How to Get the Most Out of First Aid Training

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Knowing first aid is something that’s highly-recommended by millions of people, but it’s surprising how few people actually know it. It can be the difference between life and death in many cases, therefore brushing up on the necessary first aid skills is highly recommended if you do have to take immediate action in an emergency. 

It also pays dividends to know how to use first aid equipment effectively, even if you are not a first responder, or a member of the emergency services. If you can help in an emergency situation, then you can make all the difference in saving a life.

The responsible thing to do when it comes to administering first aid is to look beyond the content of a first aid course, or the contents of a first aid kit. Understanding what you have to try and do, recognising the right warning signs and adapting your way of thinking are all things ATR recommend and teach here in our scenario-based first aid courses. We will give you a rundown of how you can take more from a first aid training course.

What is the Aim of First Aid?

Firstly we should revisit the aims of first aid. Primarily, first aid certificates should not be looked at as if they are a status symbol. Even the most basic of first aid skills teaches an individual how to prevent death, or stop a serious injury developing into a worse one.

First aid involves trying to preserve life and promote recovery, by triggering a positive response to an injury or illness using physical equipment or, in many cases, techniques that help a person to feel less pain, bleed less or start breathing again.

Put simply, the aim of first aid is to preserve life, prevent people from getting worse and promote their recovery.

instructor delivering first aid CPR training to small group

Basic First Aid Skills

A basic first aid course will typically cover some widely-known first aid procedures such as:

  • CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
  • Choking (including back blows how to administer the Heimlich manoeuvre on adults)
  • Seizures
  • Bleeding wounds
  • Burns
  • Scalds
  • Broken bones 
  • Sprains
  • Spotting concussions
  • Head trauma
  • Stitches

While you can learn the above first aid techniques and skills by taking an online course, the reality is that you won’t get the full experience that scenario-based training will give you.

Here at ATR, we specialise in physical training that prepares you mentally and physically for the types of challenges you’re likely to face. We tailor our training to your specific niche, whether this is as a community first responder or whether you’re in an office and have never had workplace first aid training before.

While there is no denying that online first aid courses are beneficial in some way, they will only get you so far. Before you begin looking into specific first aid courses, here are a few tips which will help you get the most out of your training.

How to Improve Your First Aid Skills

  • Master the basics

    You need to be comfortable with the basics of first aid. Mastering the basic principles of administering help to the injured, seriously unwell or unconscious, before the emergency services arrive, will help you as you explore different, advanced courses down the line. Having a rudimentary understanding of how to prevent someone from choking or treating burns, scalds or broken bones will help you get more out of specific courses like paediatric first aid or First Person on Scene (FPOS) training.

  • Refresh your knowledge

    It’s quite common to forget large amounts of a training course within the first few days of taking that training. To ensure you’re retaining the required and vital knowledge, it’s highly recommended that you take a first aid refresher course. You can also invest in first aid books or guides, but refresher first aid training is an excellent way to ensure you retain that knowledge.

  • Practice situational awareness

    You need to ensure you are reacting and preparing for situations where your first aid knowledge may be put to use. A huge part of first aid training is to adopt situational awareness, which can be applied to other types of training, including close protection, surveillance, travel safety and much more.

    Situational awareness training prepares you for almost any situation, where you will learn how to quickly and effectively assess every situation you find yourself in, becoming more clued into your surroundings, environment and other potential dangers.

    You won’t learn this as effectively without taking scenario-based first aid training.

First Aid Training Providers

We hope the above has helped give you some perspective on preparing for first aid training. At ATR, we offer standard First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work courses for corporations and organisations, as well as courses like First Response Emergency Care (FREC) and First Person on Scene (FPOS-I).

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