street medic/first aid training...?

[Erik]

hi all, i'm erik, a complete newbie to these forums, pleased to meet you all.
i live in the soth east of england right now and am looking for cheap street medic/first aid training.
do any of you folks have any links or recommendations?
i've done a basic course with the st john ambulance but it wasn't really what i was looking for, i need something more 'active', if you know what i mean something more designed for wilderness or extreme situations, perhaps.
any help will be greatly appreciated

regards, erik

[scoobie]

Hey Erik,

I don't know of the people involved, but this looks promising and looks reasonably local

http://www.wildernessfirstaid.co.uk/index.html

scoobie

[hobo]

Ditto. Looking for summat similar in the Lancs/Yorks area. Anyone?

Hobo

[janso]

http://www.wildernessmedicaltraining.co.uk/

http://www.expeditionmedicine.co.uk/

Can be quite pricy for the basic courses but superb training.
For those who want a less intensive course, I suggest a normal first aid at work and maybe a few bolt ons like defib training, paediatric care.

Not to put a downer on it, but any members who have done a FA course, how much do you remember and upon completing a refresher course, how long does it take for the cogs to start turning??
I've lectured on quite a few FA courses for a previous employer, and as an instructor you have to continually practice and revise otherwise skill fade slips in, its happened to me before right in the middle of a lecture which didnt look good!! Quite a high percentage of FA's forget their training if they dont revise or actually use it. Working with a local rescue team and attending incidents on beaches, moorland, etc, etc its so easy to forget when its real... I've even seen paramedics forget 'little' things when trying to find a vein for IV drips and managing airways.
To actually learn and keep up on revision, it would be more preferencial in my opinion to actually volunteer for St Johns or look at local first responder schemes to gain the experience of practice and ACCURATE training.

Someone with a little knowledge can sometimes be more dangerous!!
Hope it helps.....

[Erik]

oh cool, cheers folks!
some of them are within my price range, what with christmas and then a birthday to take into account
and i agree with your point janso.
how much of any of my FA stuff do i remember?
i reckon 30% at most.
i mean, its possible that SOME stuff might make a miraculous return in a crisis-situation but its just as likely that MORE of the information will miraculously and crucially disappear.
thats exactly why i need to get more training. i feel very vulnerable with this half-empty brain!
regards

[theboss2010]

Have you thought of joining St Johns Ambulance or the Red Cross? Once you become a member you can do good number of courses and you can gain a lot of experience with them, by going on duty to various events. I've a long list of qualifications, which I've gained from being a member!

[AAAA]

Just to re open this thread, have a look at the following. I will state that the bottom two won’t be to every ones tastes. Especially the last, as they are tailored towards people who work with in the close protection industry, and are can be a little gun ho. (literally in the case of the last). Also a tad expensive, but I have heard good revies from some of the boys who have attended them

http://www.etoltd.com/

http://www.the-medical-wing.com/

http://www.yantarni.com.gt

[AAAA]

Also
http://phecta.co.uk/

It’s a more generic first aid training provider.

[Selfsufficientwoman]

Janso - I agree about keep up-to-date and keep skills fresh

As a qualified FA - I tend to review my booklet every so often to remind myself of things - having said that - I tend to click into action when a medical emergency arises and keep a very clear head - I don.t do the panic thing.

I think that is also important - yes learning FA is important but if you are one to get panicked and confused all the FA training in the world wont help you - seconds count and can be the difference between life and death.

Where I worked before - I came into to work late and found my office floor (with a fellow FA on the floor) all in a flap - when I asked what was happening the FA told me a manager was acting strange and they thought the manager's sugar was low - I asked them what treatment they administered and did they call the ambulance - answer was no to ambulance and gave him so biscuits! I asked where the manager was - they said he was sleeping in the office and they closed the door!!!

When I looked in manager's office he was not sleeping but actually slipping in and out of consciousness - he was having a major hypoglycemic attack with signs of Diabetic Ketoacidosis. He was so incoherent and confused that he could not advise where his insulin was he did not know his name or where he was - I had to immediately shout to the other FA to call the ambulance and I asked a male work colleague for assistance because the manager was almost falling off the chair ( and he was a very large person) - we had glass office windows (think about it) I had to resort to shoving some sugar cubes in his mouth to get his sugar levels up after a lot of drama the ambulance came and he was more lucid and able to say his name and confirm where he was - we found the insulin and gave it to him.

I promptly recommended that other FA no longer be considered as FA for the office - because of that incident and another one where she was the first point of call and refused to go to treat the person.

[diamond lil]

People now don't have as much common sense as they used to, or be as practical. I don't know why this is.