Basic life support knowledge of undergraduate nursing and chiropractic students

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine retention of CPR/BLS knowledge of third year nursing and fourth year chiropractic students following instruction and assessment of CPR/BLS skills and knowledge as part of their undergraduate degree program. Design: Non-experimental exploratory survey to determine perceived ability and knowledge of CPR/BLS following completion of CPR/BLS instruction. Setting: University Health Sciences School. Subjects: 87 third year undergraduate nursing and 43 fourth year undergraduate chiropractic students at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Main outcome measure: The level of knowledge of CPR/BLS was assessed via the number of correct responses to questions regarding CPR/BLS. A visual analogue scale was used for the students to score their self rated perceived knowledge and skill. Results: The majority of students (78%) felt they were well prepared to perform CPR/BLS, however there were deficiencies in both groups with regards to knowledge of current guidelines.