Day 163 - First Aid
Today's Tip - Consider splitting up for your first aid class
I talked about the definite need for taking a first aid class in a previous post. My wife and I had our first session today, where we learned infant and child rescue breathing and CPR.
We sort of wish just one of us had went and taught the other one when we got home. Our Red Cross instructor pretty much just read to us out of a book, and we got a little practice on the dummies. But, he didn't have breathing barriers for us. Since we didn't really feel like making out with every single person who had ever put their mouth on those ancient dummies, we passed on the breathing.
We could have just as easily split up and each taken a different course on different topics and shared the knowledge. And we could have brought the books home and done it ourselves.
That was just our experience though. Others might have a really great instructor, and breathing barriers, and that makes the class entirely worth it. Or, if you're a day care provider or pre-schoolteacher, you do need to take the class. But splitting up to divide and conquer is something to consider, and I definitely feel we could have benefited by taking a different class and expanding the knowledge between us.
Parenting, First, Aid, Hurt, Red, Cross
I talked about the definite need for taking a first aid class in a previous post. My wife and I had our first session today, where we learned infant and child rescue breathing and CPR.
We sort of wish just one of us had went and taught the other one when we got home. Our Red Cross instructor pretty much just read to us out of a book, and we got a little practice on the dummies. But, he didn't have breathing barriers for us. Since we didn't really feel like making out with every single person who had ever put their mouth on those ancient dummies, we passed on the breathing.
We could have just as easily split up and each taken a different course on different topics and shared the knowledge. And we could have brought the books home and done it ourselves.
That was just our experience though. Others might have a really great instructor, and breathing barriers, and that makes the class entirely worth it. Or, if you're a day care provider or pre-schoolteacher, you do need to take the class. But splitting up to divide and conquer is something to consider, and I definitely feel we could have benefited by taking a different class and expanding the knowledge between us.
Parenting, First, Aid, Hurt, Red, Cross
posted by Jeff Pfaller at 7:27 PM
2 Comments:
I'm sorry to hear you got a bad instructor, but as someone who has been taking Red Cross CPR/First Aid courses for over 10 years now let me just say that it IS worth taking the course if you can find a good instructor. The practice part is what counts because it builds muscle memory allowing your body to do the skill while your brain is panicking in a real emergency. This is why CPR certifications have to be renewed ever year. If you can, find an instructor who is also an EMT or paramedic. You can learn a lot more from these people "informally" than what is printed in the book and chances are they have done all the things they are teaching you to REAL people and not just the dummies.
As an alternative to the Red Cross, check out your local ambulance company. Ours offers first aid and CPR training and maybe yours does too.
We missed out on the actual practice, building muscle memory part of it...that's why I thought it was a waste for both my wife and I to be there. Thanks for the tip on the local paramedics. I bet they'd be great at teaching, and they actually see the effects of the first aid people administer when they arrive at the scene.
Post a Comment
<< Home