Red Cross Nursing

Whenever you hear or read about a major calamity or catastrophe, such as an earthquake, where considerable amount of damage and loss of property/lives took place, you would have also noticed that the first organization to reach the spot at the earliest possible time invariably will be the Red Cross Society.

How is it possible and what are they doing there? Well. Red Cross Society is the synonym for first aid and their organization as well as volunteers for this organization have the motto of lending their helping hand to the victims at times of calamities. Established in the year 1881, this non-governmental organization has been doing pioneering works in providing first aid and disaster-relief in all places across the world.

The services of Red Cross is not utilized only in times of calamities or emergencies. They do a lot of social services to the locality and neighborhood and strive to make this place a happy one to live.

They create an awareness of First Aid to the individuals, to the corporate, to the communities and also to the public at large.

They have been setting standards in First Aid and devising new systems and procedures to administer first aid to the people. Just as a doctor is for the patient, Red Cross is for First Aid. That does not mean you should call Red Cross only for each and every emergency situation to administer first aid.

You can get certificate on first aid course from Red Cross and follow the principles taught to you to act as a first aid provider. The standards adopted by Red Cross are updated regularly and they also do research and refine the mode of first aid frequently. Being updated and providing the best in the world-class services as far as First Aid is concerned is the hall-mark of Red Cross Society. It is because of this pioneering effort and their service, they are considered to be the best in providing First Aid as well as First Aid Training courses.

Learning and mastering the art of CPR or cardio pulmonary resuscitation is one of the essentials of advanced training in first aid.  According to available data, emergencies such as heart attack or stroke are among the major accidents that require immediate action and first aid.  Also, it has been found that more than 70% of the cardiac attacks such as stroke, choking or heart attacks take place invariably at home or a place well away from the reach of the nursing home or hospital.

What is cardio pulmonary resuscitation?

It is one of the techniques in first aid administered to a patient who experiences sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack.  Using the technique of CPR, a trained first aid person will need to immediately swing into action, try to breathe into the patient’s mouth such that the problems in breathing can be temporarily arrested.  He or she should also try to press the heart and to infuse some sort of life into the heart’s functioning.  This immediate response will arrest the attack from further damage and can give breathing time to take the patient to the hospital for further treatment.  This is the general idea of CPR and needs additional precautions as well.

You can imagine the importance of CPR in treating a patient’s life if subjected to a cardiac attack.  To save a person’s life and to administer the correct type of CPR, you should invariably have training and effective practice in handling the same.  The time at your disposal will be relatively limited and you should act instantly.

Getting training in CPR is not difficult at all.  Two full days of classes and training will enable you to get certification in CPR.  It is very essential that most of us get equipped with this important first aid course which will go a long way in saving the life of innumerable people in case of emergencies.

The only certain thing about our day-to-day life is uncertainty.  What happens when and how cannot be predicted in advance and planned for the same with any amount of certainty.  This is especially true in the case of mishaps, accidents and minor or major health problems.

It is this uncertainty, especially with regard to health related incidents, that calls for knowledge about first aid and knowledge about the same in the form of simple first aid courses for every one.

What do you mean by first aid?

The word “First Aid” refers to the immediate or instant help provided to a person who met with an accident, or has suffered sudden illness such as loss of breath or a cardiac attack while walking on the road or traveling in a bus.  The help, in the case of an accident, might be arresting the flow of blood before taking the victim to the nearby hospital.

The primary aim of First aid is to ensure that there is no threat to the life, or simply, saving the life of the person.  The second aim is to ensure that the condition of the person is stabilized or arrested from further deterioration – something like stopping the flow of blood in the case of an accident.  The third aim is to ensure that the first aid activity helps in promoting the health of the patient.

While it should be the endeavor of people not to be a person getting first aid treatment, it should be our prime responsibility  to extend all possible assistance in the form of first aid when we come across any person needing immediate assistance.

You need not be a medical expert to provide first aid to a person in need of the same.  One thing you should, however, ensure is that the help you do or try to do should not aggravate the situation that is contrary to the goal of first aid.

By learning the importance and basics of first aid through a first aid course, you can be on the right side and help a person in need of emergency.

Training in CPR or certified pulmonary resuscitation contains a number of sub-divisions. One can opt to take any specialized course or all of such courses to be prepared and willing to provide first aid to a person suffering from cardio-related diseases. Anybody can take up a course on CPR, get trained and get a certificate. Even children aged above 8 years and above can be provided with CPR training.

The various sub-types of training in CPR include CPR for adults, CPR for use at the workplace, CPR for infants, CPR for children, CPR that uses automatic external defibrillator, and also something called as Heart Saver CPR.

Though the core idea behind all types of specializations is to save the patient’s life, the mode and approach to the treatment might have some variations. One can decide the area of specialization in which he or she would like to obtain certification. Depending upon the choice of the specialized course, the duration of the course, the content and the fees might change.

If you are working in a factory, then your employer might sponsor you for CPR at workplace or allow you to take up the course, such that you can be of immense use to the workers when an unexpected thing happens or any of the co-workers can be affected with heart related problems. If you are working as a baby-sitter, then CPR for children and infants will be quite useful for you such that you can administer first aid in case of emergency and save an infant’s life.

Depending upon the type of exigency you are mostly likely to experience, you can gain specialized training in CPR apart from the general awareness and certification in CPR.

Where can you get all these types of CPR courses? Without any second thought, you can go to the Red Cross, where all types of training related to CPR are offered. You can also take up online courses for certification on CPR, which provides you the freedom and leisure to learn the course. Certification will be provided when you conduct and demonstrate in a practical session as per the instructions of the online educator.

Awareness of first aid is one thing. Administering first aid in case of emergency to a person is another thing. If you want to really help a person in distress, you should seriously considering allocating some time and a little amount of money to visit the local chapter of Red Cross, inquire about first aid training course, enroll yourself for the course and get a certificate for first aid training.

Learning first aid and getting certificate as a first aid provider will help you in many ways. Because, in a first aid training course, you will not only be taught how first aid should be administered, but also practical sessions and demonstrations in video films will be shown to you, thus preparing you to do the first aid, in case of emergency.

Before providing first aid, the following things need to be followed:

You, as a provider of first aid, should always ensure that the affected person is not unconscious while you do. He or she must be conscious.

Also ensure that you update the person receiving the first aid attention about what you are doing. Ensure that you ask the person what and how he or she feels, where the patient experiences pain and all other things. It is essential that you take the patient into confidence and do all that is needed with his concurrence. Because, you should not do anything, in your enthusiasm to provide help, that might have negative repercussions.

You should carefully examine the area where the injury occurred or where the person experiences pain or trouble. See whether there is any swelling, break, cut, or bruise in the affected area and also ensure that there is no blood flow. Do not show panic or urgency such that you overlook these symptoms. Be confident and ensure that all the precautions have been duly followed before you provide first aid assistance.

You need to act quickly. At the same time, you should ensure that you are doing the correct things in the proper way. This is what you will learn in the first aid training course and a certificate acknowledges your capability to handle the persons in case of emergency.