Wednesday, February 6, 2008

How to Remember First Aid Procedures

How to Remember First Aid Procedures
While you know it's important to learn first aid
procedures, it's often difficult to remember them when the
time has come to use them. Thankfully, there are some
simple things you can do to remember not only the steps to
managing an injury, but also why you need to perform these
steps. In learning to easily recall first aid procedures,
you will be able to step in and help immediately.

Make up a Mnemonic

When medical students are in school, they need to learn a
lot of information quickly in order to pass their classes.
And while many of us believe they are simply smarter than
the rest of us, much of the time, they use learning tricks
to retain knowledge - not their IQ. These tricks are
called mnemonics. For example, when you have a sprained
ankle or other body part, you might remember ICE. This
stands for ice, compression, elevation. By remembering the
letters and the word, you can easily come up with the right
steps to take.

In the case of a wound, you might remember PCC - pressure,
clean, cover. You can make up your own mnemonics for first
aid procedures as well so long as they're easy for you to
remember.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It sounds dull, but the simplest way to remember first aid
procedures is to practice them often. Perhaps you can
review your first aid class notes or books once a week to
keep the steps fresh in your mind, for example. Or you
might want to meet up with a friend from time to time to go
over the information you have learned. Make sure to keep
your first aid certification up to date as well.

If you took a first aid class, it might not be a bad idea
to go over your quizzes again and again until you have them
memorized. You can also find free online quizzes as well
to help you train the knowledge you have gained from a
certification course.

Keep a Manual Around

When your mind goes blank on first aid procedures during an
actual emergency, you might want to have a first aid book
easily available. This book should be simple to flip
through to find what you need - tabbed books are best.
Though it might still be a little nerve wracking, knowing
that you have a first aid book available can help you stay
calm and focused. Make sure that your book is up to date
on the latest advice and that its copyright date is no
older than a few years back from the current year.

Apply these little tips and tricks to help you remember the
first aid basics. Then, you should have no problem helping
others when the need arises to administer first aid.


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Wilfred Ball is a writer and owner of
http://www.tipsonfirstaid.com
Please feel free to stop by and browse our website. We
offer alot of quality information on first aid and CPR
through articles,ebooks,news feeds, and first aid products.
Don't forget to pick up your free ebook too!

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