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I've been meaning to do one for years... and finally booked into one today.
I'm going through The Red Cross. Apparently St.John's Ambulance will not be running them any more as of May... this is what I was told today on the phone when I rang them.
So, if you have done a course who have you done it with and how did you find it (what was your experience)?
Also, some private health funds cover the cost of doing them. NIB will 100% cover the cost of my course ($175) so yay! :D
Firstly, well done! It is an invaluable skill to have.
Secondly, thanks for the health fund info, that is really interesting and I wish I had know earlier!
Thirdly, I have done a number of first aid courses over the years, some good, some bad... it all depends on the instructor I find.
The good news is that in recent years the CPR component of first aid courses has been rejigged a bit to be much easier to remember and perform. No more complicated rules of breaths and compressions, different for adults, children and babies.
Hope you enjoy it and come out the other end feeling empowered (and that you never have to use it ;)).
I have held a first aid certificate since I left high school!!! :D
I had to have one for work ( child care), and then for FDC... so have renewed it every 3 years....
But since Zavier is now 3, It has probably run out now...:doh:
It was always done through St Johns Ambulance at our local Adult Ed centre, and it was tax deductable, due to work... ;)
I did one through Ambulance Victoria but it was years ago and I should do a refresher to be on the safe side.
I have done several now, but I can't remember who they were through as it wasn't directly via St John's etc. I really need to do a refresher though...
I have not, but thank you for reminding me that this is something I really need to do!
Off to look into courses now :)
I have always had one, and they are SO worthwhile. Unfortunately I have had to use it multiple times - kids!
You need to update every three years, and should do a CPR refresher every 12 months to stay current. I find that the more times I do it, the more confident I become, which then makes me calmer in the situation, always a plus.
So, in 10 years, I've gone through a variety of providers. I can't go past St Johns for being the best. Red Cross were also good. The others all mediocre, but they're cheap. Good for refreshers.
I've done the "caring for babies" course which is a full day. Learnt how to resucitate a baby and lots of other injury stuff.
I didn't get any kind of rebate, was about $150 through st John ambulance i think, but the skills i learnt are invaluable. You can't put a price on potentially saving your child's life.
Im with you mummaB, you cant put a price on your kids (or anyones elses) life. I have done a paediatric first aid course run by ambulance victoria. This was a fantastic course although saw a yucky video on croup that hasnt sat well with me 2 years on. I have also done level 2, twice. The first time the instructor was shocking - she didnt even look at us when we were doing our CPR test. The second one was ok, but only because I already had an understanding on what to do. They were both done through Swinburne TAFE.
I've had to have one for work for nearly twenty years and, like others have said, the instructor can make a big difference.
Many instructors have lots of battle stories - interesting to listen to, but can often add heaps of time onto your day, especially if there are others that just have to add their experiences as well.
That used to really give me the irrits, but I guess I could've just been jaded from having to do it so often, lol.
It really is worthwhile - good on you, and hope you never have to use it!
Crystal: I've had to call 000 twice in the past 3 weeks... first for my 5yo who was running in the hosue and put his arm through a window sustaining a bad laceration requiring 12 stitches... then 2 days ago i had 9 kids under my care (school hols and everyone is dropping round because their parents are working) and a 14yo boy fell out of a tree and severely broke his arm. So... I'm reading the writing on the wall... it's time I did a FA course it seems!!! Ubba: Also... this course is meant to go from 6.30pm - 10.30pm for four consecutive Monday evenings... I really hope it doesn't go too far past that time 'cos i'm really not a night owl... thanks for the warning about people wasting time!
I did that one too. Our whole mums group did a group booking and invited friends. Some DH came too. It was cheaper that way and we all felt comfortable getting up in front to try the techniques. I found it really valuable as I had never done a formal course before. We all thought of it as insurance: If you have it you wont need it. if you dont, you will.:
I've been current with my first aid since I did my Senior in Girl Guides!
I've been doing it with the SES and they have a contract with a private company, who are ex-paramedics. I find that ambos / paramedics are the best teachers, they really put it into real terms.
I also "volunteered" as first-aid officer at work so get it covered & paid for by work :D
Well done Bath - now's a good time to do it.
My work paid for me to do a level 2 first aid course last year, but I want to to the childcare one that the ambulance service in Vic run as its more focussed on kid type injuries.
i havent done one.. but as i will be starting nursing next yr i kinda think i wont need it... iykwim..
I actually train first Aid with st John ambulance in the ACT. I train the caring for kids course to. I think it is a great thing to learn etc. I also volunteer for St John in the operations branch, where we do first aid at major events, eg traithalons, australian mountian bike championships, nrl and rugby games etc, It is good to put it into practice to.
Bath, I've done courses with both Red Cross and St John... and used to teach for St John. The main difference I noticed between the two were that Red Cross focuses a lot on improvisation of things (such as what you could use for a bandage etc) where as St John really is more focused on those who have first aid kits on hand. St John is more "controlled" where as Red Cross deal with more "adhoc" situations. Having said that, St John is, in my experience, more "real". I'll never forget my laughing so hard I had to leave the room when my Red Cross instructor tried to tell us that the casualty will "always be calm" :ROFL::ROFL: Maybe if they're unconscious!
Doudou - your SFA will definately come in handy as a nurse. At no point in your nursing degree, will you be taught how to apply a bandage or sling. Chances are, your SFA will be the first time you are exposed to CPR and EAR. And when you go on your clinicals, the venues you attend want to know, uncategorically, that if a patient has an emergency, you will be able to deal with it. You will be able to do DRABCD, commence CPR if needed and so on. Many of these skills aren't actually taught by the Uni before you go out. Seriously. And, on a side note, there are skills that you learn in a SFA course that you won't learn or do regualrly as a nurse... believe me! It all depends on the area of nursing you work in. So, as much of a PITA as it is, go into it with an open mind. And don't forget that your Uni will probably want you to do a CPR refresher each year just as nurses do... we have to pass a competency every 12 months to prove we know the principles of, and can administer, basic life support.
MG
i've done several over the years it is a vaulable asset to have i'm heading into my first round of practicals for My Nursing degree and everyone has to redo the course through the uni i'm looking forward to
I did mine at TAFE as part of my Conservation and Land Management course. Really it was only for snake bite procedures, but we do the whole course.
Angie is doing her Junior First Aid via St Johns this holiday. We are signing CPR permissions too as part of the driving force behind her doing it is our near miss on NYD - we went swimming at a river near tamborine, and as Sam puts it, he "run out of ground". Went straight down and because all the kids were being properly supervised, I pulled him out and my brother had his airway open in 30sec - although as his mother it felt like 30 minutes.
When she saw me fishing him out she felt helpless and started screaming. She never wants to feel that way again. I am rather proud of her decision - it was a very mature one to make under the circumstances.
The course I did was 8 hours over 2 days. It was fairly informative, but it did kind of feel like a cram session. I think I was most disappointed that I forgot it all at the very moment I needed it, and was so grateful my brother was far more level headed - but I think it was because it was my baby. That rotten maternal switch - it doesn't fix it. :(
My DH joined St John to learn First Aid and to help others because he drowned at the age of 9 and someone who was at the party, knew CPR and was able to revive him... he wanted to be able to do the same for others. What your DD has realised is a very mature and wise thing. Cudos to her :clap::
Inertia: I totally understand how trying to help your own child is so much harder than helping others in life threatening situations. I've been first on the scene to a car accident, helped strangers and friends of my kids (as recently as last week I had to deal with a friend's broken arm) but with my own kids I find it harder to remain calm... I mean I do... because I want them to not be frightened and to actually survive but I really need to somehow learn how to avoid getting that mental fuzz mind blank that could impact negatively on being able to help them.... no wonder surgeons often refuse to operate on relatives... I guess it's a common thing.
Thanks Mother Goose. I am extremely proud of her maturity, and we decided that we would be 100% behind her with it - despite the fact the course is all day on Harrys birthday.
Bath: Its so scary, isn't it. You know you know what to do - but you just can't remember it and it has never been as important to you as it is now! I was just so grateful for my brother because DH was also near catatonic at seeing his son being pulled out. Sam was floating just under the surface, but he mumbled to me when I got him out so I knew I wasn't too late and just needed some help and he would be fine. We called an ambulance anyway and had him transported to hospital because of secondary drowning risks.
First time I had ever recieved a compliment on my parenting from Logan Hospital. Apparently they have seen much sicker kids from near drownings and how rapidly he bouced back was a reflection on the rapid response.
However I have had my neice bleeding all over me from a laceration to the head and I was perfectly rational and had the situation under control. Her mum was pretty much how I was when my brother took Sam off me.
Oddly, DH cuts himself and I get ill and pass out. Go figure. O.o Just my luck he incised his arm about an hour ago. Screwdriver broke and sliced right through it. Had to go out and treat it without looking at it too much. My body is so weird. I can look at the injury, but not the blood.
I'm the same Mags. I can look at the goriest things and actually be quite fascinated... until I consider the injury from the victims perspective... my imagination/empathy is too strong. I also have naturally low blood pressure so the slightest bit of stress will often make me feel light-headed. I have considered training to be a nurse but I think I would have too much empathy and be too prone to fainting. I always dealt with dissecting animals and organs at school really easily... actually I am very fascinated by anatomy... it's a shame my empathy section of my brain short-circuits my thought processes when somebody i care about is involved. Maybe it gets easier with practise???
Oh Bath, I hear you. My dreams of becoming a surgeon were stolen by my blood-injection-injury phobia. I fought it so hard for so long, did everything the needlephobe report said might work and I still get syncope. I can't be a doctor when just looking at an injury will make me sick and pass out. I dunno how I coped with my niece, and I wish I could do it again. Who knows, maybe its telling me to be a paediatric surgeon!
I still don't know what I want to do now. People keep saying midwife. Guess I need to find out if I am going to be able to do that without losing my lunch. :(
I would like it to get easier with practice - I am not too old yet.
I'm trying to think of that TV show... British... that featured a blood-phobic doctor in Cornwall... great show... very funny in a dry kinda way.
One thing that does help me when I start to feel fragile (looking at a gory injury) is imagining the injury as a schematic diagram... with labels etc. That was one thing I really would have loved to have been: an anatomical artist for text books... perfect combination of my love of art and science!
Bath - you do quickly become desensitized to things... and you can nurse without having to deal with gory stuff. Promise. I think you'd make a great nurse! I'd love to work with you!
Aww ta MG :D I think I would be a good nurse on some levels, mainly the interpersonal (calming and de-escalating conflict with patients) ... but not-so-good with some pretty vital areas: the maths that comes with giving a dose of medicine and the "office politics" side of things. If society crumbles I could imagine myself becoming the little old witch who knows all the herbal remedies, attends births and to who people bring their dying... hehe! But until that happens I think I'll just be content with doing my first aid course and nursing my immediate family! :) but thanks for the vote of confidence again MG!