WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF PUMPIN' CHEST CPR?

Meet Robyn Wagner

"Your personal experienced instructor..."

Where did the name Pumpin' Chest CPR come from?

Welcome to becoming a First Responder.

In EMS, paramedics and other first responders commonly use the phrase “pumpin’ chest” when referring to performing chest compressions during CPR.

But being a First Responder is more than a job title. It is about being the first person to recognize an emergency, respond, and take action when seconds matter.

That person can be you.

I bring 16 years of experience as a First Responder and EMT/Paramedic, including 12 years spent on an ambulance responding to 911 calls involving emergencies of every degree.

I have cared for patients in cardiac arrest, from infants to older adults. I have treated people involved in devastating motor vehicle crashes—the kind you may pass on the interstate and wonder how anyone survived. I have responded to patients experiencing mental and emotional crises and to people struggling to breathe in the middle of the night, frightened and desperately looking for help.

And sometimes, the emergency was not something that could be fixed with a medication, procedure, or piece of equipment. Sometimes, a patient simply needed someone to listen, offer reassurance, or hold their hand.

I was there for all of it.

Those years taught me something that no textbook alone can teach: emergencies happen fast, they happen anywhere, and the person standing closest to the patient may be the most important person in those first few minutes.

That is why I teach.

I want to pass along the tools, skills, knowledge, confidence, and real-world experience I have gained so that you are not left wondering what to do when an emergency happens in front of you.

You do not have to be a paramedic to make a difference.

You just have to be prepared to recognize what is happening, respond with confidence, and take action.

You are the First Responder.

You are the first person to take action.

And at Pumpin’ Chest CPR, my goal is to make sure you are ready when that moment comes—while making the learning experience engaging, memorable, and even fun along the way.

My experience goes beyond being a paramedic and beyond being a certified CPR instructor. I have instructed courses through the AHA and led instructor classes for new instructors. I have passed my skills on to EMTs and paramedics on their first day of ever seeing, touching, or performing in an environment that is unpredictable, unimaginably horrific, and impossible for anyone outside of it to fully understand.

I have worked more hours in one week than some people work in three weeks. Even while fatigued, eating meals while responding to emergencies, or sleeping in the front seat to get whatever rest I could, I maintained a high level of care, decision-making, agility, and urgency. I treated every patient with care and kindness, as if they were my own family, regardless of the true level of the emergency. 

I have performed acrobatics in the back of an ambulance to keep patients alive while traveling down a bumpy interstate at 80 mph. I have lifted patients three times my weight without hesitation, and I have sacrificed every aspect of my life to dedicate myself to our communities because I wanted to be the paramedic who responded, treated, and transported!

WHY I CREATED PUMPIN' CHEST CPR

My passion has graduated from responding to teaching others how to respond.

My dream of working in emergency medicine began when I was a young child. I wanted to become a trauma doctor, so I did the next best thing!

Now, my passion has evolved from responding to patients on the worst day of their lives and working to save them, to passing the knowledge and experience I have gained on to our communities and businesses.

I have the knowledge, experience, and understanding of which techniques make a CPR class successful! I am committed to ensuring that my students leave my classes with the confidence and competence to perform the skills I have passed on to them in any situation.

Many people who receive CPR training and certification leave the classroom unable to react and respond during an actual emergency. They experience hesitation, fear, and a lack of confidence in their ability to perform.

This motivated me to create Pumpin' Chest CPR-to change the CPR certification experience and class outcome by making training skills-focused and teaching the critical reason why CPR matters.