7 essentials for delivering first aid courses

As a first aid trainer you will need to have suitable resources when delivering courses. Some of these are essential for the actual training whilst others make the session more comfortable for the learner. In this blog post I will set out the seven essentials that I always have when delivering Emergency First Aid at work qualifications. I am concentrating on the actual first aid resources here not training resources such as projectors etc., I will do that in another post.

1. Anti-bacterial hand gel. An absolute essential in the current COVID-19 climate. I buy squeezy bottles of these from my local supermarket. Make sure you get the ones with lid that can be firmly closed for travelling otherwise the gel will end up all over your other equipment.

2. Kneeling mats. Learners will need to be kneeling on the floor during the course for the practical scenarios. A kneeling mat gives that extra bit of comfort and protection for both you the trainer and also the learners. I buy garden kneelers from the garden centre or DIY store.

3. CPR mannequins. I use two different makes of mannequins depending on where I am delivering courses and how I am travelling there. Most of the time I use Laerdal Little Anne mannequins but if I am travelling into London by train I use Actar D-fib mannequins which fit into a rucksack. You will need at least 3 mannequins but I currently use one per candidate when at all possible. If learners have to share then I provide plastic face shields for additional protection.

You will also need to have antibacterial mannequin wipes for the learners to clean their mannequins before and after use.

Mannequins should be clothed so that the learners have to remove clothing in order to apply the AED pads. I use a selection of old T-shirts which are washed after each course. You could also use branded T-shirts.

4. AED training devices. I use AED trainers which I bought new from Ebay. You can also get mini trainers which are more cost effective when delivering training to a large group. The mini trainers are a little quiet when there is a lot of noise in a training room but good value for money. Again you will need at least 3 of these but aim to get 6 so that you can run scenarios in pairs.

5. Gloves. Nitrile gloves for learners to use. Some trainers encourage their use throughout the course. In the interests of waste I only have the learners actually put gloves on during the bleeding scenarios.

6. Bandages. At least 1 new clean medium sized dressing bandage per learner to use for the bleeding scenario assessment. I also add to this by providing alcohol free wipes and plasters so that we can have several different scenarios.

7. Storage. You will need to consider the best way to both store and transport all the above. Some trainers use lidded storage boxes or crates. I use a hard shell suitcase when using public transport so that I can get on and off trains quickly and easily. Most of the time I drive to courses in my van which has sufficient space for all my training resources and I store them in a ‘Really Useful’ Plastic box.

What would you consider ‘essential’ for delivering your first aid courses? Let me know in the comments.

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