• HCP Course

    Why are there Different Versions of BLS?

    January 1, 2021

    Do you need to take an ACLS class in the next year? Do you need airway management training and/or oxygen therapy? Confused as to why Link2Life offers 3 different certifications for the same level of BLS? Then read on!

    Heart & Stroke Foundation

    The Heart & Stroke Foundation Basic Life Support Provider is the only recognized prerequisite to ACLS. This program is heavily video based, where you watch and follow along with the presented steps. This style ensures teaching and course delivery are consistent among providers. Skills testing and a written test are completed at the end of the day to evaluate what you learned. The class is fine tuned for In-Facility Providers and Pre-Hospital Providers.

    • Name: Basic Life Support Provider (BLS Provider)
    • Certificate Distribution: Electronically, unless a print certificate is requested. Print certificates $5+tax.
    • Expiration: Valid for 1 year
    • Test style: Multiple choice

    Lifesaving Society 

    Basic Life Support Responder CPR/HCP with AED training is designed for Health Care Providers such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and others who work in a health care setting. In addition to all CPR C level skills, participants are taught how to work as a multi-person team, do simultaneous assessment of breathing and pulse, stand alone rescue breathing and how to use the bag valve mask.

    • Name: Basic Life Support Responder CPR/HCP with AED
    • Certificate Distribution: Electronic only
    • Expiration: Valid for 1 year
    • Test: No written test

    Red Cross 

    This program was re-vamped in 2019 to create a much more in-depth health care provider option than the previous CPR-HCP program. The BLS program is unique in providing pre-hospital/in-hospital flexibility for the majority of healthcare settings. This program is delivered with new power points, booklets and in-class skills sessions and covers working in high performance teams, the use of the bag valve mask, single rescue with optional airway and oxygen add ons.

    *Note that Link2Life currently only provides the basic BLS level – the airway management and oxygen component is provided by private request only.

    • Name: Basic Life Support (BLS)
    • Certificate Distribution: Electronic only
    • Expiration: Valid for 1 year
    • Test style: Multiple choice

    Interested in attending a class? Please register here.

  • Dissecting the N95 Respirator: What it Means

    November 15, 2018

    The N95 respirator is a commonplace piece of equipment for many people in the healthcare community. But just what exactly does this N95 stand for? 

    For starters, a respirator is a piece of personal protective equipment that is a requirement when treating people with diseases such as TB and SARS. A respirator is worn to protect the worker from the patient, such as one would wear gloves. Do not get the N95 confused with face masks. A face mask is similar to an N95 only in that it provides a degree of protection between the wearer and the environment. The level of protection is lesser on the face mask however, as face masks are loose-fitting, and will not provide a seal between mask and skin, like the N95 does. This higher level of protection only holds up if you receive proper fitting of an N95 however. Hence, the mask fit test. 

    The N portion of N95 stands for ‘not’. An N95 respirator is not resistant to oil. There are other respirators with different designations, like the R and P ratings. R ratings are oil resistant, whereas P ratings mean the respirator is oil proof. 

    The 95 portion of the title means the respirator is ’95% or greater filtration efficient against particulate aerosols (droplets 0.3 microns in diameter)’. Now what does this really mean you ask? This means that an N95 respirator will, when properly worn, protect the wearer from 95% of particles that are very small – down to 0.3 microns -in size. 

    Ready for your own mask fit test? Sign up today!

  • How to Deal with Zombie Withdrawal using Emergency Preparedness

    November 9, 2018

    Are you going through a post-Halloween zombie withdrawal? Imaginary zombie attacks are great tools to encourage people to be prepared for anything!

    The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation made a short zombie movie – The Undeading – to highlight the ease of Compression-Only CPR. You can also check out their website for more information and behind-the-scenes details!

    Following along the same lines, visit the provincial Emergency Info website to check out Zombie Preparedness Week, a campaign run in 2012 to prepare BC residents to deal with zombies… or flooding, earthquakes or tsunamis!

    Prefer your emergency training with less rotting flesh? Visit Emergency Management BC!

    If you’re bookmarking links for later, here are the three main steps of Emergency Preparedness:

    1 – Know The Risks In Your Area

    Is it flooding? A landslide? An earthquake?

    2 – Make a Plan

    Find the safe exits from your home and neighbourhood, plan a meeting spot to reunite with family and friends, and pre-arrange an out-of-province contact for check-ins so friends and family will know you’re okay.

    3 – Get an Emergency Kit

    At Link2Life, we now carry a variety of products – including First Aid Kits and Emergency Preparedness Kits from Clearly Prepared. These First Aid Kits are perfect for home, office and travel, and Emergency Preparedness Kits hold all of the basic requirements to get you through the first 72-hours after an emergency. From mild to severe, these kits ensure you will be prepared for anything from a paper cut to an earthquake. Do you drive to work everyday? Take a look at the First Aid Kit! Think your office could benefit from a few first aid essentials? Check out the First Aid Kit! Have a neighbour or partner who has decided to take it upon themselves to do their own remodelling? A First Aid Kit might be just what Santa ordered.

    Every municipality has its own location-specific plan, visit the links below for more information:

    Interested in learning how to effectively use an Emergency or First Aid Kit? Take a Link2Life Standard First Aid class to learn more!

  • How an AED Actually Works

    Mechanical vs. Electrical – How an AED Actually Works

    January 29, 2018

    If you’ve taken a CPR or First Aid course recently you’ve probably noticed a new addition to all of our programs – the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). What exactly this little machine does, and why and when we use it may seem a little overwhelming if you’re new to it, so I thought I’d write a series of posts all about how an AED actually works to help clarify things. Let’s start off by talking about how the heart works.

  • decoding cpr training

    Decoding CPR

    August 28, 2017

    There are three main levels of CPR: CPR level A, CPR level C and CPR level HCP. While we receive many questions regarding CPR, the most common questions from those new to the field are: What do the A, C and HCP signify? And which level should I take? Broken down for your convenience are the answers below!

  • Children And Head Injuries – What To Do When Your Child Bashes Their Head

    July 10, 2017

    As any parent knows, children have an expert tendency to sustain bumps and scrapes. Most of the time, they bounce back quite happily with nothing more than a band aid and a kiss from Mommy. However, sometimes they may sustain more concerning injuries. Bumps on the head can be particularly worrying for parents – especially as most people are aware that serious brain problems resulting from a bash on the head may not have many physical signs. Here, therefore, is a quick guide to head injuries in children. It may help to set your mind at rest in less serious cases, and to know when to seek help if needed!