INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases are a group of diseases involving heart diseases and cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, both in the world, in Europe and in Croatia. In Europe annually, about four million people die of cardiovascular disease, accounting for 45% of the total number of deaths. Sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for a total of more than 60% of deaths in cardiovascular diseases. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Investigate the influence of three year education of nursing students on cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge and compare the difference in knowledge after the first year of study, the second year of study and the third year of study. And to explore the impact of additional education, length of work experience, and the impact of the workplace on knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research group has been made by student of the first, second and third year of the Faculty of Health Studies of the University of Rijeka. A total of 81 respondents were surveyed. Anonymous questionnaire made by the author of this research was used for the collected data. Statistical processing of the collected data was done using a personal computer, using the SPSS statistical program package (v20). Collected data are described and analyzed by different statistical methods depending on the type and distribution of the variables present in the analysis. RESULTS: There is a statistically significant difference in the accuracy of the answers between the first, second and third year studies. Additional education, workplace and length of work experience affect the accuracy of responses. CONCLUSION: The results of this research reveal clearly the insufficient level of knowledge of nurses and technicians about cardiopulmonary reanimation as well as the positive impact of nursing education through nursing studies. Training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be made more accessible to all nurses and technicians, and the recovery of acquired knowledge should be carried out more frequently so that the level of knowledge is always at satisfactory levels.