Everyone read! First Aid Certification details

[Guest Ian Wong]

Argh. I accidentally deleted the original thread, so I'm re-posting everyone else's replies as well. Luckily, although I deleted it off EZBoard, I still had a copy in my computer.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

 

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A question regarding first aid certification for med students was brought up in the Saskatchewan forum, and I think it's important enough to be brought up here as well. Everyone, if you don't have it already, please call up your local first aid agency and get yourself certified to perform CPR. You'll need it for medical school anyway, and someday you could very well save a friend or family member's life because of this training. CPR certification seems to be something that is pretty much universal across all the Canadian medical schools.

 

What you need to be certified to is CPR Level C, which teaches you the management of CPR for all three age categories (the protocols vary for each of these): Adults, Children, and Infants. Here's some further info from both the St. John's Ambulance website and the Red Cross website:

 

www.sja.ca/english/health_safety_training/cpr/index.asp

www.redcross.ca/english/firstaid/programs/facpr/cpraed.html

 

This is something that is NOT mandatory until you hit medical school generally, but it is something that I think everybody should take out of general knowledge. I don't think there's any excuse for a high school or university student (or any adult for that matter) not to know this stuff. If I had my way, it'd be a mandatory course for both high school and university students! Based on the people that you spend the greatest amount of time with, chances are good that if you need to know CPR, you would be doing it to try to save a family member, or a friend's life.

 

The protocols for CPR change often, and as such, and also because of the need to "refresh" your mind constantly, CPR Level C needs to be re-certified on an annual basis to be kept updated. The Red Cross website states that it should be done every three years, but I think annually is a more appropriate duration. If there's an emergency, you want to have the knowledge down cold so that you react immediately, instead of trying to remember what the next step should be. Our medical class recertifies on a yearly basis, as do most other Canadian schools I suspect.

 

I would go to a reputable first aid company. Your best bet is to call up the local St. John's Ambulance or Red Cross agencies. They'll also be in your local phone book.

 

www.sja.ca/english/offices/sask/saskatoon.asp

www.redcross.ca/english/firstaid/contact/index.html

 

Some further information on the first aid courses offered by both companies can be found here:

 

www.sja.ca/english/health_safety_training/family/index.asp

www.sja.ca/english/in_the_workplace/courses/index.asp

www.redcross.ca/english/firstaid/index.html

 

Just to conclude, this is something that you don't need to take until you get into the thick of medical school. However, in an emergency, it might well be the most important training you have ever taken. You could very well save a life, or at least hold on to it so that emergency first aid providers have time to reach the scene.

 

If you want to go one step further, I would recommend the Standard First Aid course (which should include CPR Level C, or be easily bundled with it). Not only is it very interesting, but it is extremely practical. You'll learn some practical ways to make slings or splints for arm or leg fractures, learn what to do in the event of an eye injury, etc. Having this on your resume could very well help you land jobs, health-care related or otherwise. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have this as well if you were ever applying for health-care volunteering positions either.

 

www.sja.ca/english/health_safety_training/family/standard.asp

www.redcross.ca/english/firstaid/programs/facpr/standard.html

 

You know, I think this is such an important topic (thanks for bringing it up!), that I'm going to duplicate this message in the General Premed forum. I hope that everyone who is interested in medicine will register for one of these two courses. It'll only take you a weekend for the Standard First Aid, and considerably shorter than that for the CPR Level C. Learn this and be ready to save a life.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

[Guest Ian Wong]

Then Mayflower1 wrote this:

 

Beware of who you take your courses from.

 

Ian,

 

Thanks for posting this. I think it's really important to let people know that the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance certification is far superior to other companies that are often soliciting door to door or by telephone.

 

I was solicited by a company in Ottawa and I specifically asked them if their certification was equivalent to and recognized by St. John Ambulance. They informed me it was. Upon taking the course it was evident that it wasn't. In fact, it was only a "community certification" program. I talked to the instructor and they informed me that they could certify me for the proper levels (WSIB for workplace) so I took an extra day of courses. Well, I wanted to volunteer with St. John Ambulance and they informed me that the company that certified me was definitely not equivalent and it also wasn't recognized by them. I believe the only other certification that is recognized by St. John Ambulance is the Red Cross certification (but don't quote me on that as I'm not 100% sure).

 

Anyway, St. John Ambulance required me to take their courses prior to volunteering...what a difference...I cannot even begin to tell you how superior their course was.

 

All this to say, be careful who you choose to certify you and, furthermore, be even more careful when a company solicits you door-to-door or by phone as the people "selling" the courses do not necessarily have the knowledge to give you the information you require. I'm not sure, but my guess is that the certification from some companies may not even be recognized by your university. I'm out 140 bucks...hopefully this message will prevent someone else from experiencing the same thing.

 

If anybody needs a contact for SJA in Ottawa please post here and I will provide it for you.

 

Peter

[Guest Ian Wong]

Then mying wrote this:

 

More stuff about First Aid.

 

Right, that's St. JOHN Ambulance, not St. JOHN'S Ambulance. Common mistake... just remember, there's only one St. John*and he doesn't own the ambulance.

 

Generally, anything that in Ontario that is WSIB-Approved is "equivalent" to a St. John Ambulance course. Besides Red Cross, a common one is Ski Patrol, Toronto EMS, and some others. You can find a list if you look for Regulation 1101 at www.wsib.on.ca, BUT...

 

I might be biased, being both a volunteer and an instructor with SJA, but I can assure you that the standards and quality of teaching upheld by SJA instructors far surpasses anywhere else, largely because we have a system in place to train and monitor teaching and to develop new standards that are effective and easy for lay students to learn. And we try to combine reading, videos, demos, and lots of practicals, to put everybody's "learning style" to use. Places that scorn reading or videos are missing a large chunk of the population that need those things to learn.

 

Second to that, Red Cross, since, like SJA, it is recognized internationally, but they don't have the same strict system of monitoring their instructors, but the instructors are usually pretty good. Anything else, and you risk not having your certificate recognized outside your immediate area, causing you unnecessary grief.

 

On another note... it's easy for medical students (and some pre-meds) to look down on first aid training as just some silly hoop you have to jump through. But take it seriously... how much of a goof will you look like, wearing your "MEDS 200x" T-shirt on the train one day, and the guy sitting next to you has a seizure, and you don't know what to do?

 

You have what we instructors call "the academic advantage" (you read faster, you grasp concepts faster). Yes, it's simple, easy, stuff, but then, if you already knew it you wouldn't have to take the course. It's not medicine, it is not replaced by (especially the first two years of) medical school. It's improvisation and working fast with no help and no drugs.

 

What you'll learn from taking a public first aid course goes far beyond the first aid, too. You'll learn a thing or two about how other people learn, and interact, and where they work and why they're motivated to take health-care-related training. These people will be your patients some day. (And trust me, take a weekday course and you'll be REALLY enlightened...)

 

Bring a book. There will be more time allotted for reading than you will need. And put your all into it... you'll learn more, and when an instructor identifies a brilliant student we try to work with you on your level. Don't think you know more than your instructor though... there are MD's hiding out there who do this for a weekend past-time.

 

If you really find Standard First Aid boring, there are higher levels of training you can undertake. Ontario SJA will be launching a new program in 2002, approved by the provincial paramedic association, to replace the old "Emergency Medical Responder" program. It will consist of three levels above Standard First Aid: the First Responder, the Medical First Responder (MFR) I, and the MFR II. This would be something for those with an interest in emergency pre-hospital care (and a bit of money to burn if you aren't a volunteer) to look into.

 

And in addition to Peter's post (another St. Johner, or a Johnnie as the British say), if anyone is interested in finding contacts for volunteer work or taking courses under SJA in Ontario BUT outside of Ottawa, lemme know. I can hook you up.

 

* There's actually two, St. John the Almoner and St. John the Baptist, but only the latter is being referred to for historical reasons, and it would be bad grammar anyways to be referring to a plural of St. Johns and using an apostraphe.

[Guest MayFlower1]

Ian,

 

You're so right about how much you can learn besides first aid and CPR in the classes. As you said, I personally found I only needed about 1/3 of the time allowed to read any one particular module. The remainder of the time I chose to watch and listen. I found people's curiosity, the way they approached learning first aid and their general demeanor very interesting. You get everyone in the classes from the "class clown" to the "extremely vigilent" to the "I'm only doing this because my employer wants me to" to the "I know more about medicine than any of you 'first aider' dweebs". Interestingly, many of the latter either end up having more difficulty than those who are interested and modest, primarily (in my opinion) because they don't know where do draw the boundaries of what a first aider's role is or they make poor situational decisions or they just aren't open to learning new things. The instructors I've come across at SJA are extremely knowledgeable and have been, in my experience, quite modest with respect to how much they actually know. Once engaged, my instructors had a wealth of experience and knowledge to share.

 

What I've found even more interesting and useful than the in-class learning is the learning I've gailed while volunteering with the St. John Ambulance Brigade. The application of first aid principles in real events with real people shows you the contrast between academic learning and how you apply the learning in real life. "Casualties" or "Patients" are real people with real fears, worries, abilities to understand, etc. I know this sounds "motherhood" but it's really quite eye-opening. Volunteering with SJA, I've seen a side of people (i.e., bystanders, those who are hurt, sick, etc.) that I've personally never seen before. People react to being sick/hurt in a number of different ways and the experience of interacting first hand has given me invaluable insight and confirmation that I can really make a significant difference in people's lives. I've found it to be completely exhilarating...it leaves me with a warm and satisfied feeling knowing I've made someone a bit more comfortable, made a kid with a scraped knee laugh or helped a situation remain stable until medical assistance arrives.

 

Anyway, I think Ian's point of taking away more than the first aid component of the classes is an excellent point. It's a real opportunity to learn a bit about your future colleagues (i.e., nurses, paramedics, other doctors), patients, etc.

 

Just my 12 cents...

 

Peter

[Guest Ian Wong]

Heya,

 

While I agree with all of the above, I didn't write it; mying did. I have no previous experience with SJA. I was just re-posting it under my own name after I accidentally deleted the entire thread.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

[Guest MDCY]

If you don't know already, being a certified for first aid/CPR for all three groups is required before people even do clinical rotations in the US as well. I totally agree with the aforementioned posts that if people haven't been certified yet, do so as it will help you even if you don't enter medicine.

Cheers!

[Guest smg]

I too took a private company's standard 1st aid and CPR-C course before joining my campus ER team, which is a SJA brigade. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you volunteer with SJA, even if you've taken their standard course, you have to pass the BTS-1 (Brigade Training System) before they can insure you. I found this training much more rigourous than the private course I took with more emphasis on secondary surveys and ESM.

Anyhow, whether you volunteer with SJA or take a course from Red Cross, SJA or a WSIB certified company, I think it's really crucial for everyone to have these skills. In fact, I know a kid just a few days after taking CPR at school in jr. high helped save his dad from a heart attack. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

[Guest songcbird]

Just building off this volunteering thread, has anyone done the First Responders course offered through Red Cross? I am curious about this and was wondering what people's experiences may have been like. Thanks.

[Guest Nightrider]

I am certified to teach Basic and Emergency First Aid for the Lifesaving Society, and should (hopefully) be getting my Standard First Aid instructor certification soon (if I can find one - anyone from the GTA know of somewhere running a course?). I have wanted to take my First Responders for awhile, but the dates have always conflicted with prior engagements. I know it's got a lot of useful stuff like oxygen administration, inserting trach tubes, emergency births and such. I know someone who did it, and she said it was interesting, but that she had done a lot of EMS ride-alongs, so she had already known much of the course content. In many of these courses you can also tack on an AED certification by paying an extra $50 bucks or so. The cost of the First Responders course is around $325, as is the Red Cross First Aid Instructor certification. The Lifesaving Society (equivalent to RC and SJA) First Aid Instructor course is around $175, depending on where you take it.

[Guest smg]

I just recently took the SJA Medical First Responder course through our campus ER team. The benefit of taking it this way was that it only cost me $70 and that was for materials. I'm not sure about the differences between the SJA course and the others. I found the course pretty intense, lots of material to learn. Our instructors were flight paramedics so they had a lot of anecdotes and practical little tricks.

 

We got our AED and O2 certs. We also learned how to do extrications (with the KED), pharangeal and nasal pharangeal airways, traction, collars, spine boards, suction and lots of other stuff. Since this was the first time these instructors had taught this brand new MFR course (as mentioned earlier, it's a new course for SJA), we had a lot of classroom time. I would have prefered some more situations.

 

Anyhow, I'm really glad I took this course. Learning the basic anatomy and physiology behind conditions like shock and allergic reactions helps with understanding what's going on and how to treat it, rather than just learning treatments by rote. I found that this sort of course helped me to further determine whether med is for me - I'm seriously considering this career path. I found the course helped to see how you deal with patients in stressful situations and how well you can think on your feet. It's surprising how many ppl. despite being quite smart and knowing the material just completely freeze when put in a sit. I think it gives you a little taste of things to come.

[Guest Biochem10]

I was a lifeguard so I was certified through red cross, it came as part of my NLS certificate. Anyway, i was wondering, if I needed to take another course or just a recert? Anyone else here a lifeguard?

[Guest Nightrider]

Hi...I'm a lifeguard too.

 

Your certs for First Aid are valid for 2 years, and CPR for one year. Sometimes a course at the level of Standard First Aid is more or less included when you take your NLS. I took mine separately as an AEC course (Aquatic Emergency Care), which has since been replaced by the LSS Standard First Aid Course. You should be fine just recerting. You can recert any course within 5 years of taking it (after that you've got to take the whole thing again). That's LSS policy, though, so you may want to contact your local branch of the Red Cross.

[Guest mying]

SMG: yes, before you can be insured as a patient care volunteer with SJA you have to take one of the BTS levels. The kids (under 18) and the therapy dog folk are exempt.

 

The new SJA advanced program has three levels. The First Responder is a three day program that gives you the basics of oxygen and airway management, but doesn't get into extrications and the heavier physiology. The Medical First Responder is the five day program which is probably the one SMG describes. There's also the ten day MFR program which also covers basics of ambulance driving, technical rescue, and much more situational work. If the course is designed for it, you could be meeting requirements to consider yourself an EMR, which in Canada is the one (and only) national standard below Primary Care Paramedic recognized for ambulance work.

 

None of these buy you much in medical school other than maybe having a bit more familiarity equipment and assessment priorities in the Emerg -- I teach these programs and I can tell you they haven't given me much of an advantage anywhere but the ED, other than that I could take a set of vitals in the dark while others were still figuring out how to hold the BP cuff, but they catch up to me quickly.

 

But having studied these (or the Red Cross First Responder, which in content falls between the three day and five day St. John courses, or anything else "extra" -- ski patrol, army medic QLs, rescue, guard comps) shows an interest in pre-hospital care and in talking about what you learn in it and how you use what you learn, *might* help on a medical school application or residency application, but who really knows.

[Guest Biochem10]

Thanks Nightrider, my NLS expired last year and I guess my CPR certification expired 2 years ago, so I guess I'll try and re-cert through the Red Cross in May.