Caring for kids is a big responsibility—there are so many things to keep in mind. But arguably the most important thing is the safety of the children in your care. That’s why it’s important to keep your certifications up-to-date. Sittercity nannies and babysitters can get 25% off their CPR and First Aid certification with ProTrainings.
Unfortunately, it’s not hard to become paralyzed by fear when encountering a scary situation: like if a child has an allergic reaction, chokes, or has some other unexpected event happen that causes cardiac arrest. Fear is a normal response, but it’s vital to know how to recognize what your fear is and know how to move past it and into action in order to save someone’s life.
Fear #1: “I’m not sure I know what I’m doing”
The first – and possibly most common – fear is not having confidence in your ability to help someone in need. Many people are afraid that they’re not qualified or that they don’t remember what they learned in their CPR class. This leads them to the fear that they shouldn’t act or that they might do something wrong.
But the truth is that some CPR – even incorrect CPR – is often better than no CPR at all. If no one acts, then the person in need will likely die. So if you take any life-saving action, you’re going to be giving that person a better chance.
How To Address This Fear:
The best way to beat this fear is to develop confidence in your skills by keeping your training fresh in your mind. With ProTrainings, you can go back to the training library and refresh your skills whenever you want or need to. Schedule a reminder to do this in your phone or calendar to reinforce the confidence you have in your ability to perform CPR.
Fear #2: “What if I make the problem worse?”
Another common fear people face is the worry that they’ll make the problem worse, hurt the person, or put the person in more danger by doing something wrong.
The very grim reality is that if someone has stopped breathing or has no pulse, they’re considered clinically dead. There is technically no “worse” for them to experience—that’s the worst-case scenario. And they’ll remain in that worst-case scenario unless someone like you intervenes by performing CPR.
How To Address This Fear:
Educate yourself on the normal side effects of receiving CPR. It is not uncommon to break ribs, separate cartilage or do something that will result in injury. However, the important thing to keep in mind is these injuries can be recovered from whereas clinical death from lack of oxygen to the brain cannot.
Fear #3: “What if I get sued?”
This fear can build off of the previous one. Even if someone’s life gets saved, they could still have some side effects or injuries from the incident. Whether they want someone else to cover their medical bills or looking for someone to blame, they might try to sue the very person who saved their life.
How To Address This Fear:
Thankfully, most people recognize that trying to save someone’s life is a courageous act and one that should never be penalized—and the law agrees! Since 1985, The Good Samaritan Act has protected people who do a good deed like saving a person’s life.
The Good Samaritan Act gives someone immunity from prosecution when they try to save someone’s life as a good deed. As long as you don’t mean to do anything wrong or intentionally hurt someone, you’re covered under the Good Samaritan Act in all 50 states and US territories.
Fear #4: “What if I catch a disease?”
There are some who fear catching a disease by coming in contact with blood or body fluids while performing CPR. In an ideal situation, you would have access to gloves and a CPR shield with a one-way barrier, which keeps any of the victim’s pathogens on the victim’s side. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks are more commonly available in homes and businesses.
How To Address This Fear:
However, you may not always have protective equipment when you need it. The good news is that research shows that even if we do constant chest compressions – also known as hands-only CPR – without rescue breaths, it can still help the person. This is especially true if the victim is an adult and if you start chest compressions within the first three to five minutes of the event that caused the person to collapse.
Of course, if you know how to do CPR – especially if you’re caring for kids whose medical history you’re familiar with, and you feel comfortable doing so – performing CPR will give the child the best chance of survival. But if not or if you don’t have your personal protective equipment, hands-only CPR still will still provide benefit.
Fear #5: “What if the situation is dangerous?”
The final common fear is about the scene of the incident. If there is an electrical cord on the ground, a high power line, or if you’re in an intersection with multiple cars moving around you, you may be afraid for your own life – and that’s valid!
How To Address This Fear:
If the scene is truly dangerous, keep yourself safe and still call 911 and get emergency medical services on the way. Continue to evaluate the scene. If the situation that was once unsafe changes and becomes safe – such as in a traffic collision that prevents any other cars from passing by – then you can go in and rescue the person.
Be Confident To Rescue
If you can relate to any of these fears, you’re not alone. They stop 90% of rescuers from ever using their skills. When you overcome those fears, you become confident and empowered to rescue someone when they need you most.
Don’t forget to lean on experts to keep your confidence level high. Sittercity nannies and babysitters can get 25% off their CPR and First Aid certification with ProTrainings. They’ll guide you with step-by-step instructions from an experienced paramedic to prepare you for over 50 first-aid situations. Make sure you’re prepared for anything—for the sake of the kids in your care or anyone in need.
