how many of us are first aid trained?

[greasemonkey]

I did a first aid at sea course when I was in college, its a requirement for the merchant navy. I also did an advanced course more recently as I may have been required to assist the ship's medic. That was a good course, much more in depth than I was expecting (we had to practise cannulation and intubation) however, now the company I work for have realised that they can get away with the basic first aid at sea certificate.

 

[paul gammer]

I know some basic things, I can stitch wounds, suck out poison, cut out shrapnel (had to learn it the bad way, don't play with AP) I know how to apply bandages and I have alot of experience with improvised antiseptics. I plan on taking the training some day but I want it unoficially, I heard that if you are trained you must help the injured even if you prefer to not give a * about it.

 

[Wayne]

Paul I dont know about the current laws in Spain. In the UK even with first aid training you do not have to help.

A medical professional has a different duty of care but for us lay people we can walk on by.

France has different laws again and there I believe you are obliged to render assistance even if you are not trained. No doubt someone with more legal skills than I will be along to correct me.

I am an expedition medic and a first aid instructor. The first rule is always don't become a casualty yourself.

 

[Rob]

I am an Expedition Medic (have been for many years), First Aid Trainer (up to expedition level), SAR Medic / Tracker / Trainer and a H&S consultant (amongst far too many other things). I have had to give first aid in remote parts of both the UK and abroad - as well as in more populated areas.

It very much depends on your situation.

If you are a man in the street in the UK, you dont technically have to do anything to help.

If you are at work, it will depend on your contract of employment, as you may be in breach of it if you do not help someone when you may be required to do so. If your employer has paid for your first aid course, you may well have a legal duty to help.

If you are responsible for a group - e.g. if you have agreed to act as a medic on expedition, you will have to get involved.

As with all, you must not put your self in danger - remembering that residual risk is always there. It will always be a personal call, so you have to justify your actions (or omissions) to yourself first and be prepared to answer questions later.

 

[MarcAntony]

I've got an ITC Level 2 Certificate in Outdoor First Aid (whatever that means) and am a member of Devon Cave Rescue.
Although, never have had to use any of the training (although i did get to fly around North Devon in a Seaking Helicopter though!!!)!

 

[filcon]

How many have had experience in first aid, rescue and trauma care. Certificates are nice on a wall.

Phil

 

[Native Nathan]

as a former Army Medic I no longer have any Civilian certificates, however, my experience and skill far out way most First Aid Certified Civilians.

Guess most of us Ex-forces medic are in the same boat.

 

[Native Nathan]

I am an Expedition Medic (have been for many years), First Aid Trainer (up to expedition level), SAR Medic / Tracker / Trainer and a H&S consultant (amongst far too many other things).

:wow1:

Rob

Where did you do your Expedition Medic and SAR Medic Training

Sounds like those may be my cup of tea.

 

[lee2205]

first had first aid training whilst in the army cadets, field stuff only then a few years ago i went on a 3 day first aid at work course which i found to be excellent and would recomend to everyone without any training
have found a couple of bushcraft based courses which, money permitting, ill be taking this year
lee

 

[Miyagi]

as a former Army Medic I no longer have any Civilian certificates, however, my experience and skill far out way most First Aid Certified Civilians.

Guess most of us Ex-forces medic are in the same boat.

Agreed, though I'm not ex RAMC. The standard of training the lowly squaddie gets these days is miles better than we used to. Definately a good thing.

"It's okay mate, I'm First Aid trained."

Oh excellent!!!

"Is you're lower leg normally at a right angle like that? It's broken then".

 

[John Fenna]

Off to renew my REC cert this coming weekend!

 

[Arri]

I haven't done any and I really should do one. Are there any good courses out there? Woodlore does a couple AFAIK, any other?

Google returned a few but I'm not sure which ones can be trusted.

 

[hedgerow pete]

best training has to be the saint john three day cert and still on that aswell the kids section and the epi pen day course that will train you up for anything,, best thing is to practise aswell

 

[Martyn]

as a former Army Medic I no longer have any Civilian certificates, however, my experience and skill far out way most First Aid Certified Civilians.

Guess most of us Ex-forces medic are in the same boat.

Should be OK if you come across a young, fit male suffering from a bomb blast or gunshot wound.

Just pulling yer leg, but army medic training is kind of focussed.

 

[Miyagi]

Should be OK if you come across a young, fit male suffering from a bomb blast or gunshot wound.

Just pulling yer leg, but army medic training is kind of focussed.

I see where you're coming from Martyn.

However, I remember the training we got as lowly squaddies (not as medics) differentiated between battlefield casualty drills (not to be used in civvy street or on a peacekeeping tour) and what everyone knows as "First Aid".

This was emphasised quite heavily.

 

[Martyn]

Dont get me wrong, I would much rather have an experienced and skilled army medic tending me than an unskilled and inexperienced, certified civilian first-aider.

My comment really was a reflection of a coincidence, as I was chatting with one of our docs at work about army medics the other day. I work on a trauma intensive care unit in a teaching hospital. One of our specialities is treatment of traumatic head injuries. We get a lot of armed forces personnel on secondment through the unit for training. They are great guys, very skilled and knowledgeable, but they do tend to have a military focus that doesnt necessarily translate all that well into civi medicine. It shows sometimes, particularly in the field-expedient nature of the application of their skills. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it isnt. It's just an observation and in truth is probably better suited to the hospital staff canteen than this thread.

 

[Miyagi]

My apologies, I didn't mean to sound defencive. I can see exactly where you're coming from.

Keep in mind the old saying, "Khaki trained, khaki brained".

 

[Martyn]

Ahhh, if anyone should apologise, it should be me. Like I said, my comment was probably better suited to the staff canteen over a cup of that gut-rot they sell as coffee.

We were talking about army medics becomming civi paramedics when they get out.

 

[jenks]

The term army medic is widely used. In its truest context it refers to Combat Medical Technician RAMC (other varieties are available). The skill set and experience that class 1 medics possess, including Advanced Trauma and Life Support and invasive resuscitation techniques are recognised and transferable to employment as remote site/offshore/expedition medics. Although the class 1 qualification is a pre-course requisite for medics attending the HSE accredited offshore medic course. Some are state registered paramedics.
They are better suited to a pre-hospital care scenario but continuous clinical exposure ('refresher training') means that they have to work in A&E occasionally. Also, they are contracted to some county air-ambulance and community first responder programmes, when they are not producing the goods elsewhere in the world. Most of the current generation are not short of experience in applying their training.

 

[Martyn]

The term army medic is widely used. In its truest context it refers to Combat Medical Technician RAMC (other varieties are available). The skill set and experience that class 1 medics possess, including Advanced Trauma and Life Support and invasive resuscitation techniques are recognised and transferable to employment as remote site/offshore/expedition medics. Although the class 1 qualification is a pre-course requisite for medics attending the HSE accredited offshore medic course. Some are state registered paramedics.
They are better suited to a pre-hospital care scenario but continuous clinical exposure ('refresher training') means that they have to work in A&E occasionally. Also, they are contracted to some county air-ambulance and community first responder programmes, when they are not producing the goods elsewhere in the world. Most of the current generation are not short of experience in applying their training.

The conversation I was haveing with our doc, was about this actually - he's also a basics doc and he'd been working with an army medic on secondment. The army medic was of the opinion that his qualifications and experience should automatically qualify him as a paramedic on leaving the army ...or something like that anyway ...I'm repeating a 3rd hand conversation. The paramedics were not of the same opinion. Obviously, the cardiovascular system is the cardiovascular system, whether you trained in the army or not. So a lot does transfer and I can see expedition medic being a good choice. But civi medicine is very different. The client base is fundamentally different, the typicality of presentations is different and the application of the knowledge and skills is different. You'll almost never see a gunshot wound, but will see a lot of cardiac and respiratory issues. You'll never be cannulating a 24 year old athlete, but rather an overweight, 84 year old with thready veins and LVF. Protocols are different, the need for field expediency isnt as extreme etc. Certainly there is a lot that can be transferred, but battlefield experience doesnt necessarily mean you'll be on the money with little johhny presenting with headaches and a purple rash, or a 19 year old woman who is having some post-partum haemorrhaging. You even see it with civvi trained staff going out to the sandpit to a lesser extent. We have 2 folks at work who are both in the TA and have both done tours in Afghanistan recently. When they came back, they both said they had to re-learn their jobs here and found the jump back into civvi medicine to be shock to the system.

The conversation was about professional career development though, on the point of army medic or first aider, I'll go with the army medic every time.