Learn the vocabulary behind CPR, AED use, airway management, choking response, emergency activation, and basic emergency care.

BLS and CPR training uses a large amount of specialized vocabulary in a short period of time. Terms such as agonal gasps, airway support, AED, compression-to-ventilation ratio, cyanosis, recoil, rescue breathing, shockable rhythm, and two-thumb technique can make a simple sequence feel more complicated than it is. Zombie Notes BLS Terminology is a two-page alphabetical glossary built to make that language easier to review.

About This Study Chart

The chart covers anatomy and pulse-location terms, airway maneuvers and ventilation equipment, CPR and AED terminology, emergency-system activation, choking response, first-aid and trauma vocabulary, and the age-group language used in basic life support. It also includes common hospital and prehospital terms such as EMS, EMT, paramedic, telemetry, triage, tertiary facility, and DNR.

Because the entries are short and alphabetical, the chart is meant to sit beside a larger BLS learning resource. When a term is unfamiliar, the learner can find it quickly, get a concise definition, and continue studying. Repeated lookup gradually turns unfamiliar language into working vocabulary.

What You’ll Find Inside

• CPR and resuscitation vocabulary: Definitions cover CPR, cardiac arrest, high-quality CPR, recoil, resuscitation, ventilation, compression ratios, and shockable rhythms.
• Airway and choking terms: Airway support, head-tilt chin-lift, jaw thrust, abdominal thrusts, back slaps, finger sweep, obstruction, and related terminology are included.
• AED and electrical concepts: AED, defibrillation, joules, and pacemaker language help connect basic life support with emergency cardiac care.
• Age-group and pulse-site language: Infant, child, neonate, brachial artery, carotid artery, femoral artery, and common CPR technique terms appear throughout the glossary.
• Emergency-system and provider terms: EMS, EMT, paramedic, first responder, Good Samaritan law, triage, and facility-level terminology broaden the context.
• General first-aid and trauma vocabulary: Abrasion, contusion, laceration, sprain, splints, trauma, and related terms extend the chart beyond CPR alone.

Who It Helps

• First-time BLS or CPR students who are learning the terminology as well as the skills.
• Nursing and allied-health students who need a compact emergency-care glossary.
• Learners reviewing adult, child, and infant BLS concepts before class or renewal.
• Instructors who want a supplemental reference for clarifying common BLS vocabulary.

How Zombie Notes Work

Use the glossary during study rather than trying to memorize it in one sitting. When a term appears in your provider manual or skills lesson, find it on the chart and connect the definition to the action or scenario where it is used. That context is what turns vocabulary into usable knowledge.

For procedural review, pair this terminology chart with Zombie Notes BLS Certification Exam Prep. The glossary explains the words; the certification-prep chart organizes the adult, child, and infant sequences those words describe.

Update and Reference Note

Core definitions may remain useful, but BLS terminology, age-group conventions, device guidance, and resuscitation recommendations can change. The underlying chart should be reviewed against current authoritative BLS sources before the website presents it as current.

About the Authors

Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN, is a nurse practitioner, healthcare educator, and author whose teaching focuses on making complex clinical material easier to organize, review, and remember. Her Zombie Notes Study Charts use concise explanations, visual structure, and repeated high-yield relationships to support students, nurses, and other healthcare professionals as they study certification and clinical-review material.

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr., is a writer, publisher, and co-creator of the Zombie Notes Study Charts. Through The Mindful Nurse Press, he works alongside Michele to turn complex clinical material into clear, well-organized study tools, handling the design, production, and publishing that bring each chart to healthcare students and professionals.

Product Details

• Title: BLS, CPR & First Aid Terminology
• Series: Zombie Notes Study Charts
• Subtitle: A Test Prep Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Students
• Authors: Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN
• Publisher: Dickson Keanaghan, LLC
• Imprint: The Mindful Nurse Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Format: Ebook / Digital Study Guide
• Print Edition: None — Ebook Only
• Ebook ISBN: 979-8-90706-019-7
• Language: English

Educational Note

This independent study chart is an educational and supplemental review resource. It is not an official American Heart Association product and does not replace required provider manuals, course materials, hands-on skills training, instructor guidance, institutional policy, local protocols, medical direction, or clinical judgment. Medication, device, resuscitation, and treatment information should always be checked against current authoritative sources and applicable local requirements.