CPR Initiative

Are you a medical student? Shouldn’t you know a skill as basic and potentially life saving as CPR? Common sense would say yes. However, CPR is not part of Baylor College of Medicine or most medical school curriculums and a large number of medical students go through medical school without ever having been trained or certified in this quintessential skill. This initiative was begun in order to correct this counter intuitive and deleterious anomaly.

It is our goal to assure that every medical student at Baylor College of Medicine is CPR trained and certified from their first days in medical school through the day they graduate and enter residency. Moreover, we aim to provide this service at the lowest cost possible to our members and the Houston Community. Classes are free to Texas EMIG members and 20.00 dollars for non-members. If you are not CPR trained we urge you to enroll in one of our CPR classes, and learn a skill that could potentially save someone’s life.

CPR Class Details:

  • Each class is free to Texas EMIG members and $20.00 dollars for non-members. Classes offered in the community usually range between $35.00 to $75.00 dollars.
  • Classes consist of a full half day of didactic instruction and practice with CPR dummies culminating in a paper test which students must pass in order to be certified by the American Health Association (AHA).
  • AHA certifications last 2 years, after which time you must recertify.

CPR Initiative Highlights

  • Each class is taught by one of our seven American Heart Association (AHA) certified CPR instructors. Each instructor is a medical student who teaches classes as a volunteer.
  • Being CPR certified is often a requirement for away rotations institutions.
  • Having a basis in CPR and general resuscitation will enrich the advanced ACLS training given during 4th year Capstone, or residency.
  • Since the program began in January of 2009, we have trained over 150 students in CPR and five CPR instructors.
  • Baylor CPR trained student have helped run codes in hospitals, are a greater asset in hospital settings and may potentially save the life of someone who goes into cardiac arrest in the community.

The Future:

  • Texas EMIG is working to make the CPR initiative into a work study program. This will allow us to fairly compensate our volunteer instructors and make it possible to have other CPR instructors trained.
  • In November of 2009, three of our members will be taking classes to become ACLS instructors, so that we can offer ACLS training to our members.
  • Texas EMIG will soon make outreaches to community high-schools, middle schools and elementary schools and offer free CPR classes to local students and teachers, providing a needed service which will make our community a safer place.