American Red Cross

I signed up for the CPR for healthcare professionals course in Tacoma. That class was cancelled. I explained to the clerk that I needed to complete this course within a specific timeframe, and was rescheduled for a week later. This class was also cancelled.
It feels crass to give a respected organization like the Res Cross a one star review. Perhaps this is just the local office underperforming compared to the national organization. I cannot rate them any higher if this is the very low level of customer service they have offered me.

I would have given the Seattle Red Cross a ZERO star rating if the people at the front desk were not so nice ( Unilocal also will not allow it.) My experience on the phone while making my reservation for class was good. The woman explained the courses offered and helped me fit one with my schedule. Since I have been an Aquatics Director, WSI and Lifeguard I thought taking the CPR — Pro Rescuer Challenge would be not a problem.
Upon arrival at the Red Cross the woman flinched when I told her I was here for the C-​Pro Challenge. She muttered «that’s tough.» This didn’t bother me because I have taken the challenge 5 – 10 times and never had an issue. I over-​studied for the practical to make sure it would be a breeze.
There were two of us signed up for the class — myself and a young guy with LG experience but only testing for the ordinary CPR — Adult for Personal Training. I would love to see his review on Unilocal!The gentleman teaching the class snapped at me for muttering «survey the scene» instead of the new term «size up the scene.» Does it really matter what I call it during a practical? He at this point made it sound like I would probably fail and the other guy would fail without a doubt.
In less than 2 minutes of trying to size up the scene and turn me (the vic) over, the teacher told him to go home. There was a very heated argument between the two of them as I just stood there drooling and scared for my turn. My turn lasted about 5 minutes. Evidently, trauma from the instructor’s behavior is no reason to stutter, panic and forget.
The instructor told me to stop, come back tomorrow for the review (with him) and had the gall to say only Instructors are knowledgeable enough to pass the challenge. So why offer it to anyone else?
As I was waiting in the hallway, the instructor stopped me to tell me what to study for the review course. He mentioned AED questions like «if there is too much body hair for the pads to stick what should you do?» and I answered directly from the book. He told me I was WRONG. I then proceeded to tell him my answer was directly out of the book and completed the full in depth answer. He did not like being shown up so he said «well most places don’t have two pads so that isn’t even an option.» Ugh really? The instructor can fail me in under 5 minutes, but gets schooled by the same person in the next twenty on the same material?
So I have two issues with this man: he wants to fail students because it makes him feel better about himself and he wants to treat students like idiots so it makes him feel better about himself.
Bottom line: Do NOT take a challenge course in the Red Cross building. DO take the Red Cross Challenge at a local YMCA or neighborhood pool. The Red Cross offers no transfer or refund for the challenge course even if it lasts 2 minutes. Simply put — they want the extra money and will do what it takes to fail you.

This is a review of the Adult/​Child/​Infant CPR with First Aid course. I had been meaning to take on a CPR class for years, and with my crazy traveling schedule, it was hard to find time. In a fit of spontaneity, the day before the class, I signed up on the website. I didn’t need this for work or play, but my working excuse is, I volunteer a lot around Seattle.
The arrived at the Red Cross, the entrance is on the upper level.
The instructor for this particular session was Saul Snatsky, and he is a great instructor. He has patients, take great care that we do things correctly and was thoughtful; as our small group progressed through the American Red Cross (ARC) learning materials. An 8 hour course seems like overkill from the surface, but after we got started, time seemed to pass with ease. You learn the ARC steps when an emergency comes your way, the methods to take action, when you witness or encounter an accident. The only thing this class doesn’t cover is Automatic Emergency Defibrillator (AED).
Midway through the day, you get a nice lunch break, and there are good places to find something to eat.
In case you were wondering, there is no mouth-​to-​mouth with real people, there are plenty of latex gloves and sanitizer around.
My recommendation: If you feel the need to take on the skills to potentially save a person’s life, take this course! It’s a hands-​on class, and if you take time to ask questions, and take it seriously, you will be rewarded with a certain level of confidence, which you can take anywhere with you.

Today I was certified in Adult/​Child/​Infant CPR and First Aid, which I hope will make me more appealing to possible employers (ha!), but is more for my personal confidence.
I was really nervous about signing up for an 8 ½ hour class, and thought it would be pretty miserable.
Though it wasn’t the most fun day I’ve had in my life, our instructor, Catherine, helped the time fly by. I love this lady. She was so down-​to-​earth and funny. I couldn’t believe some of the comments that flew out of her mouth. I wish I could remember them. The first clue that she was going to be a hoot was when she said she’d just had knee surgery and wanted to be able to rise from her chair «like a swan.»
We watched several Red Cross videos where «Connie,» the souless robot, and «Ryan,» the hunk with the sad eyes, demonstrated how to pump the hell out of your CPR dummy. We practiced a lot on our own dummies as «Connie» counted, which made me feel more sure that I might not freeze in a real emergency.
The variety of activities (practice, videos, multiple-​choice tests) made the day go by faster, and by the time we were wrapping our partners in gauze I could hardly believe it was time to go.
I think it’s really important to know this, and feel very satisfied with my day. Though $ 75 is a lot of money, for eight hours of small class instruction I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth. And now I have two cool certification cards to show for it.

Five stars because I haven’t taken any courses elsewhere for me to compare. Well, and because the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. After dragging my friend along to a 7-​hour CPR & life support training course, I decided to take another 7-​hour course by myself. The second course was a HIV/​AIDS education for health care professional. There were a total of 6 instructors, one of which was diagnosed with HIV for 21 years. The whole course was very informative, and well worthed the $ 65 IMO.