Let’s put ‘First Aid’ first

Flickr/double-m2

Over the Easter holidays I completed an Essential First Aid – All Ages course with St. John’s Ambulance. It has been something I have wanted to do for a very long time. The importance of First Aid speaks for itself really. So I have to ask myself: after eighteen years on this planet, why was this the first time I’d actually been taught First Aid? Of course, it could be because I’m apt at procrastinating. Or, it could very well be that the perfect opportunity and place for me to learn the basics, failed to deliver. I’m talking about schools, of course. I’m hardly inciting revolution when I say First Aid in schools should be compulsory.

  While I acknowledge that there are some wonderful volunteer schemes out there through companies like St. John’s Ambulance, the frequent changes made to the administration of First Aid means that we need to be encouraged to keep up-to-date from an early age. ‘Learn to drive early because you take it in better’ is the old saying and that can also apply to first aid.

The real beauty of these skills is that they are easy.  My instructor informed our group that “a child could pull an adult into the recovery position”, and this just goes to show that administration of basic aid is achievable even for minors.

  One of the most poignant things I noted at the course was the various reasons that people wanted access to first aid knowledge. Some were mum’s-to-be and wanted to know how to look after their children, whilst others were in positions of responsibility that necessitated first aid skills. The course engendered something of a communal spirit as I worked with people from all walks of life. Since many schools run Personal, Social, and Health education (P.S.H.E) sessions which extrapolate similar ideologies of citizenship, it seems perfect sense to introduce first aid more heavily during these periods.

  Furthermore, such sessions will help clarify the myths about first aid that circulate on many popular social media outlets. On the course someone asked whether it was true that, in order to increase your survival chances during a heart attack, you must try and cough extensively till help comes. I found myself nodding along like the Churchill dog to this question. I had seen this meme do the rounds on Facebook and was unsure of its credibility. The instructor looked confused and admitted she had never heard of this as a practice. She then went on to suggest that should the patient be able to take aspirin they should bite on a tablet so it can be digested quickly which will then serve to thin the bloodstream during the attack.

  I am learning this only now and I wish I had learnt it sooner. A great deal of thanks goes out to the volunteers who run these sessions and schemes (indeed, St. John’s have a link with Warwick). They are invaluable. If only more schools could take on this ethos.