Burlington Emergency Medical Services - Medical First Aid is the term given which refers to the care and treatment processes of a person who is who suffers from sickness or injury. First Aid measures range from the application of bandages to performing CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Anyone could be trained on how to possibly save lives by learning how to correctly administer First Aid methods.
The initial traces of people administering First Aid could be traced back to the Religious Knights in the 11th century. At this time, these knights would care for and tend to sick and injured warriors. As time progressed, they taught many other knights and shared their techniques on how to care for people around them. These lessons would prove to be crucial knowledge as numerous knights will succumb on the battlefield from simple injuries that could have been and later on were prevented quite easily.
Eventually, a lot of medical First Aid groups were formed by numerous individuals particularly to care for common injuries. During the Civil War, a nurse named Clara Barton began to treat American soldiers and the American Red Cross came into fruition. Currently, the Red Cross is still extremely active. There are many other organizations that have been started so as to offer First Aid to those who need it.
The advancement of technology has evolved greatly and medical first aid has also advanced throughout the years. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for a portable medial kit to contain medicines, breathing barriers and specialized equipment which is designed for resuscitation purposes. Medical First Aid classes teach students 3 main goals. These goals include: promoting recovery, prevent further harm and preserving life.
The 'ABC' for Airway, Breathing and Circulation, are also taught to anyone who is trained to apply medical First Aid. In every case, First Aid should be applied in this particular order. If a person cannot breathe, it is the First Aid responder's responsibility to clear their airways. Once the airways are cleared, the person must be encouraged to breath. Last but not least, the circulation of the person is stimulated.
By being able to concentrate on these 3 major steps, anybody administering First Aid should be able to help an individual in need. In most cases, First Aid is really effective, however, there are times during life threatening circumstances that it may not help. First Aid certificates are given differently from country to country. In several places, community groups could administer First Aid courses, while this may not be the situation everywhere.
If you are interested in learning more about First Aid, call your local branch of the Red Cross or any similar organization. First Aid must not be administered unless you have been given correct training. Attempting to help anybody who is going through a life threatening situation with no First Aid knowledge could be very dangerous. It is a wise idea for everyone to take the Basic First Aid training.
Furthermore, there are many specialized programs available such as Baby or Infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation. These classes are a good idea to take if you are going to be around little ones on a regular basis or are welcoming a new addition into the family. Numerous parents prefer to only hire babysitters who have this training available to be able to keep their entire family as safe as possible.
There are refresher courses available too which are a great idea if you got your certification a long time ago. Being aware and up to speed of the latest First Aid methods could one day potentially save someone's life. This is knowledge that for a lot of us is not regularly utilized and that is the reason why taking the refresher programs and keeping your certification up to date is a truly good choice.
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