TY First-Aid Course

Once again, like I did with the Driving Course, this article is dedicated to the First Aid Course from an inside perspective as a way to convince you to do it. I think it’s always better to hear about something from somebody who’s already experienced it. 

So the First Aid Course is a full-day course that’s running for the next two Thursdays. (And possibly more, I’m not sure.) It costs 15 euro total for the course and it takes place in the library. You’re able to wear your P.E uniform for the course too.

In the morning, for the first two classes, we got an introduction on the course and we learnt how to deal with choking. We learned how to treat choking on both adults and children. We used proper dummies to practice as well as practicing on our friends. We also learnt what to do if we come across somebody who’s unconscious and how to identify if they’re just asleep or actually unconscious. 

After small break, we dealt with CPR and defibrillators. We learnt about why someone might collapse and when to use CPR. Then we got to practice on dummies and once again, how to perform on babies. We then received practice defibrillators and set them up on dummies and used them over and over to get the general idea of it all.

After lunch we had a bunch of small topics available. We got to choose whatever we found interesting and learn about it. There was a wide range of emergencies to choose from. Our group covered sprains, seizures, bandaging and passing out.

For sprains, he gave us all bandages and a sling. We learned when to bandage yourself and how. Then we got to practice on either ourselves, our friends or one of the dummies. We bandaged hands, heads, legs and arms. That topic led into the topic of sprains, where we learned how to bandage up sprains and how to sling a broken arm.

We learned how to treat someone who has a seizure, and the aftercare of it. We covered the same thing with passing out, how to deal with it and what’s involved afterwards. 

At the end of the course, we received a booklet and a form. The form was just a review of our course where we wrote about parts we enjoyed and parts we didn’t. It was mostly just so the instructor knew how to improve. The booklet was just a written down version of what we did during the day and whatever we didn’t but it’s handy to have around the house.

That was the whole course. Like I said, it took up the whole day but I think it was totally worth it. First aid is incredibly important and, I think, a skill everyone needs. It’s so useful and for all you know, this course could help you save someone’s life in the future. I honestly loved the course so much. I didn’t know what I was expecting but it was definitely better than I expected.  If you haven’t already then you should definitely sign up! It’s useful, worthwhile and generally just an enjoyable experience!

Written by Tara Coen-Hernandez