What First Aid Training Does Cover

First Aid training is something that any person who considers themselves smart will take. Loved ones are all around you and it is essential in the event of a medical emergency that someone knows what to do. You also need to be able to recognize a life threatening emergency or injury. Most First Aid training courses last only a few hours which seems like such a small amount of time to devote to something of this magnitude.

You can contact one of several locations that usually offer First Aid training such as community colleges - fire departments - paramedics - and hospitals. First Aid training is also offered through various non profit organizations such as the American Red Cross - the national Safety Council - and the American Heart Association. Since some information is better than none - First Aid training is also offered through online eMail tutorials although it should be noted that there is no substitute for hands on training. What these online First Aid training courses are good for is more of a refresher on things previously learned.

In a typical First Aid training course what would normally be covered is how to handle an emergency situation - protection from infection - how to initially assess a victim - how to recognize emergency situations such as shortness of breath - heat attacks - strokes - heat exhaustion - hypothermia - how to control bleeding - how to treat burns - CPR - broken bones - head and neck injuries - and when to call 911. This is a lot of information to cover but it is all valuable and resourceful information as well.

What you will not cover in a basic First Aid training course is minor things like nosebleeds - sunburn - the flu - seizures - strep throat - food poisoning - and about bug bites. Most First Aid training courses are geared around particular audiences which is why you should inquire about the hot topics for each course prior to enrolling. People can sometimes find this procedure a bit confusing so before you decide where to attend ask a few questions. Many times once a First Aid training course is complete every person who took the class receives a card or certificate of completion whether they deserved it or not.

A lot of people have a problem with that and justifiably so. Why should they have worked hard to complete the course but someone else just fluffed it off? Further - in the event of a medical emergency no one wants to rely on someone who whips out his first aid training card but is still basically clueless. Ask how the instructors are certified and what their qualifications are and also ask if you will be given an opportunity for hands on training. These are all very serious and qualified questions to ask.

Make sure that you take your First Aid training course from a qualified and reputable organization. The two most reputable organizations are generally the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. That is not to say that there are not any other good organizations out there but these are likely the two that are most recognized and well known.