I have previously written that I believe first aid should be taught in schools and colleges and to all students. I still stand by that belief but I would suggest a change in how first aid is taught to people who are first aiders or have a significant chance of actually having to adminsiter first aid to a casuality.
The part I would change is to when a first aider has to deal with the aftermath of an incident. I know for the vast majority of the time, the most a first aider is going to deal with is cuts, broken bones and perhaps an unconscious person. However there are occasions where an incident is far more serious such as a serious car crash, suicide, or a major incident. Obviously in these cases the emergency services take over but even as a first aider you have your part to play in dealing with the aftermath. With adrenaline running and your focus is on other people there is a chance that you will miss the most important person which is you.
Anyone who has adminsitered CPR (resuscitation) on a casuality will tell you that it is completely different. There is also a high chance that you will not be able to successfully resusciate a person. To put it bluntly you would have to be a hard emotionless bastard for something like that not to effect you. This is precisley why on top of safety they should make specific point of dealing with and taking care of yourself after you have dealt with a serious incident.
I know in my case I managed to successfully resuscitate her even with her other injuries. I did as much as I could to care for my friend, I did as much as I could for everyone else whilst completely ignoring myself. No one had taught me what to do. As I have written before that event changed me and my other half in huge ways, I am still paying the price nearly six years later. I have to be honest and say I am not sure if I will ever be able to fix what is broken.
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