taught a class recently for a student who was going to nursing school. she was explaining to me how she was a lifeguard growing up, and she frequently was required to give CPR to drowning victims. She then went on to explain to me that "back in the day" they didn't use PPE, and instead just did mouth to mouth on her victims. To get just a tad more graphic, she explained to me that she knew that her breaths to compressions transition speed was very slow, because she was the only one that ever got vomit in her mouth from her patients. GREAT REASON to invest $6.50 in a mask I think!

• "Can you perform CPR on yourself?"
• "If an ambulance is racing to an accident and hits a pedestrian along the way. Does the ambulance have to stop?"
• "Talking about the importance of PPE (personal protective equipment) Let's say that we don't have our barriers in our pocket, what is the effectiveness of using a Ziploc bag without holes in it?"
• "Do people click in real life? Can I make one?"
• "I just do not understand why you cannot use an AED (automated external defibrillator) in a pool."
• "Will the patient feel it when you rip the pads (and all the hair) off his chest?"
• "So we won't be doing mouth to manikin? Too bad. Well at least I brushed my teeth"
  
• Okay so background on this one: I was teaching a huge class (like 15 people) and he was the one student who arrived 20 minutes late. We made fun of him, so he had to "lighten the mood" a little.

Just a few of the question that have come up in classes as they say the only dumb question is the one not asked. Well maybe....

If you would like to take a class and maybe here some this for your self give us a call and we can set up a class for you. 503-538-21610 or www.cprnorthwest.com

Size matters. Portion size has a lot to do with why our kids are getting chubbier. Because there’s too much of everything on their plates, our kids are getting far more calories than they need daily. To start “Operation Portion Control,” you need to know how big a portion size really is. You may be surprised to learn these are serving sizes:

• 1 slice of bread
• ½ cup rice or pasta (cooked)
• 1 small piece of fruit (super-large apples are 2+ servings)
• 1 wedge of melon
• ¾ cup fruit juice
• 1 cup milk or yogurt
• 2 oz. cheese (about the size of a domino)
• 2-3 oz. meat, poultry or fish (this is about the size of a deck of cards)

Most servings are well over the standard portion size, so we’re all getting extra calories we don’t need. But with a little effort, we can take control. Cutting down the helpings will cut down the waistlines.