Growing up with a doctor mom, I took medicine for granted.Since the last couple of years since I have been on my own and the recipient of daily/weekly/monthly small or big injuries (phew..not yet hourly), so when an opportunity to take a two-day first aid certification course came along I pounced at it (and didn’t trip).It was a course set up exclusively for my work place, we were taught all about CPR, bandaging wounds, what to do if you’re hit by lightning, and field surgery. I think my expectations were a little high, especially around the surgery part, because we were only being certified as Level C “first aiders” and not actual medical doctors (I DID learn about being hit by lightning. If it happens, you’re probably toast). I had (and still have) a wicked case of laryngitis, so the introductory part of the session, where we all had to say our names and our first aid background was even more awkward for me than normal. I sounded like a cell phone that was dropping out—luckily, I was sitting with some very nice colleagues who filled in the gaps for me. The instructor—let’s call him Abi— was a very interesting and well-experienced former fire captain, who had some amazing stories to tell about traumatic situations and injuries, the vast majority of which seemed to have happened to his him or his own family and friends. I think my favorite story was how he stabbed a butcher knife completely through his palm getting it out of the dishwasher. Abi had serious bad injury karma, and I was convinced that at least one of our group was NOT going to make it to the weekend. Nevertheless, I took copious notes.At the end of the course we were supposed to administer Heimlich maneuver to a dummy whom I called chuck (any resemblance to Netflix is purely coincidental ) to gain the certificate of “achievement”.I can totally picture this in my head. Imagine, how cool would it be to raise my hand when during my daily commute, the red double deck bus driver asks the question over the intercom "Is there a doctor onboard ?
ooops can’t do it, (8 years of med school vs. 2 half days of first aid course)
OK, Scene 2 : How cool would it be when this question is popped and there is no doctor and the victim’s buddy has a turned into a shade of desperate and I can raise my hand and slow walk (only in my head, I would rush in real life.”Pinky swear”.) from the upper deck as “Heimlich girl”.
So armed with this certificate, I travel everyday keeping the streets of Brighton and Hove safe from me tripping over someone/something.
It’s my turn to give back to society (not just by seeding the torrents)
:)
ooops can’t do it, (8 years of med school vs. 2 half days of first aid course)
OK, Scene 2 : How cool would it be when this question is popped and there is no doctor and the victim’s buddy has a turned into a shade of desperate and I can raise my hand and slow walk (only in my head, I would rush in real life.”Pinky swear”.) from the upper deck as “Heimlich girl”.
So armed with this certificate, I travel everyday keeping the streets of Brighton and Hove safe from me tripping over someone/something.
It’s my turn to give back to society (not just by seeding the torrents)
:)
