One-Pager
NREMT Cardiac Arrest and AED Skill: Step by Step
The EMT cardiac arrest station: recognize arrest, high-quality CPR, safe AED use and handing off compressions
Download one-page PDFLetter landscape, ready to print or keep with your notes
NREMT cardiac arrest and AED skill: what it tests
The NREMT cardiac arrest management station tests whether you can recognize arrest quickly, deliver high-quality CPR, use an AED safely and keep compressions going with as few pauses as possible. You usually work with an assistant who does what you tell them.
Step by step
- Protective equipment on; scene safe.
- Check responsiveness; call for help and the AED.
- Check breathing and a carotid pulse together, no longer than 10 seconds. Gasping is not breathing.
- No pulse: start compressions immediately while your partner brings and opens the AED.
- Bare the chest and place the pads as the pictures show, without stopping compressions.
- Let the AED analyze: everyone off the patient.
- Shock advised: say "clear", look that no one is touching, and press shock.
- Resume compressions immediately after the shock (or after a no-shock message) for 2 minutes.
- Reanalyze every 2 minutes; swap compressors at each analysis.
High-quality CPR numbers
| Element | Adult target |
|---|---|
| Rate | 100 to 120 per minute |
| Depth | At least 2 in (5 cm), not more than 2.4 in (6 cm) |
| Recoil | Full recoil; do not lean on the chest |
| Ratio without advanced airway | 30 compressions to 2 breaths |
| Each breath | Over 1 second, visible chest rise |
| Pauses | Under 10 seconds |
AED safety
- Dry, bare chest; shave the pad sites if the chest is very hairy.
- Remove medication patches from the pad sites and wipe the skin.
- Keep pads off an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator bulge; place them beside it or go front and back.
- Move the patient off standing water; no one touches the patient or stretcher during analysis or shock.
Critical-fail themes
- A slow start to compressions once there is no pulse.
- Long interruptions, especially before and after the shock.
- Shocking while someone is touching the patient.
- Checking a pulse instead of restarting compressions right after a shock.
- Compressions too shallow, too slow or without full recoil.
- Breaths that are too forceful or too long.
In depth
The one-page summary above is what the PDF prints. These sections go further.
Directing your assistant
- Give clear jobs: "You take compressions; I will set up the AED."
- Use closed-loop speech: "Stop compressions for analysis." "Compressions stopped."
- Plan the swap before analysis so the new compressor is ready.
- Ventilate with a bag-valve mask at 30:2, or follow your protocol for passive oxygenation with an oral airway and a non-rebreather early in the arrest.
Children and infants
With two rescuers, a child or infant gets 15 compressions to 2 breaths; a lone rescuer uses 30:2. Use pediatric pads or a dose attenuator if the AED has one; if not, use adult pads, placed front and back if they would overlap.
Exam pearls
- Compressions and early defibrillation save lives; the airway can wait a few cycles in adults.
- Count compressions out loud so the examiner hears the rate.
- After the last cycle, tell the examiner what you would do next: continue CPR, request ALS and prepare to move.
Practice free in your browser2,450+ exam-style questions with rationales. No account, no ads. Also free on the App Store and Google Play.
Related one-pagers
- EMS Patient AssessmentScene to handoff for EMT and paramedic: XABCDE, history, GCS, reassessment, reports
- EMT By-Complaint Quick PagesWhat the EMT looks for, gives and calls ALS for, and where to transport, for common EMT complaints
- EMT: Soft-Tissue and Musculoskeletal TraumaBleeding control, impaled objects, eviscerations, amputations, splinting, traction splints, pelvic binders, crush and mechanism of injury
- EMS OperationsScene hazards, hazmat, infection control, ambulance and air operations, ICS, legal duties and privacy, at EMT scope
- Common EMS MedicationsClass, use, typical adult dose and key cautions for 21 prehospital drugs, with EMT-scope drugs marked
- Prehospital Stroke and STEMIStroke and LVO screens, last known well, destination, 12-lead, STEMI times, and aspirin and nitro cautions for EMT and paramedic
Sources
- National Association of State EMS Officials. National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines, Version 3.0. March 2022. Cardiac Arrest (VF/VT/Asystole/PEA). Link
- Jang YS, Cho GC, Cho Y, et al. 2025 Korean Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Part 3. Adult basic life support. Clin Exp Emerg Med. 2026;13(Suppl 1):S18-S31. Link
- Lee JE, Kim M, Choi EK, et al. Updated pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a comprehensive review of the 2025 guidelines. Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2026;21(2):150-161. Link