What Are the 7 Steps of CPR?

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A seven-step CPR list is useful because it gives a chaotic emergency a clear order. The number itself is not magic; the sequence is what matters.

The exact teaching format can vary a little depending on the class or chart you learned from, but the steps below capture the basic public response flow this question is trying to pin down.

Use this as a mental map. What matters in an actual emergency is not reciting the number back to yourself. It is recognizing what is happening and moving through the sequence without freezing.

1. Check the Scene and the Person

Make sure the area is safe enough to approach. You do not help anyone by getting hurt on the way in. Once it is reasonably safe, go to the person and check for responsiveness.

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Tap and shout to see if the person responds. This is the first dividing line in the whole response. An awake, responsive person needs a different kind of help than someone who is completely unresponsive on the ground.

2. Call 911 or Send Someone to Call

If the person is unresponsive, call 911 or point to someone specific and direct them to call. In a crowded scene, “someone call 911” is weaker than “you in the blue shirt, call 911 now.”

A direct command works better than hoping the crowd sorts itself out. If an AED is nearby, send someone for that too, because CPR and early defibrillation belong in the same response whenever possible.

3. Check for Normal Breathing

If the person is not breathing normally or is only gasping, the response needs to move into CPR. This moment costs bystanders time more often than they realize.

Gasping is not normal breathing. It can look like the person is trying to breathe, but it does not mean the situation is stable. If the person is unresponsive and only gasping, treat it like cardiac arrest and move forward.

4. Start Chest Compressions

Begin compressions once you have confirmed the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally. Place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the breastbone, put your other hand on top, interlace your fingers, and keep your arms straight so your body weight does the work. Push at 100 to 120 compressions per minute, at least 2 inches deep for an adult, and let the chest fully recoil between compressions. This is the part of CPR that turns abstract knowledge into physical skill, which is why hands-on training matters so much.

5. Get an AED if One Is Available

If an AED is nearby, bring it into the response as quickly as possible. You do not wait for CPR to be “finished,” because CPR is not a one-step event. It continues while the AED becomes part of the rescue.

CPR and AED use belong together in cardiac arrest. The sooner the AED gets there, the sooner the rhythm can be checked and the responder can stop guessing about what comes next.

6. Follow the AED Prompts

Turn on the AED, apply the pads to the bare chest, clear the patient when told, and follow the instructions the machine gives. Public AEDs are built for this kind of guided use. You do not need to interpret the rhythm yourself.

The AED handles the rhythm-analysis part that the rescuer cannot do alone. If a shock is advised, stay clear and then get right back to CPR when the device tells you to continue. If no shock is advised, you still keep moving. “No shock advised” is not a stopping point.

7. Keep Going Until Help Takes Over

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Continue CPR and AED-guided care until EMS takes over or the person shows clear signs of life. The final step is less about a dramatic finish and more about staying steady when the rescue starts to feel repetitive or exhausting.

A seven-step list is still just a list until you have practiced the compressions, the AED, and the handoffs in class. The list helps you picture the sequence. Practice is what makes the sequence usable when the pressure is high.

FAQ

Because the response is easier to remember in a clear order. A numbered list gives the emergency a shape when the scene feels chaotic.

No. Different teaching formats may phrase the steps a little differently or combine two actions into one step.

The core response still follows the same general order: check, call, assess breathing, start CPR, use the AED, and keep going until help takes over.

Recognizing that the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping.

At that point, the response should shift from assessment into action: call 911, start CPR, and bring in the AED as soon as one is available.

It comes into the response as soon as one is available, usually after CPR has already started. You turn it on, place the pads, and follow the prompts without abandoning compressions any longer than necessary.

No. Reading helps, but hands-on practice makes the sequence much more usable.

The AHA BLS CPR class teaches the steps in practice. At that point, the sequence stops being a list on a page and starts feeling like something you can perform under pressure.

Practice them in class so the order feels more automatic under stress.

If you want the steps with more depth behind them, complete CPR technique guide and hands-only CPR are good follow-ups.

If you want the 7 steps to feel like more than a list you once read, start with the AHA BLS CPR class. It gives you hands-on CPR and AED practice so the order is something you can use under pressure.

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