Heartland CPR: Flashback: Oklahoma's Nursing Times (May 2013)

Nurses Find Comfort In Heartland CPR (appeared in Oklahoma's Nursing Times, May 2013)

When it comes to renewing a CPR certification, Ginger and Brian Davis have become the nurse's best friend. Maybe it's because of Brian's down-to-earth approach that takes the fear out of advanced CPR skills training. Or maybe it's the way Ginger follows up to remind nurses their certification is due and designs classes around their busy schedule.

Whatever the reason, the Davises have built Heartland CPR into a successful business that revolves around providing life-saving skills in a fun, friendly environment. "It was something that was badly needed in this field and I had the background in business and organization and scheduling," Ginger said, unfolding the story of how Heartland CPR was born in 2003. "You've got a lot of people in this business that are either a great teacher or a great organizer but nobody really brings the two together."

Brian is a firefighter/paramedic and EMS director for the Edmond Fire Department. Ginger has a background in logistics and management. After the birth of one of their children, Brian came home with the idea of starting a business teaching people who needed certification. Ginger thought it would be the kind of break she needed from the rat race until her youngest was old enough to go to school. "It started booming about the time I needed to go back to work," Ginger said. "It's definitely a full- time job now."

In the beginning, classes were offered at the Davis home. After one child moved out a bedroom was converted, a wall was knocked down and more space to train was created. Word quickly got out and Heartland's clientele has grown by leaps and bounds.

"Mostly nurses," Ginger said of Heartland's customers. "Many, many, many travel nurses. We get a lot of travel nurses that once they are about to expire they will schedule themselves through Oklahoma so they can attend a class."

So what keeps bringing people back? "He has a really unique way of teaching," Ginger says of her husband. "Some of the advanced classes are really difficult and they have scared people so much through the years. When we first started adding the advanced classes like ACLS and PALS, I literally spent most of my time on the phone counseling people. "They would call me crying that they knew they were going to fail and they had been to classes where the instructor was just mean to them and bullied them and failed them. That's just not his style. "He really finds a way to connect with people and help them learn and people love that."

Since 2003, the company has been providing American Heart Association training to the OKC metro area, statewide, and at times beyond Oklahoma's borders. From the beginning, Heartland CPR traveled to see customers and provided quality training at their location to fit their schedules. The company also offers certification training to others in the medical, dental and child care fields. Even families can take classes for basic CPR knowledge. The business has grown to include six instructors. The company's web site at www.HeartlandCPR.com is a wealth of information for classes and pricing.

Ginger estimates Heartland teaches close to 200 people each month and the focus is on making sure students actually understand what they're learning. Both acknowledge there are providers out there who "sell cards" by offering just quick run-throughs of the material. Brian figures if he falls over with a heart attack he would hope someone who just took his class would be able to act on what they've just been taught. Maybe that's why 75 percent of Heartland's business comes from word of mouth. "It just spreads like wildfire," Ginger says.