Written by Benjamin Law – Canberra Times
Most of us don’t know how we’ll react in a crisis until it happens.
Years ago, when cutting pumpkin on a slippery surface, I almost sliced right through my fingerprint and watched myself bleed like a Quentin Tarantino character before it even occurred to me to call an ambulance. My friend Kirsty, when faced with a snake, tried to scream in horror, only to find all she was capable of producing was a mute wheeze, like a deflating air mattress.
And if you haven’t had training and something bad happens, you could make things worse. It’s been years since I originally did my St John’s Ambulance first aid certificate, and when I think of all the kids in my life nowadays, it makes me shudder to think that I – Uncle Ben, the unco moron who could barely reverse-park until his late 20s – could be the difference between life, disability and death.
If you do first aid with St John’s now, you’re required to do an online training module beforehand that takes several hours. It’s unexpectedly fun, although the photographic models in the material that re-enact choking, wounds and burns prove so hilarious, it’s almost distracting. (Apparently it’s hard to realistically act like you’re having a stroke.)
On the day of training, our teacher is Rhonda-Lee, a quick to-laugh, flame-haired, no-bullshit nurse who has been with St John’s for two decades. We’re not expected to come out of this as medical professionals, Rhonda-Lee clarifies. “First aid is exactly that,” she says. “You’re the first aid until professional help arrives. Keep them breathing; stop them bleeding. Everything else is buttons and bows.” Rhonda-Lee’s benchmark is that she’d be confident letting one of us treat her kids if they were sick or injured. “And I like my kids,” she says. “Well, at least I do today.”
Over seven hours, we learn that if someone’s choking, get them to bend over and deliver five sharp, powerful blows between their shoulders. If someone has a sprain or strain, remember RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). If someone is unresponsive, unconscious and not breathing, CPR is essential. By the end, most of us are exhausted yet weirdly exhilarated.
In fact, we can now address several medical emergencies at once. Someone is stung by a bee, has an anaphylactic reaction and trips while looking for their epi-pen, causing them to bleed profusely with possible fractures? We know what to do! “Well done, everyone,” Rhonda-Lee says, proud. “I hope you never have to use what you learnt today.”
A true article and reflection on a first aid course in Canberra. Make sure you come and join a first aid course in Canberra in the future not only o St Johns run these courses but many other first aid providers. At Canberra First Aid we run a well priced and excellent first aid course in Canberra so check out our upcoming dates and book in to the best first aid course in Canberra as soon a s possible. We look frward to training you.