What do you learn in a First Aid Course?
Location: Level 5, Suite 17
At the core of what you’ll learn in an accredited Australian First Aid course is how to respond to an emergency involving injury or sudden illness. The importance of this knowledge cannot be overstated.
Grasping valuable First Aid knowledge should not be a struggle. So it’s important also that your First Aid trainer has the right mix of skills to make sure instruction is delivered in an effective, enlightening, and engaging manner.
It’s likely you’d come to your practical session for face-to-face First Aid training having read the relevant sections of your First Aid manual. As a bonus, it includes informative material for all the courses. The sections that are relevant for you are determined by the course you signed up for.
In the face-to-face session, your First Aid instructor will take you through scenarios likely to happen in real life. They will probably also mention other scenarios — scenarios that might surprise you but they are introduced simply to illustrate the nature of the unexpected. And isn’t that the whole idea? To be prepared in the face of the unexpected?
The Scope of First Aid Emergencies
Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes. You’d be forgiven for thinking your First Aid course could not come close to covering the many possibilities. But it will.
For every possible instance, there IS a procedure. This is not to say First Aiders are knights in white armour, rising to all challenges and prevailing even in the most horrendous of circumstances. As with every field of human endeavour, the outcomes are not always those we wish for.
Regardless, dealing with any and all situations is the goal of your First Aid training. It won’t give you super powers and it certainly doesn’t earn you a medical degree, but you’ll come away with many invaluable benefits.
DRSABCD
DRSABCD is the strategy for handling emergency medical situations. What’s more, it’s a strategy without borders and adhered to all around the world. In order, the acronym expands as follows:
D for Danger. Checking the surroundings at the scene is vital. You need to assess whether there’s any immediate threat to injured person/s, bystanders, or yourself. This could be anything from flames to live wires, passing vehicles, or a violent person. Avoid this D step and the complications could suddenly multiply.
R is for Response. You want to know if the person is able to respond to you. It’s here in order, because it will determine the actions taken in the steps that follow.
S is for Send for Help. It may take some time before professional medical care arrives, so better you alert them sooner rather than later.
A is for Airway. Breathing is compromised if the person’s airway is obstructed. You need to check this and clear any obstructions without delay. In the scheme of things, we’re a matter of seconds in — not a lot of time has been used to get to this point.
B is for Breathing. Check that the person is breathing. So B follows hard on the heels of A. If they are not breathing, proceed immediately to C.
C is for CPR. Your First Aid training will help prepare you for this. It’s an absolute life-saver and comes into play on many occasions — especially after cardiac arrests and near-drownings.
D is for Defibrillator. An AED (automated external defibrillator) can sometimes be accessed at the scene. And sometimes it’s not until the paramedics arrive, that an AED becomes available. This device shares duties with CPR and is used specifically to jumpstart the heart. If you are the First Aider, learning what AEDs are capable of, and how to use them, would be included in your training.
Every aspect of this DRSABCD strategy will be discussed in your First Aid training. Your familiarity with it will help you align your thoughts under pressure. Then in an emergency, you’ll have a cool head, when everyone else seems to be losing theirs.
Calm assurance will prove highly beneficial for both the patient, others at the scene, and yourself.
Emergency Response Procedures
As mentioned previously, you’ll be taught CPR in your First Aid training.
To take part in Australia Wide First Aid courses, you’ll perform the CPR procedure on a mannikin positioned on the floor. You’ll be kneeling over the mannikin and you’ll need to be capable of keeping the momentum going for 2 minutes solid.
You’ll be shown the correct procedure for performing CPR on adults, children and infants. The developing anatomy of children and infants requires adjustment to the technique. You will benefit by learning to manage this confidently.
You’ll learn CPR with breaths being given after 30 chest compressions. Where potential infection is a concern, you’ll also discuss the value of compression-only CPR.
You’ll also be shown how the conductive pads for Automated External Defibrillators are applied safely, including how to position them on the smaller bodies of children.
Treating Wounds
Your First Aid learning also includes wound care — from treating cuts, bruises, eye injuries, and burns, through to bandaging sprains and dislocations.
The different categories for burns will become clear and you’ll understand why dislocations aren’t simply ‘popped’ back into place.
You’ll be shown procedures that are best when there’s been an injury to the neck, spine, or head.
Breathing and Choking
After studying First Aid, you’ll know what do when a person is choking or otherwise unable to breathe —adults as well as babies. You’ll learn the recommended procedure for clearing the person’s airway.
You’ll also gain an insight into the nature of asthma and anaphylaxis. These two afflictions, often with similar symptoms, escalate quickly. Timely First Aid assistance is essential.
Poisoning
When a person’s health declines as a result of poisoning, the substance that caused it may not be apparent. Did the person ingest the toxin? Did they inject it? Were they stung? Were they bitten?
Your First Aid course explores all these possibilities. It will also run through the procedures for each.
It’s unlikely that poisoning from a funnel web spider bite would respond to the treatment for ingesting a chemical poison. Without this training, how would you know what your next move would be?
Scanning Your Surrounds
Along with preparing you to respond to unexpected medical emergencies — ranging from stings to strokes, from sprains to seizures, from hypothermia to hyperthermia, from hypoglycemia to hyperglycemia — studying First Aid also enables you to make sensible assessments of your surroundings.
Thanks to your new-found First Aid knowledge, the potential for injury in a workplace, as well as in your home, can be quickly assessed and rectified. Awareness to dangerous situations plays a significant role in prevention of medical emergencies.
Flexible First Aid Training
With Australia Wide First Aid, one-on-one First Aid instruction is available… at any of 2 dozen venues around Australia. The second possibility is to have one of the company’s exceptional trainers come right to your premises and deliver a group First Aid class.
For businesses, this means that the training can be customised to suit the workplace. This would benefit a business that has lots of chemicals on-site, or where staff work with power tools, at heights, as well as many other situations.
Once you enroll in a course with Australia Wide First Aid, you’ll be able to download your First Aid manual in eBook form. The relevant sections of the manual to read will depend on the course you signed up for. And if you’re thirsty for knowledge, it doesn’t take much extra effort to read the eBook in its entirety.
It’s definitely worth reading your First Aid eBook. But what if you’re really strapped for time? Well, you could save the reading for later. In the meantime, you’re free to use your First Aid eBook as a handy reference to quickly find the answers while smashing out your eLearning assessment.
This online assessment is a breeze. You’ll find its collection of multiple-choice answers and true or false questions straightforward and easy to tackle over several short sessions, or in one hit.
Take as many attempts as you need to arrive at the correct answers. In the event you are unsure about your answer, the process of eliminating the wrong answers will expose the reasoning for the correct answers.
When your eLearning questionnaire is completed, you will have scored 100%. It’s best not to leave your eLearning until the last moment. It’s far less stressful to just get it done. However, you do have until 11:59 pm the night before your first aid class to submit your assessment.
The regulatory bodies insist that your eLearning must be completed before the face-to-face training. If you try to attend the face-to-face session without having submitted your eLearning, you’d be turned away and would need to rebook the practical workshop… another reason it’s less stressful to just get it done.
Your First Aid Certificate
First Aid certification is not just a way to become a more valuable member of your community, it’s also a genuine career booster.
A First Aid certificate tells employers that your focus also includes the people around you. It tells more about your ability to give of yourself than most other certificates.
Australia Wide First Aid certificates are recognised in every state and territory in Australia. In the competitive job market, the holder of a First Aid certificate has definite advantages.
Graduates of any First Aid course, simply do refresher courses to keep their qualifications intact and up-to-date. CPR (HLTAID001) should be renewed annually. Provide First Aid (HLTAID003) certificates are renewed every 3 years.
