I have been on and qualified as a first aider a good couple of years back but your certificate expires after three years and I hadn't felt the need to renew it (silly me).
Companies here in South Africa are required by law to have staff trained in First Aid on site during office hours. We officially opened our Head Office in February this year and we have been getting all our ducks in a row and one of those ducks were getting staff trained in First Aid so we have First Aiders on site.
There were four of us at the office nominated to do the two day First Aid Level one course, we are only required to have 1 First Aider per every 100 staff members but because some of us travel for business we are not always all in the office together so hence my company opted to train a few people to ensure we have someone on site at all times who is able to administer first aid.
Accidents happen, and having trained staff on hand and a first aid kit means enhanced safety for all
I definitely wasn't going to decline this offer. Having a baby at home is another great reason to have this behind your name. We touched base on CPR at our antenatal classes last year before Camden arrived but I didn't feel confident at all to be able to handle a situation should something happen to him. Now, I DO!
Monday and Tuesday this week my colleague and I joined some other "students" at Clinical Dynamics for the extremely informative First Aid Level One training course.
Besides learning we had a good few laughs. Our facilitator, a qualified Paramedic was great. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable but he opened and closed each session with prayer - what a great way to start and end your day!
We learnt the following on the two days that we were on the course:
- The meaning of First Aid and the law
- First Aid at work
- Principles of First Aid
- Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
- The CPR C.A.B Method
- Steps to CPR
- The Recovery Position
- Primary Survey
- Secondary Survey
- Vital Signs
- Bleeding and different wounds and their classifications
- Nose bleeds and how to handle them
- What to do if someone is choking
- How to treat shock
- Fainting
- Different burns and their classifications and how to treat them
- Factures
- How to splint a fracture
- Sprains
- Skull Fractures
- Head Injuries
- Concussion
- How to use the AED ( Automated External Defribrillator)
- The first aid box at work
All in all it was a fun learning experience and I now feel confident to not only assist at work if something goes wrong but I am now able to help if something happens to Camden or anyone at home for that matter.
I will blog about:
- Steps to C.P.R for an infant/child
- Burns and their treatment
- Choking
- Fractures
- Fainting and
- How to treat for shock
