenario in which you find a person can't be roused, you can't get them to respond or you know they're not breathing then you'd administer CPR.

Patch: Who should take this class?

Sickmon: We target primarily all expectant parents and a lot of them will bring their nannies or essential babysitters and we have a lot of grandparents. Anybody in charge of taking care of a child should be trained in pediatric/infant CPR because we also cover choking rescue and that is a skill that you're much more likely to use, because all children under the age of 5 tend to put everything in their mouths.

Patch: What's your background?

Sickmon: I'm in my seventh year with the hospital. We are trained and certified by the American Heart Association. My title is child advocacy educator and a part of the St. Joseph's Children's Advocacy Center. 

Patch: How long is the class?

Sickmon: The class itself is 3 hours. Generally we have it in the evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and it is somewhat DVD driven, instructor driven and they get hands-on practice with a junior and infant mannequin.

Patch: How many usually attend?

Sickmon: Generally we have about anywhere between 7 to 10 people per class. The class maximum is 21.

Patch: How do you instruct the class?

Sickmon: The beginning of it is introduced with DVD where we talk about specifically what is CPR. Then we walk through specific scenarios what do you do if you're alone with a child, or a public place, how do you handle a drowning scenario. We demonstrate hands on throughout. We give real life scenarios and they have to think on their feet.

Patch: Anything else you'd like to share?

Sickmon: Administering CPR is a strenuous activity so kids under the age of 9 may not have the strength to deliver effective compressions, which is why we encourage if kids are going to take it to be a little older.

Infant/Child CPR Class Information

When: Sept. 20, 6 to 9 p.m., St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, Garden Classrooms, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz.

Participants must be at least 9 years old. Registration is required. Cost: $30 per person ($55 per couple.)

Call 813-443-3078 to register or visit the hospital's website.