Team CPR: Switch Every Two Minutes Without Stopping
In groups of three, students keep CPR going on a cushion or manikin for several minutes, switching every two minutes with almost no pause, as current guidelines recommend. They feel firsthand how tiring quality compressions are and why rescuers take turns.
How to play
- Technique review: center of the chest, straight arms, about 5–6 cm (2–2.4 in) deep on a real adult, full recoil, 100–120 per minute, cycles of 30 compressions and 2 simulated breaths (5 min).
- Practice the switch: the person compressing counts '28, 29, 30' while the next rescuer gets set on the other side to take over without losing time (5 min).
- Six-minute block with the metronome: each person does two minutes while the third times and calls the switch (6 min).
- Second six-minute block without the metronome; the timer also checks rhythm and arms (6 min).
- Final challenge: each trio does three switches and counts the seconds lost on each, aiming for under five (5 min).
- Reflection: how the fatigue felt and what would happen with only one rescuer (3 min).
Rules
- Compressions only on a cushion or manikin, never on a classmate.
- Simulate the breaths by leaning in without putting your mouth on the cushion.
- Knees on the mat to protect your joints.
- If anyone feels dizzy or their wrists hurt, they stop and become the timer.
Variations
Easier
One-minute turns and compressions only.
Standard
Two minutes per person with 30:2 cycles.
Harder
Add an imaginary AED: on 'analyzing', nobody touches, then compressions restart immediately.
Adaptations
- Wrist or shoulder injury: be the permanent timer and coach the trio's technique.
- Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: the timer signals the switch with a shoulder tap and the metronome uses its light.
- Limited mobility: compress on a cushion placed on a table at the right height.
Learning goals
- Perform quality compressions over a sustained time.
- Switch rescuers quickly to minimize pauses.
- Understand the value of teamwork in CPR.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cushions: 10
- mats: 10
- stopwatches: 10
- speaker: 1
Teacher tip
Stack two firm cushions if they are thin; manikins are even better if your school has them. Remind students that anyone untrained or unwilling to give breaths can do compressions only (Hands-Only CPR). Common mistake: bending the elbows as fatigue sets in.
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