after i bandage it up good, cause i'm a certified senior level 2 first aider!
its been a crazy weekend, locked up in a classroom from 8AM to 6PM. i guess the whole ordeal's given me quite a huge chunk of stuff to think about, and its pretty effectively cleared my head of fluff and junk too.
i signed up for the course because it was a pre-requisite for the pool lifeguard course at the msac, and quite frankly, i only wanted to do the pool lifeguard course cause i thought it was frickin awesome being a lifeguard. but the first aid course was so full on and intense and i wasn't prepared at all. just about an hour into the course, i got really freaked out, because the responsibility of being a first aider began to dawn on me. well, now i know what i'm supposed to do when i see unconscious casualties, well... i'm supposed to do it right? but, what happens if the person has a spinal injury? this was the bit that really really had me terrified. a slight movement and the casualty becomes paraplegic. and you can tell from the instructor's tone, that this always brings up the question of legalities? what happens if i stuff up?
he was very reassuring, in that the approach that should be adopted as advised by all first aid councils is "any aid is better than no aid". the only way a first aider can be sued for negligence is firstly if the casualty is owed a duty of care, and no care is given, and secondly, the first aider misrepresents himself as having a higher qualification than he actually does, and thirdly, he does not act within what his qualification indicates he is capable of doing, otherwise known as standard of care.
a duty of care is owed by the first aider to anyone with whom he has some sort of relationship, eg: relative, student, friend, colleague etc. technically, i have the right, to walk right past a complete stranger having a heart attack in the gutter. however, the moment i come to his aid, a relationship is established, and i now owe him duty of care, which means i'm not allowed to abandon him, and he remains in my care until the situation is considered stable, ie. the ambulance arrives.
and of course, whatever happens to the casualty, especially anything undesirable, even if it weren't the result of my actions, i am afraid that i'll find myself in a position where i'll have to justify myself. of course, when filling in a first aid log, the first rule is that you never justify your actions. and yet i can't help but think what if i do find someone who already has a spinal injury, and its my job to keep him alive? how do i explain to a distressed spouse that i managed to keep the bloke alive until the ambulance takes him away, fixes him up, for her to have to care for a quadriplegic for the rest of his life?
no clarity yet. but if ephesians 2 and romans 3 is anything to go by, i shouldn't be worried about this should i?
i claim to be a life-loving human being, and yet could fear of the judgement and hostility of other human beings be enough to paralyse and prevent me from stepping to support the precious life left in another?
in any case, i scored pretty high on the first aid test, and i now have a paranoid urge to keep a triangular bandage and resuscitation mask on me at all times. maybe a ventolin as well. and if the nagging voices in my head don't stop i might just get a defibrillator as well (that would be that thing paramedics stick on the guys chest and go "clear!" and *poof*). all the same i'm really glad i did the course. because despite the complexities and intricacies of what keeps a person ticking, despite al my fears and insecurities, life is still precious to me.
long rant. anyway, classes have started, timetable looks much better than i'd anticipated. looks like its gonna be a fun semester. hope everyone's had a good rest, now its time to dive back into the pile of books and lecture notes.
chris out, and wishing you well. blessings!
