CPR Power Up: Revolutionizing Life-Saving Education for High School Students

This month, we want to highlight a program that gets high school students excited about learning life-saving skills in a fun and engaging way. CPR Power Up is an innovative program led by a team of healthcare professionals from the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Jillian Motiuk, a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Policy and Practice, a driving force behind this program, as well as University of Alberta Pediatrics faculty members Drs. Joseph Atallah, Jon Duff, Carolina Escudero and Natalie Anton, are hoping to transform CPR and AED training into a dynamic and engaging experience for Grade 10 students.

CPR Power Up combines cutting-edge technology and gamification to teach critical life-saving skills. Students begin with CardiacCrash™, an interactive video created by the Heart & Stroke Foundation, which immerses them in a real-life cardiac arrest scenario. They then move to hands-on training with Quality CPR (QCPR) manikins and AED devices, receiving real-time feedback to hone their skills.

The session culminates in a highly anticipated QCPR race simulation, where students compete to test their CPR techniques that is translated into racing ambulances on a large screen, making learning fun and impactful.

Since its launch, the program has trained nearly 1,100 students, thanks to partnerships with the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Laerdal Medical, the Heart & Stroke Foundation and Strathcona County Emergency Services.

For those responsible for implementing the program, the goal is simple: to prepare the next generation with the confidence and skills to save lives in their community. By turning essential training into an exciting and memorable experience, CPR Power Up ensures communities are safer and better equipped for the future.