Why Anyone Can Benefit From Taking A First Aid Course

A first aid course is an invaluable tool across the professional industry, helping make many work environments safer. In fact, there are many professions in which first aid training is a cornerstone skillset, such as paramedics, lifeguards, fire fighters, law enforcement and more. However, this should not be taken to mean that first aid is only important to these fields. In fact, there are many key advantages to having the everyday person undergoing first aid training, both to the individual, the people close to them, and the general public.

This is what this article is all about: listing eight of the major reasons why anyone can benefit from first aid training in their everyday lives. The benefits will include emergency preparedness, faster response times, protecting loved ones, preventing the worsening of injuries, instilling life-saving skills, increasing employability, boosting confidence and increasing resilience.

This article is brought to you by EMCARE, an organization that provides a host of emergency care training, including first aid, firefighting, safety officer courses and more. We are devoted to high-quality first aid education for individuals and businesses alike, with training centres across all major South African cities servicing students of all kinds.

1. First Aid Course For Everyone: Emergency Preparedness
   The unfortunate reality is that most medical emergencies hit us when we're least expected. From isolated incidents like a heart attack in the workplace, to encountering a car accident on the freeway to anything as extreme as a natural disaster, we always face the risk of being caught off guard by a sudden disaster. However, anyone who has completed first aid training will have been instilled with the knowledge and skillset to react, making them prepared to mitigate the worst damage of this unexpected emergency.
   
   
2. First Aid Course For Everyone: Faster Response Times
   One of the primary reasons why first aid training is so encouraged among the average populace is because it enables members of the general public to respond quickly to a medical emergency. A first aid student is able to provide a patient with critical help at the scene of the emergency before paramedics arrive, which goes a long way to increasing the rate of survival and increasing the chance of total recovery once professional aid is administered.
   
   
3. First Aid Course For Everyone: Protection For Family And Friends
   Statistically, most medical emergencies will occur within the home rather than in public. This means that we will generally rely on the emergency preparedness of our friends and family for our safety. Be that safety for the people around you by investing in a first aid course, which will allow you to help them when nobody else can.
   
   
4. First Aid Course For Everyone: Prevent Minor Injuries From Devolving Into Major Ones
   The reality of many emergencies is that they initially start out as minor accidents that slowly (or quickly) devolve into worse ones due to insufficient or improper care. This is especially true in isolated areas where medical assistance is distant, like on hikes or outdoor adventures. First aid training will allow one to administer the right kind of initial care, preventing common injuries from devolving into severe or life-threatening incidents.
   
   
5. First Aid Course For Everyone: Life Saving Skillsets
   There are a number of skills encapsulated within first aid training - such as CPR, allergic reaction treatment and choking response - that very well may save a life. These are all severe emergencies that can be lethal if not treated almost immediately, making waiting for paramedics unviable. A trained first aid response from a nearby will in these cases often mean the difference between life and death for these patients.
   
   
6. First Aid Course For Everyone: Be More Employable
   Although the primary attraction of first aid training is the opportunity it presents to protect the health and lives of those around us, it's undeniable that there are other advantages to the training as well. A member of staff (virtually no matter the industry) trained in first aid is likely to be a greater asset to an employer, than an employee who doesn't have first aid training, as your presence will help increase a business's emergency preparedness.
   

7. First Aid Course For Everyone: Boost Confidence
   There are psychological benefits to taking a first aid course. Someone who has been professionally equipped with the skills and knowledge to handle medical emergencies and potential disasters knows that they are better able to protect those around them. This increases a student's overall confidence during everyday life, sport and fitness activities, travel, outdoor adventures and more - letting them enjoy these moments more fully.
   
   
8. First Aid Course For Everyone: Build Mental Resilience
   A major component of first aid training is to build up the mental resilience of students. During emergencies our first reaction is often to panic, freeze up or dissociate. Professional training works to help students overcome that initial fear response and move onwards, leaping into action and becoming a source of stability for others around them. Whilst this skill is an absolutely essential part of emergency response, the truth is that this mental resilience carries through to other aspects of life, helping students build stronger defuses and coping mechanisms against stress and pressure in everyday life.
   

Safety For Everyone With EMCARE

In conclusion, first aid training is a major asset not only for those in specialised occupations, but members of the general public too. From being prepared for emergencies, providing care before professionals arrive, performing life saving procedures like CPR, to building mental resilience and more, there are many ways in which an individual and those around them benefit from professional training - not to mention society at large.

Contact EMCARE to begin planning how you will equip yourself with this incredibly useful and potentially lifesaving skillset.