First aid

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Ok...Blondes thread about the bad accident made me wonder what I would have done to help. I vaguely remember some of my first aid training I did as part of my life saving medallion in the swimming pool at school...but I must be very rusty after 30 odd years...(and pretty odd they have been as well...).

Anybody here done a first aid course recently? As cycliosts maybe we should at least know the basics....

 

[summerdays]

Being sent on one soon, though considering the first aid kit I will be issued with afterwards I won't be able to do much. (Working with children - so can't even put on a plaster - I think I am allowed to give them a tissue and some water). I did it years ago in a previous job as I was one of the First Aiders at work - they still had silly rules then - like can't give anyone a headache tablet which was what the only first aid I did really in my 5 years there.
Know where you are and phone for help or organise someone else to do it first off, and prevent further injury (to the person, yourself and also any others around). Someone with more recent training will add more I'm sure.

 

[Amanda P]

St John Ambulance do some excellent courses. You can get the basics on a one-day course, or sign up for various longer courses.

If you have one, see if your employers needs/wants/can be bullied into training more first aiders (i.e. you). A First Aid at Work course takes about a week and leaves you fairly well prepared for most scenarios. If your employer has an automatic defibrillator, get trained on that too. (The main value of this is that you have to be refreshed in resuscitation every six months - that really makes it stick in your mind!)

Where I work we also do "scenario" training. On the training day, you work as normal, but are called to deal with a string of emergencies. You don't know what they are until you get there - and I can tell you some of the "victims'" acting is pretty convincing. There's gallons of fake blood (at least, I think it's fake) and they get someone who knows what they're doing to do make up and special effects. Afterwards, you're shaking!

But you learn from the experience. The most important thing, often, is simply to take control and be bossy. There's usually some bystanders (who don't always know it's an exercise) faffing about, arguing over what should be done. At least at work, as the First Aider (with a big green box), you can step in and say You do this, You run and do that, You hold this... and order emerges from the chaos. There's a sense of relief that someone's taken responsibility, and it's not them!

Anyway, returning to the question - if your employer won't pay, get yourself to St John's. Often they team up with local adult eductation organisations, so you can do it that way. Hopefully, you'll never need that training, but it's good insurance.

 

[Blonde]

I did my first aid at work certificate about four or five years ago. 'Tis out of date now of course - A refresher course must be redone every two years (or three, if you start from scratch again). I changed jobs so never got the chance to update or re-take the course. I know that with CPR, the number of chest compressions to breaths you're supposed to give is different now, from when I did it. I'd like to do the course again actually, but I know that many people don't want to do the training courses these days for fear of litigation.

Regarding the rules etc- well, the first aid at work courses are about what to do as a first step (before the emergency services arrive) and it's emergency situations only. Headaches etc aren't really emergencies so aren't covered. Plasters aren't used because many people are allergic to them. You don't need plasters to stop bleeding though or to hold on a bandage.

 

[Arch]

I suspect that like many, I know the basics from public education (anyone remember the little ten minute programmes fronted by Jimmy Saville, back in the 80's?) but haven't had any formal training, and may well be out of date.

I suspect that the main thing about formal training, like Uncle Phil says, is to instill the confidence to take charge - not just for the sake of other onlookers, but for the victim.

Stupidly, a couple of years ago, I signed up to do a day course, and then got my dates mixed up and missed it... Some use I'd be!

First aid should be a compulsory subject at secondary school: Discuss....

 

[Blonde]

It was at ours - P.S.E. (Personal and Social Education) when we were in our GCSE years - it held no qualification, but we still had to do it. I remember something about sexual health and wiring a plug too.... though they weren't necessarily related!

I think now they have 'citizenship education' or something - I assume it's a similar thing anyway.

The thing is that the best practice advice from the BMA and health professionals changes, according to new research, so you have to keep updating your training or you could be doing something that, at best, will not help, and at worst, make things worse for the patient.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

First aid should be a compulsory subject at secondary school: Discuss....

The first problem would be stopping adolescent giggling when they see the "doll" that is used for recusitation exercises.

 

[Arch]

The first problem would be stopping adolescent giggling when they see the "doll" that is used for recusitation exercises.

Show 'em a few on the spot videos of real accident scenes taken by emergency services. Might shut them up AND bring home the consequences of bad driving/irresponsible behaviour etc...

Blonde - we had PSE too, but I don't remember any of it actually being useful stuff, for us it was all stuff like team building and trust (falling back and trusting someone to catch you type stuff. I'm the sort of person people don't catch, for a laugh...) Oh and we had careers talks, the ones I remember being from the Forces, who came and told us all the things women weren't allowed to do in the Services back then (and we were a girls school!)

 

[bonj2]

I was never really into first aid, didn't see the point. Preferred to just stick to the swimming. And swimming in pyjamas, never saw the point in that either. I do know how to put someone in the recovery position though and how to give mouth to mouth resuscitation - and it frustrates me the amount of scenes you see on tv where somebody heroically saves someone's life with it and their HEAD'S IN THE WRONG POSITION! No air is going to go into their lungs with their chin almost resting on their chest, and yet it still apparently works! It's so frustrating - you'd think they'd at least bother to do a bit of research. It's not just like blowing up a balloon.

 

[Melvil]

Our work organised a day's training course for a group of us to be 'emergency' first aiders...seemed quite informative and instructive but I'd still want the professionals to arrive as soon as humanly possible. I very much doubt a real emergency is as neat and contained as in the training room.

 

[stevenb]

receievd comprehensive First aid training when I was in the Police.
Watched videos, various interactive assesments, scenario, role play, theory, talks etc etc.
This was in April this year. Got a shiny brochure too.
Excellent stuff to know....although I hope I never have to use it.

 

[bonj2]

Our work organised a day's training course for a group of us to be 'emergency' first aiders...seemed quite informative and instructive but I'd still want the professionals to arrive as soon as humanly possible. I very much doubt a real emergency is as neat and contained as in the training room.

I always feel sorry for the woman in morrisons standing there very proudly with a green first-aid bum-bag on with a white cross on it, they look so bored with the fact that day after day nothing happens. I almost get the urge to collapse just so they can pounce.

 

[Melvil]

I always feel sorry for the woman in morrisons standing there very proudly with a green first-aid bum-bag on with a white cross on it, they look so bored with the fact that day after day nothing happens. I almost get the urge to collapse just so they can pounce.

A secret fantasy, Bonj?

 

[Amanda P]

... many people don't want to do the training courses these days for fear of litigation.

Sadly that's true. But there is a solution. My employer buys insurance against first aiders' "vicitms" suing us, whether we're at work at the time of an incident or not (and that's very reassuring, particularly if you work in the field a lot and it's not clear whether you are actually "at work" there. I once helped a farm worker who'd fallen off the back of a moving machine. Was that Official Business? No-one knows, but it'd have been churlish to stand by and do nothing. As it was, he broke two ribs and was in a lot of pain, was very grateful (and helpful with my work) afterwards - and didn't sue).

It's not particularly expensive, and it completely removes any fear of "what if he sues me?".

If your employer won't buy it, you can buy it for yourself. I think it's around £20 a year.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I was never really into first aid, didn't see the point. Preferred to just stick to the swimming. And swimming in pyjamas, never saw the point in that either.

I big motivating factor for me at that age was that I was th eonly bloke in a group of girls