Image Description: A bright indoor classroom with a group of people practicing first aid. Participants kneel beside CPR manikins in red shirts on the floor, performing chest compressions, while their partners observe closely. An instructor is at the front, guiding the group. Everyone is dressed casually, and the scene emphasizes hands-on learning, focus, and teamwork. https://stjohnnsw.com.au/first-aid-courses?srsltid=AfmBOoqglXqLpDh3iN564AfOiLCGKE_Y66Bb_15VYAWpSPghyZqe2TDo
“Hello, my name is Elyse and I am trained in first aid. Can I help you?”
Queen’s understands the importance of a safe work and study environment and provides training at no cost to faculty, staff, and graduate students. While some jobs and departments require it, especially those with labs or equipment, every department values it. It is worth taking!
You can find sign up information here: https://www.queensu.ca/risk/safety/training/first-aid
No prior first aid knowledge is required, and sessions are offered roughly once a month or a couple of times per term. The course is two full days, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is a long time to focus and a lot of information to take in.
So here is my guide to helping you get the most out of it:
St John Ambulance has gone green and provides an online copy of the First Aid Reference Book. What I love about the digital version is that anyone can download it and access it anytime at their fingertips. Yes, you can still buy a physical copy on site if you want a little less screen time.
The training is held at the St John Ambulance Loyalist Branch at 1292 Bath Road, near Frontenac Mall at Bath Road and Armstrong Road. It is far and in the middle of nowhere. I waited years hoping it would eventually be offered on campus again and it never was. I finally accepted that I had to go to the site. The bus ride is about 36 minutes from my apartment, alternatively parking is free.
Breaks were two ten-minute coffee breaks and one forty-minute lunch. That is not enough time to run out and get anything. They do have a microwave and a kettle on site, which helps. My advice? Bring lunch, lots of snacks, a hot beverage, and a thermos with backup caffeine. Hit up timmies on the way for a special treat.
Dress warm and wear something comfortable for hands-on work. The classroom gets cold. I wore sweatpants and a fleece each day so I could easily move around and wasn’t afraid of getting a little dirty from on the floor work.
Participate. Like all things, the more you put into it, the more useful it becomes. Ask questions and share experiences. It makes the experience more enjoyable and helpful for everyone.
There is a lot of hands-on learning, and the more you physically try things, the better you will be if you ever face a real situation. You will work closely with your partner during the practical activities, so try to choose someone you will be comfortable with. A shout out to Maddi for being such a great partner! What did partner work look like? It ranged from CPR dummies to making slings and bandages on each other to overall simulated emergency situations and responses. Class size was about 21, and I think everyone was nervous to participate at first, so just jump in and try.
It is two long days. Eight hours of learning and practicing. A lot of listening. A lot of sitting and a lot of doing. If you are a wiggly person like I am, stretch whenever you can. Move when it is appropriate. Your body will thank you and you will have better focus.
Take notes. I was surprised how many people did not. There is so much information packed into two days. Our instructor was very knowledgeable, and the videos she showed added to it. It was much more than basic CPR. To give you a sense of things, we covered roles and responsibilities, how to help at an emergency scene, signs and symptoms and mechanism of injury, communication, injuries and illnesses, and stress management. We learned the steps of Emergency Scene Management, including scene and casualty assessment, primary and secondary surveys, ongoing casualty care, triage, lifting and moving, and extrication. We looked at breathing emergencies, cardiovascular emergencies, strokes, cardiac arrest, CPR, and AEDs. We covered wounds, bleeding, crush injuries, burns, hand and foot injuries, eye injuries, and bites and stings. We talked about fractures, sprains, dislocations, spinal injuries, splints, pelvic injuries, and specific bone and joint injuries. We learned about diabetes, seizures, opioid overdose, hypothermia and hyperthermia, poisoning, and mental health awareness. It was a lot and much more than I remember doing when I last took the course.
There is a test you need to take to be certified. You need a score of 70 percent to pass. Some of the questions really made me think, and I was thankful I had paid attention. Yes, I got 97 percent, but I will say that it was hard and some questions I wasn’t sure about. Luckily our instructor broke the test up into sections which helped with the information overload. The certification is valid for three years which can be renewed with a one-day refresher. And yes, Queen’s will cover the cost of that refresher if you are still a student, faculty or staff, which makes it very worthwhile to maintain.
If you ever have the chance to help someone and you can do so safely, this training gives you the confidence to act. It gives you the ability to step in when it matters.
First Aid Training with St. John Ambulance will teach you how to Literally Help Someone Survive Grad School if there is an emergency.