First aid is emergency medical care provided by non-professionals during emergency situations. There are many different kinds of emergency situations. Some are minor incidences that only require first aid treatment. Other cases are very serious and require the care of trained medical professionals in order to prevent death. First aid is usually required in situations, where there is no medical equipment. So the first aid processes usually do with minimal equipment. There are many reasons why people who are not trained health care professionals should take first aid classes. One of the most important reasons is that you never know when you will be in a life or death situation, where your skills can potentially save someone's life.
Anyone can get training in first aid classes. It is good for everyone to have these skills, but the people who are in most need of them are policemen, women, teachers, day-care workers and nannies. Other people who should have these skills are hotel staff and airplane crews. These are people who work in professions, where they have to help and serve people every day. To find out if there are any first aid classes nearby, you can do a simple search on the internet. Ideally you should find out through your local clinic, hospital or personal doctor, as they will be able to direct you to qualified and certified first aid teachers. You have to make sure that the classes you attend are taught by people with a lot of training and experience, and are also certified to teach others. This is important because if you do not receive the right training, you could potentially harm people more than you could help them. Once you have completed the first aid classes, you will be provided with a certificate to show that you have completed your training, and are now a trained first aid service provider. So what can you expect to learn in first aid classes? Most first aid courses include two sections; the theoretical education and the practical training.
- You will learn the basics, which include putting on an adhesive bandage.
- One of the most important things that you will learn is how to determine injuries, and then how to go about treating them while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
- How to apply pressure onto an injury to prevent it from bleeding further.
- You will also learn the more serious procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This procedure is serious, as it could result in further injuries to the injured individual.
- How to treat burns.
- Treating sprains and fractures.
- You will learn how to put splints onto legs, arms and hands.
There are some organizations that provide first aid classes for free, and then there are others that charge small fees. This does not determine a difference in the quality of the training. Usually when fees are charged, it is to run the organization operational so that they can continue to provide the classes and other services. The only differences may be in the method of teaching and the size of the class, but the skills that you learn will remain the same, no matter where you take your classes. Once you have received your certificate, it is important that you regularly attend refresher courses so that you can remind yourself of everything that you have learned. If you never came across the situations where you have to use your skills, since you first took the course, then this refresher course will help you to re-collect the procedures. Also, you have to be able to keep up with the latest developments in first aid as there are always new methods and skills that are being developed.