Free BLS / ACLS giveaway

I’ve done annual CPR/AED classes for the American Red Cross consecutively for 5 years throughout college because I was a ARC swim instructor for the City of New York (yup, that was my part time job!). However, for hospitals, they require BLS certification from the American Heart Association. Since I knew the sequence and the ARC and AHA requirements are nearly identical, and I didn’t want to shell out more money, I tried out an online BLS certification.

There were videos for review and I passed the x item test. I got the certificate in the mail. I gave it to my hospital and they accepted it. Woot!

Anyway, the reason I’m writing about my online CPR/AED BLS certification course is because through ACLS Medical Training, I am able to offer a giveaway!! ONE free BLS, ACLS, or PALS course == you pick (worth up to $275). This is an honor of National Nurses Week (and yes, I realize that I’m a week late but hey, free stuff is still free stuff!!).

Personally, I did my first ACLS class during my orientation for critical care in class. I liked the hands on aspect of it and I’m not sure if I would be comfortable doing it online. Prior to the first class, we had to complete a pretest getting 80% or higher  using the code ‘compression‘. It’s helpful to have the algorithms in front of you.

I think an online course is good for people who have had a lot of experience with CPR/AED. Anyway, I’ve never used this before so here it goes. Enter into the raffle. The giveaway ends May 22.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free Outdoor Swimming in NYC

Today was the first day of the outdoor Learn to Swim classes in NYC. If you are interested in signing up for a free swim class, go to http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/pools and click on the Learn to Swim link. The first session has already started, but you can still sign up for the session II and III, or go to a pool location to sign up for a class. Keep in mind, many locations are filled and you may have to put your name on the waitlist.

There’s free lap swimming. There are free Learn to Swim classes for toddlers, children and adults, senior splash, adapted aquatics, swim team… and if you’re not interested in any of those, then you can go to any outdoor pool from 11am-7pm (typically) and go swimming for free. Gotta love NYC Parks.

How to Donate Blood at NYU

This location is open EVERY Thursday from 10am to 5pm and is diagonally located from Gristedes (Mercer Street and West 3rd Street). Check out the map below for the location.

The day before you donate, please remember to drink a lot of water (to quicken the flow of your blood) and to eat iron-rich foods (such as meat or spinach).

Please do not exercise before donating. Your blood pressure may be too low and your pulse will be too high and you will be asked to come back another time.

You may donate every 56 days (8 weeks). If you donate, you will receive a free Regal movie ticket and a t-shirt!

Throughout my 15 months here at NYU Nursing, I’ve donated 4 times. The people there are really great and it is truly satisfying knowing that you are helping to save a life or three. Hopefully down the road, if you ever need a blood transfusion, you know that you helped too.