CPR and First Aid: Invaluable Lessons Learned

Some may call it a waste of time but you would be surprised by the knowledge you gain by taking a CPR/First Aid class. Hmmm…from my one day course, I learned not to rub frost bitten body parts, soothe burned skin with cool running water, and to use hard, flat surfaces, such as a credit card, to remove bee stings.

Of course I do not plan to look for people to save. Our instructor told us that one of his students actually carried a medical dictionary along with medical instruments just in case anything happens in public. Don’t worry, I am not one of those gung-ho individuals who feels qualified to perform surgery just because of my new certifications.

However, I am grateful of the knowledge I gained from the course and would highly encourage anyone with young family members to consider the course. Just to perk your interest, here are a few items I learned from the course. However,always seek the guidance from medical professionals and check from other reliable sources. With today’s advancing technologies and availability of massive sources of information, there is no reason for any of us to rely on one source for information.

1. Credit Cards – A Life Saving Resource: Did you know that it is better to use a credit card for a bee sting than a tweezer? The reason for this is that the edges of the credit card can be used to flick the bee sting away while the tweezer may squeeze more of the venom into the body.

2. No Butter, No Cream: For any kind of burn, DO NOT place any ointment, food products, or wet dressing on the burn. Doing so will trap the heat, causing greater damage to the skin. For minor burns, address the affected area with cool, running water. For major burns (i.e. third-degree burns), call 911. It is essential that you do not apply cold water or any type of lotion/ointment on the burn!

3. Point at Someone: If you ever need anyone to call 911 for you, either because you are in need of help or are helping an injured individual, point at someone nearest to you and tell them to “call 911″. Do not automatically assume that someone will call for you because unfortunately, that someone will automatically assume that someone else will make the call. If you can point to the person and identify their physical attributes (i.e. clothes they are wearing, gender, etc), your request for help will be more effective. However, don’t be offensive about it because you may not get the help you need.

4. Online Training is Nuts!: When you search for first aid and CPR courses online, you would be surprised by the number of online courses offered. Taking an online First Aid/CPR course is similar to taking a cooking class online without cooking. In other words, don’t take an online course unless there are no live classes near your residence. If you plan to take a live training session, make sure that the course instructors bring CPR dummies so that you can practice the breathing and compressions on the CPR manikins.

5. Crazy Stories: During my training session, I heard about a story where parents broke off their child’s frostbitten finger by rubbing the finger. The woman sitting next to me told me that she saved her 3 year old child, years ago, with the Heimlich maneuver. These are but examples of the stories you will inevitably hear from your instructor and those around you.

If the idea of first aid or CPR intimidates you and you are afraid to take these courses because of possible lawsuits, blood, and guts, I completely understand. In terms of the law, the Good Samaritans Law can help you understand what is involved. If you are afraid of blood and guts, think of it this way. If you happen to be by yourself and find yourself choking or in some other immediate form of danger, at least you would have exposed yourself to lifesaving techniques.

Take Care and Many Blessings
Wendy

Tagged as: CPR, First Aid, Lessons to Learn in First Aid