Maryland students earn valuable CPR training in high schools

SALISBURY, Md. – A recent study by the CDC states CPR training boosts cardiac arrest survival, and that is good news for states like Maryland that require CPR training for high school graduation.

According to the study, the training allows more people to contribute to bystander CPR before the arrival of emergency medical services.

Health Educator Kathy Elliott at James M Bennett High School said she requires her students to do a hand-on CPR, and she said she believes it is crucial they learn how to do it.

“Less than one-third of cardiac arrest victims outside of hospitals receive bystander CPR, so that’s a very low number, so we instruct our students that we want more people to learn how to do CPR,” said Elliot.

Elliot also said most people do not know how to perform traditional CPR that uses mouth-to-mouth methods, and hopes more people will learn how to do it.