Monthly Archives: April 2016

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First Aid

It was time for my renewal for standard first aid (SFA) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) so I registered for the 2-day course and completed my certification last week. This is a requirement to perform injections, but also an expectation as a health professional in the field. Every workplace location should have a trained individual on site at all times.

Is it just me, or does the training seem to change every year?

My first foray into first aid was to earn a badge as a cub scout. One of our group leaders was a trainer with St. John Ambulance and I recall it took place at someone’s house. There were about a dozen of us around the age of 8-10. I only retained a few items from that session: the constant warning of the graphic videos they could have shown us, how to tie a tourniquet, and just how scared to death I was to be confronted with a true first aid situation.

There was so much to remember. During the demonstrations where someone would have to take charge, we all looked at each other with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Almost everyone forgot at least one aspect of the primary survey (introducing yourself as a first-aider, determining multiple casualties, removing hazards, etc.). When manipulating limbs for splints and bandaging, the wrong hand placement led to drops or contortions that would probably do more harm than good. For the CPR component, we would disagree on timing of breaths or whether to do chest compressions first. This was well before the Good Samaritan Act so there was hesitation for fear of doing the wrong thing in the wrong order.

Since then, the training seems to have evolved to be more of a ‘stay calm and collected, assert control, and remember that you’re trying to help the person’. It’s a welcome switch, but watching the scenarios played in the videos are thorough to the point of no longer feeling like an emergency situation. For example, a young girl cuts her hand lengthwise in the kitchen and calls for help. Presumably the father comes in assesses the scene by asking her if anyone else was hurt and check her breathing. He then gloves up and proceeds to check the shoulder all the way down to the arm. The girl does not appear alarmed. By all accounts, this is of course the proper way to perform first aid, but if I was the casualty, I’d wonder why we were spending time doing a head-to-toe assessment. I imagine some folks would be a bit scared and hysterical as well.

CPR is much more simplified. For all cases, a 30:2 compression-to-breath ratio is easy to remember. For choking, the Heimlich Maneouvre (or abdominal thrusts) seemed to have fallen out of favour due to lack of evidence of effectiveness, but is being taught again in combination with back blows. Nose bleeds used to be pinching the nostrils with the head tilted back, but is now angled forward. Shock wasn’t discussed at length like before; if you treat the injury/injuries, then that’s the best way to minimize the effects of shock. Pen devices that administer epinephrine and AEDs are much more direct and straightforward when taught. My biggest disappointment is that tourniquets are no longer in the curriculum; I thought those were pretty cool. Ring pads are out of favour too, as they tend to be unstable on a wound. Pre-fabricated ring pads used to be part of a first aider’s kit. Who knew?

So I should be in good shape for another few years with a re-certification in between. Here’s hoping it’s a set of skills that will be needed infrequently. Should I find myself in a crisis situation, this training may make the difference between a favorable and a catastrophic outcome.

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.

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Like Riding a Bike

Recently, after a challenging stretch with my team, I’m reminded of the value of long-term outlooks. As a father, as a pharmacy manager, and as a semi-regular blogger, it’s so important to have clear goals in front of you.

I was out last weekend with my 7-year old in a grocery store parking lot. Having watched me prepare the past few years for the MS Bike Tour (click here for my fundraising page), she decided that this would be the summer to conquer the 2-wheel balancing act. We pumped up the tires and adjusted the seat height. Starting in the driveway, I ran along beside her for a couple of runs before making the 5-minute walk to the lot. I don’t remember details of my own learning experience with a bike, but hearkened back to my driving instructor’s advice from many moons ago: always look to where you want to go, and not the road in front of your wheels.

It took some practice. Being tentative, every time she watched her front wheel start to wobble, her sense of equilibrium followed suit and violent jerks on the handlebars failed to keep her upright. Soon enough, the chin came up, the arms relaxed a bit and she was able to pedal unattended for two seconds at first, then five. She was so excited to show her mother when she got home from work.

She taught me that my experience is no different. In my role, I’m expected to lead people. If I’m always looking at my front wheel, chances are I won’t be leading them very far, and the distance we do travel will be rife with wobbly or uncertain moments. At this point, I have this urge to expand on my meaning. I sense a bullet list coming on…

  • A leader’s vision is enhanced by the relative vision of his/her subordinates – Have you ever watched someone walking with a dog that is seemingly distracted by or reacting to just about everything they pass? Having to circle back and regroup takes time and effort. If there is good communication, and staff are trained to look further down the road themselves, then they may recognize steps to take today that will directly impact how fast they get there. Say, if the goal was to give 1000 flu shots, then finding easier ways to triage patients and pre-populate administrative paperwork will certainly enhance that ability.
  • Everyone has to have a long-term goal – In the same vein as above, the president of a company or the director of a university needs to be focused on long-term planning 95% of the time, to retain viability and competitive advantages. Perhaps middle-management needs to be about 50% focused on long-term and 50% on day-to-day functions. That trickles down to part-time front-line staff. They may fill a specific need 95% of the time, but they still need something to work towards over a 3-6-month period. I like to show these people aspects of inventory management, for instance.
  • Braking and turning are still important to learn – So the vision is communicated and we’re making good progress down the chosen road. What happens if the path needs to veer off (changes in the reimbursement model, etc.), or stop due to a roadblock (Information Technology limitations, etc.)? My daughter still has these aspects to work on, and so does my team. Maintaining that balance and control through the unknown will keep us from hitting a wall or flying into the bushes.

I want to say that managing a team is as easy as riding a bike, but I have a feeling you may have already seen that coming  😉

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.