Program Spotlight: First Aid Retraining

If you don't already have CPR and first aid training or if you need to renew your training, you can complete DAN's Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid course in a single afternoon after completing the online module. Investing a few hours to take this rewarding course will give you skills you can use to save lives.

Continuing your first aid education is just as important as your original training. The following are a few reasons why you should keep your skills sharp.
As health science evolves, so do first aid treatment techniques. While some people learned the precordial thump in a first aid class, for example, experts abandoned that technique years ago after concluding that other methods of resuscitation were more effective in preserving life.

In addition to CPR, techniques for controlling bleeding, treating hypothermia, administering epinephrine, dealing with sprains and broken bones, and responding to strokes and choking are among the many methods that experts regularly review and modify. As first aid and medical research evolves, improved ways to respond to various emergencies become accessible to lay providers.

Given the rate at which modern medicine evolves, experts advise that you refresh your first aid skills and knowledge every two years. Staying updated and continuing your education can also protect you from a legal liability standpoint: You'll know what you're qualified to treat, and you'll remember the correct techniques.
Skill degradation can occur over time without practice, but the stakes are high when it comes to first aid skills. Studies show that first-time students can experience skill degradation in just a few weeks after completing a course, and without regular retraining, skills can degrade within the first year.

First aid retraining is a quick and easy investment to help you save lives. Stay updated so you will be prepared in the event of a real emergency.

© Alert Diver — Q2 2020