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In 9th grade I had the option of taking a first aid class as a trimester of PE, and it was one of the most rewarding classes of my pre-college education. I think it met 3 times a week, so we covered lots of material, getting very in-depth into the medical details. Lots of bandaging practice, including full immobilization on a backboard. The drama club was involved to create practice scenes, with bystanders who would freak and pass out, generating another patient to be cared for if you didn't calm them down. It has been the foundation of my medical knowledge ever since. I loved it.
I've taken a couple of first aid/CPR classes since, but they've all been disappointing. The focus of first aid is, of course, keeping someone alive until the ambulance arrives. Which is a perfectly good goal, but it's not very interesting. Today was the first half of the wilderness first aid class with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vixyish and adularia. So far, I'm loving it. Real patient examinations, working towards real medical conclusions. The focus with wilderness first aid is not just keeping someone alive for 15 minutes, but maybe up to a couple of weeks. Possibly moving over very difficult terrain. It's simply great.
I should really go for EMT training some day.
I've taken a couple of first aid/CPR classes since, but they've all been disappointing. The focus of first aid is, of course, keeping someone alive until the ambulance arrives. Which is a perfectly good goal, but it's not very interesting. Today was the first half of the wilderness first aid class with
vixyish and adularia. So far, I'm loving it. Real patient examinations, working towards real medical conclusions. The focus with wilderness first aid is not just keeping someone alive for 15 minutes, but maybe up to a couple of weeks. Possibly moving over very difficult terrain. It's simply great.I should really go for EMT training some day.
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I am of the opinion that EVERYBODY who is capable of handling the course should become an EMT in the states. The EMT course is inexpensive, short, easy, and a ton of fun, and it makes you a valued member of society.
Being an EMT gives you an incredible sense of security about yourself and those around you. Say you were walking down the street, and a lady pushing a baby carriage starts screaming that her baby suddenly stopped moving... I would want to be one of the people who knows how to help, not one of the people who stops and stares.
My advice is to go to EMT school. Whether or not you end up working on an ambulance is irrelevant; the vast majority take the class and simply apply it to their lives.