First Aid Training: Can it Boost Your Portfolio?

In a competitive job market, having additional skills is vital in winning the job of your dreams.

For instance, enrolling in a first aid training class can help you stand out among other job applicants or workmates. First aid skills are important emergency response techniques useful even in office environments.

Though workplace accidents are not an everyday thing, sometimes they happen and when they do, the repercussions can be far-reaching. Organizations care about employee wellbeing–most would rather work with safety-savvy employees than begin from scratch.
Most times, extra credentials like a first-aid certificate can be the tie-breaker if your CV matches another applicant’s portfolio,

First aid classes usually involve simple but crucial steps that can help rescue workers from small accidents or sudden collapses due to cardiac arrests and heart attacks.

Why Employers Consider First Aid Training Important
Emergency response is the assistance given to a person who has sustained an injury or is in a life-threatening situation. It aims to prevent the condition from worsening or serve as an early treatment.
As much as we take caution, injuries like getting burnt, drowning, pricking from objects, cuts, bites from insects, and sudden cardiac arrest are inevitable. Emergency care or first aid should be administered by experienced bystanders.
Below are some reasons recruiters and employers consider this first aid knowledge important:

  • It is a rare skill

When seeking a job in a competitive industry, first aid training for office is a great way to complement your curriculum vitae.
Most employers look for such skills since they prove handy in situations that require emergency response.
Also, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration states require that “if no clinic, hospital or infirmary is close to your workplace, at least one employee should be a certified first aider.”
Therefore having 1 or 2 employees with first aid capabilities will benefit many businesses since they don’t have to pay for training or hire a first aider.

  • It shows that you can handle stress in the workplace

Being a first aider is useful for critical health scenarios in the workstation. Most people turn away at the sight of blood or injuries. However, being a trained first aider shows that you can handle such situations calmly.
It also shows that you can remain focused when working under stressful conditions, make sober decisions, and display utmost compassion towards injured workmates.

  • It shows that you have initiative

Because first aid is a rare skill among workers, employees will appreciate your efforts.
Obtaining a certificate in first aid training while on the job shows that you spend your time on progress and have the passion to learn new skills.
Employers find this an impressive quality and will most likely consider you for new opportunities.

  • It makes you confident

Responding to emergencies is not simple as we imagine. The bystander must be confident enough to make crucial lifesaving decisions ASAP.
Having CPR and first aid skills will make you more confident, knowing you can save someone’s life when they collapse all of a sudden.

  • It portrays you as a team player

Certification in first aid shows employers that you can perform well in a team– because your first aid skills will benefit your workmates, and not you.
It’s also a sign you can take on tasks in a calm and composed manner regardless of the situation, whether stressful or peaceful.
This is a trait that can be the x-factor in a competitive job market.

  • You save cost and time in businesses

As a first aider, you are trained to stay alert and focused on the task at hand even in stressful environments, including occupational accidents and other dangerous situations.
Therefore, this training provides you with extra value to the employers and makes you a sought-after employee.

  • You increase safety in the workplace!

First aid classes and safety awareness go together.
Workplaces with multiple first aiders are advantageous because the trainees are often considered health officials. These employees can spot potential problems or hazards before they happen or pose risks to the other employees.

  • You can apply the skill anywhere

While you cannot transfer a skill acquired at the workplace due to incompatibility, first aid is a skill set that can be used in any environment including hotels, schools, offices, buses, planes, etc.
Life-threatening situations happen anywhere so your first aid training should come in handy time and again. Moreover, you could volunteer during significant disasters or incidences with casualties.

  • A good starting point when switching careers

Emergency response training acts as a good foundation for jobs in the health and security sectors, especially if you plan to switch to another career.
This certification opens doors to other opportunities even in your current workplace. For instance, you could be assigned a safety management role in the company. Such positions come with extra perks making your occupation even more enjoyable.

How to Get First Aid Training While on the Job
Well, maybe you love the idea of emergency training but don’t know where to begin. Don’t worry, it is possible to get first aid and CPR training while on the job.
These sessions are not as complicated as you imagine. In essence, the courses are structured into simple (yet meaningful) sessions that you can tackle in the evening as part-time classes.
Furthermore, you can choose between the different training options including;

  • Register in a physical class

One approach is to enroll in a physical class (that you must go to physically after job hours). Though this strategy works perfectly well, it means you must commute to the first aid course venue after leaving the workplace. It also means you must attend the classes in person.
If you choose this path, consider factors like:

  • Transport costs,
  • The venue’s proximity to your workplace or home,
  • How long the sessions last
  • How much do you need to pay for the course

These factors will help you make more informed decisions about where to register and the total costs of earning a certificate.
If this strategy won’t work for you, try option 2 below.

Attend a remote first aid class online
Online emergency training classes are just as effective as physical classes–but they offer more flexibility and cost-saving benefits than option 1 above.
An online class allows you to attend CPR training from the comfort of your home. If you choose this approach, you won’t need to travel to a separate physical location after work just to attend a class.
Instead, all you need to do is commute home after work and prepare to attend the class remotely, through your computer or smartphone.
Other benefits include:

  • Most online classes are affordable than physical sessions
  • Online classes are equally effective because they use dummies and demonstrations to educate trainees
  • You save on transport costs incurred when attending physical classes.
  • You balance your career and personal life better because you get home in good time
  • You earn your certificate online–even get to print it alone

Lastly, you may also enjoy other perks like combined courses offered at affordable rates.

  • Take advantage of internal training programs

Some workplaces organize internal safety and first aid sessions to prepare employees for workplace emergencies. These programs offer an excellent opportunity to acquire new skills and show interest in a safe workplace environment.
Your participation and contribution in these programs can help you stand out as a safety-oriented worker and give you an edge over other employees.
Remember, these training sessions also involve assessments to gauge your understanding of the topic.

  • Attend free training programs during the weekend

Organizations like the American Heart Association and the Red Cross Society offer community training programs to improve emergency response among bystanders.
Some of these programs involve certifications to prove that you indeed participated in the first aid and CPR training sessions
This approach is best if you:

  • Don’t have a budget for the course
  • Can’t balance between work and classes on weekdays

These programs also give you a chance to volunteer and potentially boost your emergency response portfolio.

Important Skills to Consider for Your First Aid Training
Emergency scenes are tense especially if you don’t know what to do. Below are the strategies to deal with different situations we encounter all the time.

  • CPR

CPR means cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The aim of performing CPR is to achieve back breathing and circulation of blood to the affected person. When conducted in the right manner, it can help preserve life.
But knowledge on how to conduct CPR is a little complex and requires training, yet most of us are too busy to take on a course.
Institutions like the American Academy for CPR & First Aid offer Basic Life Support and resuscitation courses online and provide instant certification to all qualified lifesavers.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the first-aid measure administered to save a victim’s life during emergencies.
SCA, drowning, and suffocation are emergencies that cause compromised breathing and can be remedied with CPR.

During CPR, the lifesaver issues chest compressions to keep blood pumping through an unconscious victim’s heart.
After successful CPR, the caregiver will assess if other BLS measures or treatments are needed.

  • Basic life Support

It refers to a combination of techniques that help keep a person’s body alive when their organs are compromised and cease functioning.
Organs can fail due to various reasons. When this happens, precautions must be taken to help the person survive. The different types of life support techniques focus on saving lives and reducing further damage to body organs.
People often use life support to refer to a mechanical ventilation machine that helps a victim inhale and exhale. Usually, such devices are used when you are too injured or sick to the point that your lungs cannot function normally.
Brain injury can also prevent the body’s normal functioning, including the lungs’ simple yet essential gas exchange process. People with a brain injury will need a ventilator’s service because it clogs the airway causing difficulty in breathing.
BLS enables doctors to perform complicated surgeries. It can also lengthen the life of those recovering from traumatic injuries.

  • Treating Cuts

Stopping someone from losing blood is a critical lifesaving emergency response.
Blood is essential to the body. Everyone should learn to perform first aid to stop further blood loss in case of an injury.

Below is a procedure for treating a person who is bleeding:

  • Look for a clean piece of cloth or a bandage
  • Apply pressure gently for about 30 minutes.
  • Clean the wound thoroughly using clean water and not soap.
  • Apply an antibiotic like the commonly used Neosporin.
  • Then cover the injury with a clean piece of cloth or bandage.

In case a person is nose bleeding, you are required to do the following:

  • Make the person lean forward.
  • Find a clean cloth and put pressure on the nostrils.
  • Hold until the person stops bleeding.

While blood platelets speed the wound healing process, deep cuts may call for immediate medical attention.
If you suffer a deep wound, try the steps below to control the situation as you await medical intervention.

  • Cover the wound with a clean cloth
  • Apply pressure
  • Wrap the wound with a clean cloth.
  • Avoid application of any ointment.
  • Finally, seek necessary medical help and care for the wound until it heals.

Finally, seek necessary medical help and care for the wound until it heals.

  • Treating Sprain

These are less severe injuries that mostly heal on their own, for example, swellings. The inflammation occurs typically when blood flows to injured blood vessels.
One way to control swelling is to use ice on the injured part. This reduces the rate at which blood flows.

  • Keeping the injured part elevated.
  • Wrap the area with a piece of cloth and put the ice in a plastic bag while applying to avoid direct contact with the body.
  • Tightly wrap the injured area but allow room for circulation.
  • Compress the part at intervals

Lastly, avoid putting extra weight on the affected area.

  • Controlling Allergic Reactions

Allergic reactions are caused by the body’s sensitivity to foreign substances. Substances that may cause allergy include certain foods, stings from insects, drug ingredients, among others.
A life-threatening allergic reaction like anaphylaxis starts when any foreign substance invades the body.
Allergies can be treated using EpiPen, a small ergonomic needle used to inject adrenaline into a person suffering severe allergy.
How to treat allergic reaction:

  • Calm down the person and enquire from them if you can use EpiPenone.
  • Make them lie on their back with their feet elevated.
  • Pease do not give them any food, medicine, or even a drink
  • Inject EpiPen correctly to the victim
  • Give the patient about 15 minutes after injecting EpiPen to see if the reaction continues.
  • In case it does, then a second dose will be necessary.

You do not need first aid training to save a life or prevent the injured person from worsening.

  • Heat Stress Remedies

Heat exhaustion may develop when the body is exposed to high temperatures for an extended period. The major causes of heat exhaustion can be dehydration and tiring activities.
The signs of heat exhaustion include:

  • Too much sweating
  • Weak pulse
  • Sleepiness
  • Moist and cold skin
  • Suffering from headaches
  • Weak muscles and cramps
  • Nausea

Ways to treat heat exhaustion:

  • Find the person a cool shade, and in case there are none around, then keep the person covered to prevent sunlight.
  • Offer them water to drink.

Lastly, cover their forehead with a cool piece of cloth to ensure their body temperature lowers.

  • Treating Burns

Burns are common. Before you assist a victim, you must know the type of burn and how severe it is.
There are four types of burns, namely:

  • 1st Degree: this small burn only affects the outer layer of the skin that appears red and swollen.
  • 2nd Degree: the burning may have extended to some inner skin layers forming blisters and swellings. The type of burns comes with a lot of pain.
  • 3rd Degree: this burns all inner layers of the skin and may be so deep. The victim may have little or no pain because all the nerve endings are damaged. The wound associated with a third-degree burn is white or black.
  • 4th degree: This is a severe burn that has gone beyond the tissues up to the bones and tendons. The wound from a burn can be so painful.

Steps to treat a person with a burn:

  • Use ice or run water over the burnt area.
  • Do not press blisters
  • Apply moisturizer like aloe vera
  • Prevent the burn from sunlight
  • Administer a pain reliever to the victim and seek medical assistance for major burns where necessary.
  • Avoid ointment

Finally, cover the wound loosely to avoid further infections.

  • Treating Hypothermi

Hypothermia is when one is exposed to extremely low temperatures over a long time.
When your body temperature is below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, then you are likely to suffer from hypothermia.
Signs of hypothermia are:

  • Mumbling of words
  • Low pulse
  • Confusion
  • Lack of coordination.
  • A cold skin that appears red
  • Loss of consciousness

Treatment of hypothermia:

  • Try to be gentle to the victim to avoid a heart attack.
  • Take the person away from the cold and dress them warmly.

You can also give the victim some warm tea or water to sip.

  • Treating Fractures

Fractures usually occur on bones. While some cases are easy to notice, others are hard to tell. The following guide is to help you perform first aid on fractured bones.

  • Avoid straightening any fractured limb.
  • Use padding for stabilizing the affected region and keep it static
  • Wrap a cold pack with a cloth, then put it inside a plastic bag before applying it to avoid direct contact with the skin.
  • Ensure that the area is at a raised angle, if possible.

Finally, administer anti-inflammatory medicines to the injured, for example, ibuprofen.

With the help of these tips that we have discussed, all you may need is a well-equipped first aid kit to help you conduct an efficient emergency response.

  • Treating Fractures

Fractures usually occur on bones. While some cases are easy to notice, others are hard to tell. The following guide is to help you perform first aid on fractured bones.

  • Avoid straightening any fractured limb.
  • Use padding for stabilizing the affected region and keep it static
  • Wrap a cold pack with a cloth, then put it inside a plastic bag before applying it to avoid direct contact with the skin.
  • Ensure that the area is at a raised angle, if possible.

Finally, administer anti-inflammatory medicines to the injured, for example, ibuprofen.

With the help of these tips that we have discussed, all you may need is a well-equipped first aid kit to help you conduct an efficient emergency response.

Last Words on First Aid Training

Enrolling in a first aid class can help you stand out among other job applicants or workmates. First aid skills are important emergency response techniques useful even in office environments.

Though workplace accidents are not an everyday thing, sometimes they happen and when they do, the repercussions can be far-reaching. This explains why most organizations would rather work with safety-savvy employees than begin from scratch.
Remember, first aid training not only boosts your career but also shows people that you are compassionate about occupational safety.