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When trainforreal becomes it is real!

Those that have attended one of the many Lazarus first aid training courses, really appreciate the “trainforreal” scenarios. Equally, they understand the importance of those soft, reassuring skills, that can really make a difference to somebody that has suddenly become critically ill.

Last Monday morning whilst preparing the training room for 18 people, who were joining us for a first aid at work course, I was suddenly overwhelmed by excruciating chest pain. After spending many years in the NHS ambulance service and having past experience of a heart attack, I knew that I was in a serious condition. At that very moment, I was lucky that members of the Lazarus team were at the office. They sprang into action, as if they were playing out a “train for real” scenario. Except this wasn’t role play and as a team, they hadn’t rehearsed. They seemed to know instinctively, what was expected of them.

Alistair, knowing that the office was a safe environment, moved quickly onto assessing my response, airway, breathing and circulation. At that time, I was alert (remember AVPU). I clearly had a patent airway but my breathing was rapid and uncomfortable. He then took the first radial pulse. These actions were repeated continuously until the Paramedic arrived.

After a 999 call was made, Riana went to reception to await the arrival of the emergency services. For those of you that have been to our training centre, you’ll know that it’s a bit of a labyrinth and without Riana’s assistance, the Paramedic would have wasted valuable time trying to locate the office.

Paul, with whom I was sharing the training duties and had first realised that something wasn’t right had the difficult job of explaining to and calming down 18 people who had arrived for their first aid course only to discover that one of the trainers was in a potentially life threatening condition and was in fact receiving first aid. Although I suspect that being a retired sub-officer from Essex Fire & Rescue, he was calculating the best way to remove the roof.

Whilst all of this was happening, of course I was petrified and this is where two special ladies, Alison and Samantha stepped up. They both held my hand, reassured me, kept me calm. They made me smile, they made me laugh. Their presence and demeanour,  took my mind off what was a scary situation. Those soft skills, which were a massive part of my own ambulance service training, were of equal importance as the clinical assessments being undertaken by Alistair.

I must have drifted into semi consciousness because for those of you that remember AVPU, Alistair was noting my response to pain by pressing firmly on my clavicle. When the Paramedic first administered morphine and asked me to score my pain, I gratefully confirmed that the chest pain had subsided to a manageable 5 but Alistair’s interpretation of P, hovered stubbornly at around the 9 mark. Those army guys must be made of iron.

Alison accompanied me in the ambulance and whilst the crew were attending to my medical needs, she continued to keep me smiling. When my wife and daughter arrived at the hospital, it was Alison who greeted them with a reassuring smile and hug.

In truth, I needed to undergo diagnostic tests that could only be carried out in hospital using equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds but had it not been for the actions of Paul, Alistair, Riana, Alison and Samantha, I might not have been in such a good condition when the emergency services took over and that, is what good first aid is. That, is what you will learn from a Lazarus first aid course.

My family and I owe a big, big thank you to the Lazarus staff that were in the office that day but I know that had it been any of the others that weren’t there, they would have acted in just the same professional and caring manner. So I’d like to big up each and everyone of them.

Claire, Kelly, Natalie, Mick, Mark, Minty, Tony, Barry, Chris, Leeroy, Tom and Thomas.

Garry- first aid trainer at Lazarus Training.

We are happy to confirm that Garry is fine and has returned to work, at the time of writing he is in Glasgow providing trainforreal scenarios for a media client.

If you would like to know more about our # trainforreal approach to our first aid training call us on 0800 242 5210 or visit our training scenarios page.

About Lazarus Training

Lazarus Training is a UK based training organisation, specialising in first aid and medical training, but you probably want to know a bit more about us and what we do, where we do it [the answer to that is almost everywhere!], and who we are.

One of the main things that makes us “different” from other first aid training organisations is our #trainforreal ethos. We believe that training should be as close to real as possible: real settings; real cases and most importantly really hands on. In a real first aid situation you don’t normally get offered four options to choose from [like in a multiple choice question paper]. You need to be able to make assessments and decisions despite the pressure you will be under. First aid training matters- it could literally be a matter of life or death.

Our experienced team of trainers, assessors and support staff are linked by their passion for practical, realistic and empowering training. We believe that we should #trainforreal meaning that training must reflect the reality of what people may actually face. You can find out more about our approach/scenarios here. With a variety of professional backgrounds, but united by our standards and commitment we aim to make your delegates confident in applying their emergency skills in the real world.

The range of courses run by Lazarus Training is wide, but covers first aid and medical training for people working in challenging environments such as NGO workers or media staff, paediatric first aid, workplace first aid, first aid for police officers, hostile environments training, automated external defibrillator, fire safety and travel health courses.

Lazarus Training completed HSE approval, is a Qualsafe training centre, is a member of the Association of First Aiders and is approved by the Faculty of Pre-hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons [Edinburgh] for its police medical training.

More detail about our courses, or about Lazarus Training as a company, can be found on this website or by contacting us on 0800 242 5210.

First aid training saves lives?

So first aid training save lives, everyone agrees about that surely. But is all first aid training good first aid training? In the UK a change in the way workplace first aid training is regulated has lead to a wider range of training providers offering courses. Accessibility to courses is generally a good thing, but people should be aware of the variety of courses that are now on offer.

Many first aid courses are geared towards passing the end of course test, but they should be aimed at making the delegates confident to apply their skills, in a realistic setting and scenario. Elsewhere we have written about the time and effort that we spend on our casualty simulation and scenarios, we’re not alone in this [I hope], but many courses don’t include any exposure to “real” casualty treatment.

The experience of treating an injured or ill person for the first time is well- unique, challenging, frightening, exhilarating- these are all words that our team themselves have used. But does a classroom first aid course, with a multiple choice test paper at the end prepare you for the “plunge” into this? It can be argued that no training puts you under the same pressures as that first “call/incident”, but it is possible to get 90-95% of the way in training.

Training needs to be structured in such a way, that it moves the delegates towards a level of unconscious competence, ie doing stuff without thinking about it. Most people attending first aid training begin at the level of unconscious incompetence [not knowing what they don’t know] or conscious incompetence [knowing they don’t know stuff]. Only by repeated, practical, immersive training can we realistically hope to improve on this.

The use of carefully planned scenarios, supported by a high level of casualty simulation and “scene setting”, being run by experienced trainers and actors should be a central part of all first aid/medical training.

The emergency services and armed forces have applied this to their training increasingly in recent years, but it is possible to apply this to any first aid course longer than a few hours. It just takes some work! Perhaps this is were the difference in training providers will become apparent, a general training company which has included first aid training in its portfolio will struggle to deliver to the same intensity and depth as a purely medical training company.

After all, first aid training can save lives, but it takes good first aid training to prepare you to do it for real.

First Person on Scene [Intermediate] medical training

First Person on Scene Intermediate Training Lazarus TrainingFirst Person on Scene Intermediate [FPOS I] training is a typically a five day course aimed at those likely to be providing the initial care to a person injured or taken ill. The FPOS I course is most relevant for people who are likely to be unable to call for professional medical back up, or that that help will arrive in more than 20 minutes.

Next FPOS I “Open” course dates in Essex: 8th-12th Feb 2016

Call 0800 242 5210 to book.

Originally designed for community first responders working with the NHS, this course has become increasingly popular as an alternative to the traditional workplace first aid courses.

The course is highly practical, focusing on building a confident approach to casualty management through scenario work involving casualty simulation.

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The course covers:

The pre-hospital environment

  • role of the FPOS I
  • scene safety
  • minimising the risk of infection
  • triage

Patient assessment

  • communication with patients
  • examination and assessment
  • safe moving and handling

Respiration and Airway management

  • recognition of respiratory problems
  • common breathing difficulties
  • basic airway management
  • use of suction
  • removal of crash helmets
  • use of airway adjuncts
  • oxygen supplementation
  • ventilation support
  • bag/valve/mask

Basic Life Support

  • perform basic life support [all age groups including child bls and infant bls]

Defibrillation

  • automated external defibrillation
  • normal and abnormal heart rhythms

Circulation and Shock

  • recognition and care of bleeding
  • shock [to include faints]

Medical related emergencies

Recognition and initial care of

  • heart attack/angina
  • diabetes
  • stroke
  • epilepsy
  • unconscious patient
  • asthma/anaphylaxis
  • assisting the paramedic/medical care provider

Trauma Related emergencies.

  • recognition and initial care of injuries to bones, joints, tendons and ligaments
  • recognition and initial care of burns and scalds
  • recognition and initial care of other trauma related injuries
  • skeletal stabilisation

With this amount of content to be covered, you will appreciate that the training days are long and full on. We also require delegates to have completed some pre-reading of the course manual prior to the course. The course includes the necessary lessons to build knowledge but has a high percentage of practical sessions, skills stations and most importantly casualty scenario work. This scenario work can be both physically and mentally challenging, but very rewarding. Contact our training office via info@lazarustraining.co.uk or on 0800 242 5210 to discuss any specific needs/questions.

Next First Person On Scene Intermediate “Open” course dates in Essex: 8th-12th Feb 2016

Call 0800 242 5210 to book.

Can You Protect Your Tummy From Traveler’s Diarrhea? : Goats and Soda : NPR

We have heard quite a few of these on our First Aid in Remote Locations courses, great article.There are about as many myths and misconceptions about traveler’s diarrhea as there are names for it, such as Delhi belly and Montezuma’s revenge. We’re here to explain what actually will help.

Source: Can You Protect Your Tummy From Traveler’s Diarrhea? : Goats and Soda : NPR

ISO 9001 approval for Lazarus Training

Many companies look for their suppliers to have ISO 9001 accreditation as a way of ensuring quality and continuous development. Lazarus Training can now announce that we have passed external auditing and have gained ISO 9001: 2008 accreditation for our work activities, namely “planning and management of first aid and emergency courses delivered at the customers site or at Lazarus Training facility”.

ISO 9001 approval of Lazarus Training by BSI

Lazarus Training has always prided itself on the quality of our training and the support activities, but having a fresh set of eyes examine our work has proved to be a great help. We were assisted in our application by the great people of Assent who spotted a number of areas for improvement in our activities, all of which have now been adopted. One example, that some delegates on our first aid training courses will have already seen, was to alter our course feedback forms to allow for a greater degree of analysis via a scoring system.

Our ISO 9001 accreditation means that new and existing clients can be confident that our first aid training is being delivered and measured against a clear and defined range of standards. This approval also shows our commitment to continuous improvement, something which can be seen in our efforts to improve our courses, via delegate feedback, customer reviews and course development.

If you would like to know more about our ISO 9001 accreditation, our experience of the process or even about our first aid training just get in touch. You can contact us on info@lazarustraining.co.uk or give us a call on 0800 242 5210. You can also follow @lazarustraining on twitter or find us on facebook.

 

 

First Aid in Remote Locations training

 

first aid in remote locations training in action

First Aid in Remote Locations is designed for NGO staff working away from the infrastructure of a city or town. Whether working alone or with the local population, this course is aimed at groups who will experience a delay in accessing medical care for a colleague injured or taken ill.

The course can be adapted, but the core syllabus meets [and exceeds] the HSE’s requirements for workplace first aid.

The core learning outcomes in First Aid in Remote Locations training are:

Outline the SAFE approach
Perform, in a simulated setting, basic life support on an adult
Perform, in a simulated setting, basic life support on a child/infant
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of a pocket mask
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of choking
Place a casualty in the recovery position
Outline the management of a casualty with chest pain
State the management steps for a casualty who has fainted
Outline the management of a casualty who is convulsing
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of direct pressure to control bleeding
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of elevation to control bleeding
Outline the management of burns
Outline the management of scalds
Discuss the recognition of shock
State the management steps for shock
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, initial management of suspected fractures
Discuss recognition and management of common major illness.
List contents of available first aid kits
Outline the importance of taking a history from the patient
Discuss the importance of gathering information on the mechanism of injury
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, examination of the patient to current CABC protocols
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of indirect pressure to control bleeding
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of windlass/tourniquets to control bleeding
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, use of haemostatic dressings to control bleeding
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of head injuries
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, manual management of spinal injuries
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of chest injuries
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of abdominal injuries
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, simple management of suspected pelvic injuries
Outline management of soft tissues injuries such as sprains and strains
Discuss the identification and treatment of eye injuries including irrigation
Outline the management of an asthma attack
State the management of near drowning
Discuss identification and management of a suspected Stroke [CVA]
Discuss identification of imbalances in the sugar levels
Outline the management of suspected poisoning
Discuss the identification of hypothermia
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of a casualty with hypothermia
Discuss the identification of heat injury such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, management of a casualty with a heat injury
Outline the identification of anaphylactic shock
Discuss the management of anaphylactic shock

Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, immobilisation of suspected fractures
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, movement of a casualty
Discuss the requirements of prolonged medical care in the field
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, taking observations of the casualty ie pulse rate
Demonstrate loading a casualty into a vehicle for evacuation to medical care
Discuss ongoing care whilst in a vehicle
Demonstrate, in a simulated setting, care of a casualty in a road traffic collision
Demonstrate treatment of a minor wound such as a laceration using equipment from the first aid kit.
Discuss simple treatment of common travel related aliments such as travellers diarrhoea using items from issued first aid kits
Outline typical fluid intake requirements
Discuss simple first aid treatments of bites and stings likely to be encountered
Demonstrate maintenance of simple records of treatment given.

 

 

This first aid on remote locations course is highly practical and reflects our #trainforreal and “first aid is a contact sport” mantras. Delegates are faced with scenarios involving casualty simulation including fake blood.

To find out more about our training methods visit our scenarios and simulations page or contact us on 0800 242 5210.