Over 350,000 people every year suffer from sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital.[i] And with a mortality rate of about 90 percent, we need to do whatever we can to improve our fellow citizens’ chances at survival. Although some may claim that CPR training is unnecessary for high school students, more schools should provide it because it could increase survival rates during cardiac arrest, encourage students to take the initiative during emergencies, and garner respect for the younger generations.   

More high schools should train their students in CPR because they could improve chances of survival for people who suffer from sudden life-threatening incidents. Currently, only “about 10 percent” of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest survive.[ii] This means that the average chance at survival of cardiac arrest is approximately 10 percent. Such a high number of annual occurrences combined with such a low rate of survival might cause paranoia and panic among elderly citizens out of the hospital.

According to Healthday News, victims of sudden cardiac arrest may enjoy increased chances of survival by up to “two or three times”.[iii] We need more teenagers to step up and react responsibly in such emergency situations, so that they can continue to do so as up-and-coming adults. By increasing the number of people able to perform CPR, we might be able to improve the chances of survival in such medical emergencies.  

Not only that, but youths could be better able for themselves in case of emergency. Giving high school students CPR training should be further pursued because it might help campuses keep more calm during emergency situations. A 2016 survey found that only “15 percent of” adults would both call emergency medical aid and administer CPR.[iv] Such an astonishingly low rate might be improved if more adults actually knew how to do CPR. 

And with more people able and willing to help in an emergency, we might be able to reduce the impact of the bystander effect[v] and encourage more people to take the initiative in such situations. Therefore, we should pursue a widespread CPR standard across high schools in both California and the US to ensure that as many students as possible are ready to help during any emergency. 

By giving more students CPR training, more can set an example for the rest of society. CPR training should be introduced into high school programs because it could help improve the reputation of the younger generations. Having a younger generation that is certified to save someone’s life could improve the current stereotype of the “lazy and poorly prepared” millennial.[vi] According to Simple CPR, a CPR training program, being certified shows preparedness and makes people “more valuable employee[s]”.[vii] And with high schoolers on their way to join the workforce, this especially involves them and their futures. We should be teaching more high school students for the sake of not only victims of medical emergencies but also to help the negatively stereotyped younger generations.

Ideally, a nationwide requirement for CPR training in high schools would be implemented. Of course, an educational standard like that could take years to push, so what can we do right now? Partnering with local fire departments and public medical resources, parents and students alike should push for training days at their high schools. Taking this initiative could set an example emphasizing that schools shouldn’t wait for a requirement to teach their students something beneficial to society like CPR. Then maybe those 350,000 people every year could have a better chance at survival.