Sunday 20 February 2011

Standard First Aid. day 2 of 2. 20/2/11.

As of today, i have completed the Standard First Aid course, and passed. Within the next 4 weeks, a card will be issued to me, certifying me as a trained first-aider. It will be issued by Raffles Medical, and is valid for 3 years.

We were taught skills like bandaging, how to stop bleeding, clearing the airway, treating poison, stings, among others, and of course, Compressed Pulmonary Resusitation.

What seperated our course far from being a mundane one, was our instructor, Ms Li Lian. She kept questioning our answers, throwing our assumptions/deductions off balance, and re-enacting real-life scenarios with us. This happened especially during the theory test and practical examination.

Instead of just testing us individually on the procedures, etc, she assigned us into random groups, limited our options by creating obstacles, chaos, and of course, sudden casualties.

the scenario;
4 casualties on the road, an old man, a potential spine fracture, a pregnant lady, and a female child. in my group of 5, 2 of us were restricted to touching the victims, etc.

halfway through, Ms Li Lian started wailing extremely loudly, and approaching the "bodies", begging us to save her family, shaking them, putting them, us, and herself in more danger.

in the end, we had to work with 5 casualties, with her fainting, no longer breathing, puking, etc.



I really want to thank her for giving us a more in-depth view of a real accident scene, where in most cases, we may be the only first-aider, with multiple casualties, and distraught family/friends that may not only hinder our life-saving attempts, but also cause more danger.

Mabel.
20/2/11.

Saturday 19 February 2011

Standard First Aid. day 1 of 2. 19/2/11.

Today, i went for the first day of a 2-day First Aid course.

I am taking it along with about 15 other fellow BOATers, as part of the BOAT programme.

It was conducted by Ms Li Lian, an instructor who had been a paramedic for many years, working 12-hour shifts daily on the front line, saving lives.

On weekdays, she attends classes after work. on weekends, she dedicates her time, from 9am-6pm, volunteering as an instructor for first aid.

Ms Li Lian taught us a lot of practical skills to be used on the scene of casualty, and shared much of her personal experience with us.

We would feel her passion for saving people as she spoke to us about how she was in an accident in her younger days, how each life matters, and even when there is not much hope left, or doctors declare it a bad case, as trained life-savers, we should still go all out into preserving the person's life.

Other than what was written in the notes given to us, she went further in depth into explaining the rational behind each and every single movement, and re-enacted it out herself, so we could have a better understanding of an actual incident happening, the risks of each movement, what should be done, and possible outcomes.

Much of her sharings would never have been spoken about by other trainers, even if they had first-hand experience. Many BOATers and i felt it was essential and puts us at a great advantage above other first-aid trained people.

This is especially so, as we would be taking on various physical challenges, inevitable risks, and unmediated danger in the course of our BOAT programme.

Today was a great learning experience, and tomorrow, we would be taking both a theory and a practical test.

At the end of this course, those who passed will be issued a card which certifies us as being trained in first-aid. It is valid for 3 years.

Mabel.
19/2/11.