Have you ever wondered what you would do if an emergency situation occurred in your classroom, out on the playground, or even on a school trip?
While all workplaces are legally required to have a number of trained First Aiders, many teachers in primary settings report that, unless required, they do not undergo First Aid training due to time, costs, and other factors.
At the Australian Institute of Training Solutions (AITS), we feel that this is a huge risk.
First Aid Training can literally save a life. Knowing the right, life-saving skills and being able to act quickly enough can be the difference between life and death for one of you students—for somebody else’s child.
That might seem scary, and feel like a lot of pressure, but it’s actually quite empowering; with the correct, demonstrative training (like we provide here at AITS), you are more capable, better prepared, and more likely to save a student’s life in an emergency than if you didn’t have First Aid training.
That’s why we strongly encourage every teacher to undergo First Aid Training and keep their training up-to-date each year.
Keep reading to discover some very real, potential scenarios that could happen, and how First Aid Training prepares you to act in an emergency situation.
Why is CPR an essential life-saving skill for teachers?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the number one First Aid skill that is so critical, you’re actually required to renew your training yearly to keep your skills current.
Why? Because administering CPR immediately after cardiac arrest can double, or even triple, someone’s chance of survival. In fact, for every minute that passes without CPR, the chance of a person’s survival decreases by 7 – 10%.
Imagine losing precious minutes waiting for a trained First Aider to make their way across a school campus, when you could have started CPR so much sooner?
We provide hands on, demonstrative CPR training in our First Aid courses, ensuring you know exactly how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation to an unconscious casualty and increase their chances of survival.
How can teachers manage a student’s medical conditions?
In our opinion, this is a big one for teachers.
When you have a classroom full of 30 or more students, you are almost guaranteed to have a child in your class that has some kind of medical condition—be it asthma, diabetes, seizures, or allergies.
Each one of these conditions needs to be treated differently and can lead to life-threatening complications if left untreated.
According to Asthma Australia, 50% of people do not know the proper steps for asthma First Aid in Australia—and that’s just for treating asthma.
It actually couldn’t be simpler to administer an asthma inhaler, and with the right training, you’ll feel confident administering other speciality medications (such as EpiPens) as well.
This is what First Aid Training with AITS in South Perth really equips you with; the knowledge and skill to act in any emergency situation, no matter what it is.
How can a teacher treat an injured student?
Injuries can happen anywhere, anytime—and especially out on the playground or during sports lessons and carnivals.
We’ve seen and heard of students falling off flying foxes and breaking their arms, tripping during soccer games and dislocating a knee, and even scraping their knees while riding skateboards and bikes.
All of these are injuries that occur on an everyday basis, and require the right treatment approaches—whether it be elevating the injury, bandaging it, or even creating a makeshift splint.
What if teachers are pressed for time in an emergency?
While many injuries are life-threatening and can lead to death, some are just as easy to treat before they escalate into a more severe situation.
For example, choking is a big one—how many students have you seen chewing on pen caps? These are huge choking hazards and children choke on these all the time. It can also happen just as easily while eating all kinds of lunchbox foods.
Knowing how to dislodge a choking hazard can save lives and prevent an unnecessary ambulance call.
Another one is burns—these might happen during cooking classes or science projects. The more severe the burn, the more treatment it will require (and even knowing how to recognise different types of burns can go a long way in treating this type of injury).
Become a certified First Aider today
Thankfully, all of the above First Aid training scenarios are covered in our course HTLAID012 Provide First Aid in education and care setting.
Our courses run from our convenient South Perth location multiple days and times per week.
Ready to book in your First Aid training? Visit www.aits.edu.au today to schedule your training session today, get certified, and know you can save a life.
