Medical, Nursing, Dental, EMT, Radiographers, Phlebotomy, EKG, EEG, CNA, and MA students: when you need your American Heart Association (AHA) two-year certification in BLS (basic life support) you will greatly benefit from taking your initial and renewal certifications in a group environment with an AHA Instructor-led class.
High- quality compressions are critical for the survival of a person in cardiac arrest, but you will learn far more than compressions in a BLS certification class. We work in teams of two practicing the life-saving skills of CPR and AED, with minimal interruptions in compressions, and with an emphasis on communication skills with a partner. Have a question? All of your questions will be answered, and you will leave with far more confidence in an instructor-led class, than by yourself at a business offering a VAM (Voice Assisted Manikin).
A VAM is a manikin connected to a computer that a person has to demonstrate skills for in a room all by themselves. There are no AHA instructors available to help or answer questions, but a customer service agent may be able to help you over the phone. VAM are testing stations designed as a check-off for BLS certification for people who are already proficient with BLS and CPR. There is no practice, but rather just limited feedback from the computer for you to either pass or fail. There are no VAM at Revive CPR in San Francisco.
There have been many malfunctions and complaints from these Voice Assisted Manikins reported in Yelp reviews, and even if you are a seasoned medical professional you still might not pass. We certify several people every week who did not pass down the street at our competitor and they were not given a refund. We feel really bad that people leave with the experience of failing.
Failing is not an option at Revive CPR, as long as you don’t have an injury preventing you from doing compressions we will ensure that you will get enough practice to pass every time. However, we do not just hand-out certificates you will proudly earn your BLS certification with us. People leave our classes with enthusiasm unlike those coming from a VAM testing location who are often frustrated.
Instructor- led CPR classes place more emphasis on education and actually lsaving peoples lives in the real world. Healthcare professionals prefer live classes vs. a VAM all by themself.
The truth is that people only tolerate a VAM they don’t prefer it over a live class at all! AHA required student surveys that are emailed before certifications are sent will show VAM has an approval rating that is far below the minimum benchmark of an 85% approval rating for AHA Training Sites, whereas, Revive CPR has a satisfaction rating far above this benchmark.
You will leave our BLS class with the confidence to save a persons life that same day, and Your skills will be superior to anyone taking their BLS certification with a business offering VAM’s. Practicing with a VAM will only at best improve your CPR compression skills.
Yet someday you just might have fun banging away compressions with a VAM, which is utilized in hospitals and often referred to as an RQI program.
RQI (Resuscitative Quality Improvement).
The difference between VAM in a business VS VAM in hospitals, known as RQI.
RQI is a term for hospital programs utilizing voice assisted manikins to refresh healthcare professionals compression skills either quarterly, or every six months. This program provides everyone a way to keep their certification current for many years. This program really lives up to its name of quality improvement . Hospitals have a department available for anyone who needs help or has a question, which is a huge difference from training alone with a VAM at a business.
Sadly, there isn’t quality assurance with a business certifying people only once every two years without support, yet they promote the term RQI on their website.
So, VAM is effective for practicing compression skills every six months in hospitals, but is ineffective for an initial BLS certification. This VAM device was never intended to be utilized by students for their initial AHA BLS certification, and there is a high probability that the American Heart Association will soon place a restriction for the use of (out of hospital) VAM devices for renewal certifications only.
After you have been certified in an Instructor-led live class two or three times before, then there is a great benefit to working with a VAM when you are employed at a hospital, as there will be a department that can help you when you have questions.
Medical, Dental, Nursing, EMT, and students in all other medical areas, We encourage you to Use our Promo code Revive25 and receive an $8 discount on our in person BLS skills session.
We hope to see you soon at our AHA training center in San Francisco www.revivecpr.com
Please see below for important information on reduced classroom times from three hours down to a one hour Instructor- led skills session.
ILT completes in less time for most people compared to VAM.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The American Heart Association promoted the option for blended learning during Covid, which minimizes the time in the classroom. This new hybrid course is definitely the most popular option . This is completed completed in two parts:
Part one-completed online at your home, or office at your own pace (45 minutes- two hours).
Part two – completed with an AHA instructor- led skills session (one hour).
Traditional classroom courses are still available when we teach groups on-site at their business location, but at 148 Townsend St. in San francisco we are specializing in one hour skills session.
This new blended learning format minimizes your time in the classroom, so your attention is focused more on saving lives, and less on the clock.
