This morning, Kate and I had a delightful time providing first aid refresher training to an eager group of primary 6 and 7 students at a school in Aberdeenshire. We were asked to conduct a brief session concentrating on calling for help, wound care, and assisting a choking casualty.
The pupils had already completed a full day of first aid a year ago, reassuringly they remembered many of the facts from that training.
The group successfully remembered various hazards to consider when evaluating an incident. They were aware of the emergency numbers to call and the essential information to provide to the call operator. Several pupils mentioned that they learned about LIONEL for the first time today. (This acronym helps remember what information to convey - Location; Incident; Other services; Number of casualties; Extent of injuries; and Location).
The students demonstrated strong recall when it came to treating a casualty with wounds. Today, we covered minor cuts and grazes, as well as more severe bleeding wounds and those with large foreign objects. The students successfully showed how to apply a bandage, exert pressure, and elevate the wound above heart level if feasible. One student remarked, "I enjoyed it because we got to have a hands-on experience".
Finally, the groups enjoyed reviewing the causes of choking, identifying someone who is choking, and administering first aid during a choking incident. They practiced on our mannequins, demonstrating a solid grasp of the concepts and techniques.
The morning was outstanding as we interacted with the students, who were eager to practice and talk about first aid. They relished the opportunity to practice bandaging and choking first aid and to ask their questions about first aid. One student remarked, "I enjoyed today because I learned a lot about first aid, and the people (Kate and Donald) were very nice."
Thank you to all the pupils and staff for this opportunity to share learning on these important first aid skills.
