CPR Is An Important Skill In Saving A Life
CPR is short for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and it is a very important skill that everyone should know. Yet more than 65% of the population has never been through the training for it. Many people don’t realize just how important it is though until they themselves or someone close to them needs such help. Every parent tries their best to protect their children but if you don’t know CPR you are allowing the chance for something bad to happen to them. Anyone you leave your children with should also be certified in the area of CPR.
There are plenty of places that offer CPR classes for free or for a very affordable cost. Check at your local college, your community center, and even at the Red Cross if you have one in your area. Most of the time this will be an all day course or even a two day course. At the end of it you will be certified in the area of CPR.
Look for a CPR program that offers you much more than just a certificate. Find out about the class sizes and the qualifications of the instructions. They are generally medical professionals that want to be able to share this important skill with other people. Find out if you will get a workbook to take home with you as well. Most quality CPR classes though will offer you the chance to practice of mannequins.
It is very important to brush up on your CPR skills from time to time as well. A refresher course can certainly help you to do well when the time comes to use it. CPR can help to save a life in a matter of seconds. You won’t have time to second guess your abilities. You also don’t want to do more harm than good for the person because you aren’t sure of yourself.
Many people have been able to survive choking or another serious issue due to another person effectively administering CPR. Even if medical personnel can arrive in a few minutes it may be too late. If a person has their airway cut off they can die or suffer from brain damage. CPR is an effective tool you can use to help someone to make a full recovery.
What is First Aid CPR Training
First aid CPR training is probably one of the most well known and important kinds of training. There are many different businesses and centers in communities everywhere that have taken a stand by offering first aid CPR training.
When we think of CPR, we think of mouth to mouth resuscitation which is something that saves the lives of numerous people on a daily basis. Not only does this kind of medical procedure help save the lives of our loved ones, but people who are experienced in the practice have the opportunity to save the lives of a stranger at any given time, and at any given place.
First aid CPR training is just as it sounds, it’s designed to help people understand the methods and practices to use when attempting to save the life of someone whether we know them or not. It’s not something that is limited to adults, and just because it’s usually a mouth to mouth practice, doesn’t mean there is anything dirty or wrong about it.
Just because you don’t have a swimming pool at home or you don’t plan to take any family vacations that seem to offer possibilities for needing to know CPR doesn’t mean things can’t arise that require you to know how to perform the CPR. There have been many stories told of children falling into a washing machine and drowning or even small children drowning in the pet’s water bowl. For reasons like these, first aid CPR training is essential if you are a parent.
Coaching little league or children’s basketball, or any sport for that matter is another reason to get first aid CPR training. While you can take the chance that someone else at the event you participate in knows CPR, why shouldn’t you know it yourself and limit the possibilities of someone getting seriously hurt or even dying.
In the end, first aid CPR training is something that can and will benefit anyone who takes the courses, and there is not one person alive that wouldn’t offer a benefit to someone else in need of the CPR if the issue ever arose. Being knowledgeable in first aid especially when it can save someone’s life is an important part of playing a big role in your community.
First Aid Training for Poisons
More than 90 percent of all poison incidents occur in the home. Anyone can become a victim, but children are the most vulnerable since they are smaller, have faster metabolic rate, and their bodies are less able to handle toxic material. Knowing first aid is so important to help others in an emergency.
Causes of Poisoning
Since the majority of poison incidents happen in the home, the causes of poison are also found in the house. Here are the most common things that can cause accidental poisoning when used improperly:
- Plants
- Cleaning solutions
- Insecticides and pesticides
- Cosmetics
- Solvents
- Paints
- Drugs and medications
What to Do When Poisoning Occurs
Poison is swallowed
If it is a child, take the substance right away. If the poison is still in the mouth ask the victim to spit it out or remove the substance using your finger. Instructions on packages in case of poisoning often tell you to induce vomiting. Do not follow this without first consulting your physician.
Where to seek help
If the person is showing symptoms such as unusual drooling, blistering and burning on the lips and mouth, unconsciousness or seizure, sore throat, irritability, nausea, and trouble breathing, call 911 right away. If it is a child, watch out for other signs such as jumpiness, unusual stain on the clothes, and strange other from the mouth.
If the victim doesn’t show any of the following signs, call your physician or your local poison control center. Be ready to give the victim’s personal information as well as the information about substance.
Poison in the eye
Rinse the affected with lukewarm (not hot) water. Make sure that you hold the eyelid open while continuously pouring a steady stream of water for at least 15 minutes. A child is more difficult to hold while rinsing the eye so you may need another person to assist you. Never use eyedrops, eyecup, or ointments unless instructed by the poison center. Call a physician for professional assistance.
Poisonous gases or fumes are inhaled
Solvents and cleaners, kerosene, wood, or coal stoves that didn’t turn on, leaky gas vent, a car running in a closed garage and a mixture of ammonia and bleach are all sources of poisonous fumes. If any of these is inhaled, go to an area where fresh air is available.
If someone has inhaled noxious fumes for quite a while and is having difficulty breathing, take him or her out for fresh air and call your EMS (local emergency service) or dial 911. If the victim is breathing normally, call the poison center to receive proper instructions on how to give the right treatment. If the victim has stopped breathing, ask someone to call 911 and start CPR. Do not stop until the person breathes on his/her own or if someone else takes over. If there is no other person in the place except you, perform CPR for 1 minute and then dial 911.
Poison on the skin
Poisonous chemicals, when spilled on the body can be painful, itchy as well as burn and allergic reaction. If this happens, remove the clothes and thoroughly rinse the skin with lukewarm water.
Prevention
• Do not store poisonous materials alongside your food
• Keep poisonous materials away from reach of children
• Label hazardous chemicals clearly and store it in separate and locked compartment
Online First Aid Training Is Available
Some have claimed that it is not the same without the hands on training but others might argue that watching and knowing the correct steps in something such as CPR is all of the knowledge that one needs and that practicing on lifeless mannequins is not going to make a difference. You either know when to administer CPR and how many breaths and compressions or you do not. Surely, CPR know how is a valuable tool that you have but hope you never have to use.
The online first aid training will also show you how to stop bleeding, apply a tourniquet, and clear a person’s airway if they are choking but these are all lessons that can be learned online in a quality environment. Again this is information that is stored in your mind and you hope you will never use.
A big part of first aid training is offering a vote of confidence and preparing you to proceed forward quickly, efficiently, and confidently. Part of confidence is when you feel that you are about to do something that you feel good about and are certain that you can do well, anything else shows a lack of confidence. Online first aid training offers you the confidence that you will need to maybe one day save a life.
The cost of taking one of these rather quick courses is very nominal and can be taken at your own leisure. Some are delivered in more of a PowerPoint demonstration while others are in tutorial form that includes live pictures of the various procedures. Some follow up with quizzes to see how well you retained the materials that you were taught.
Usually you will pay a separate fee for a first aid training, CPR training, or AED training. These are all separate components that can be taken in conjunction with one another or not. Look at how successful online education in general has been in the past decade and continues to flourish each year. The same rule applies to taking first aid classes online in the privacy of your own home. This is not a secondary educational experience and will still provide you with the knowledge that you need to one day save a life.
If you have not really found an interest in attending a brick and mortar course environment to learn first aid but it is something that you really have wanted to do then check into taking it online instead but do yourself and maybe someone else a favor and just take it, one day you just might be glad that you did.
What is First Aid Training?
No one ever knows when an accident is going to happen, that is why they are called accidents, and otherwise they would be called expected events. If more people involve themselves in first aid training, the more lives that could likely be saved. First aid training is the medical assistance that is provided from a person who is not a doctor, nurse, or paramedic. It is the help that someone gives a person who is injured, choking, has stopped breathing, maybe had a heart attack, etc until medical help arrives. Basically they are one of the first people on the scene and provide temporary assistance in first aid, CPR, or AED if they know how to.
The main goals of first aid training are what are called the 4 P’s, preserve life, prevent further injury, promote recovery, and protect yourself. If an injury is something extremely minor then it may not even require a person who has been given first aid training to assist, someone with good common sense could likely assist. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and injuries or situations are not always that simple. Something as serious as having to administer CPR requires a degree of knowledge, although it is not physically hard to do, it is important that the person knows when CPR is necessary by determining if the person’s heart has either stopped or they have stopped breathing.
There is no guessing involved here, they either need CPR or they do not. Administering CPR to a person who does not need it can cause more damage than good. If is determined that CPR should be given then the person also has to be aware that one they begin the CPR process they can not stop until medical assistance arrives.
First aid training basics normally begin with a focus on airways, breathing, and circulation. What this means is that first you should check the patient’s airways and make sure they are clear of any obstructions, then address the breathing, and finally follow with circulation issues. First aid training covers serious or life threatening bleeds and defibrillation procedures as well. Depending on the nature of the injury certain things take precedence over others such as breathing should be dealt with before bleeding but bleeding should be dealt with before a broken bone would be. The primary concerns and focuses would be with a patient that is unconscious or unresponsive.
When a person is unconscious or unresponsive it is important that you know what to do. Are they in a position where they may swallow their tongue, could they choke on their vomit or is their airway clear? First aid training goes through the process of elimination in the proper order and what a recovery position is.
You will be taught how to respond properly if a patient is choking and how to identify and deal with a broken bone until help arrives. The importance of first aid training should never be underestimated as it may be one of the best pieces of knowledge that you ever receive. First aid training also teaches you how to remain calm and confident during a time when someone’s life might depend on you.
First Aid Training and Learning To Administer CPR
Learning how to administer CPR is all part of your First Aid Training Course. Knowing how to perform CPR correctly and efficiently can most often be the difference between life and death. The basic techniques can be used on adults, children, babies, and even pets. That is a broad scope of area to cover in the event of an emergency.
CPR means Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and is given to people who are not breathing nor have a pulse. There is a slight variation in the way that CPR is administered to adults as opposed to babies or children. However, the concept is the same and one of the most important things to remember is that once you begin CPR you have to continue on with it until help arrives. It is proven that people who take First Aid training and learn how to give CPR can actually reduce their own risk of personal injury.
Normally there are various levels of First Aid training that include CPR which are defined by the amount of hours devoted to that course. For example, a standard course would teach basic first aid and CPR that could be given to anyone over the age of eight. This would be fitting for the general public and for workplace completion and is usually about a four hour class.
The levels of courses advance on to include CPR for children under the age of eight and also include techniques to handle choking. Of course courses continue to advance based on your level of need. It is not only important to know how to properly administer first aid and CPR but it is imperative to be able to correctly recognize when these procedures are required. You need the ability to be able to recognize when a person is having a stroke, a heart attack, or an asthma attack. In other words, if someone is having a seizure that does not mean that you start CPR on them.
First Aid training with CPR teaches you that CPR is normally given when a person is not breathing and/or has no heartbeat. It also teaches you the ABC’s of CPR which are airway, breathing, and circulation. Airway, meaning clear the airways, breathing, meaning that you will actually breathe for the other person, and circulation means that you will restore blood circulation.
This is a very important gift that you may give to someone one day and could very well be the difference between life and death. Once a person’s heart stops beating the brain is no longer receiving oxygenated blood and within very few minutes can cause serious and irreversible brain damage. Death is imminent well within a ten minute window.
In a First Aid training class that offers CPR training you will learn exactly what it takes to remain alert, confident, have the ability to identify the urgency, be educated enough to act correctly, and remain calm. These are the tools that are required in an effort to make life altering decisions while those around you may just stand there with no idea what to do or worse yet they could panic and this is no time for a person to panic.
