I'm a CNA (certified nurse assistant) and I'm interested in assisting child providers. I only have CPR certificate as a health care provider BLS but not sure if I need a different one in order to work with children.

Richard K answered:
Since American Heart Association BLS is an "upgrade" from Lay-rescuer (Heartsaver) CPR. your childcare licensing agency will accept your BLS Card. (These are the Childcare Licensing Rules for CPR in Michigan) FYI: BLS for Healthcare Provider Certification focuses on the medical (clinical) environment. In a home or child care center, if a child or infant accepts your breathing into them.... they are very ill and 99.9% chance need Chest Compressions (CPR) also. Please don't focus on checking for a pulse in these sick or dying pediatrics. Thanks for Reading.

Rockford Ambulance has many CPR Classes for Day care centers in Grand Rapids Michigan. Please come and Visit us in West Michigan.

Richard K answered:
Well in California the BLS works for child care. My daughter was an CNA and a Child care worker and would get her CPR cert at work.

Razel answered:
In most states, all you need is a layperson CPR for infants and children. This is often a part of other certifications.

Is there an important difference in the first aid treatment?

I had CPR several times with the longest lasting an hour and a half. Just curious if other people have survived after anything like this also? 1st one was 29 minutes, 2nd was 55 minutes and the last one was an hour and a half. to say the least, my doctors and surgeon were stunned. they told my family i would have no brain function.

My daughter is 6 months and I want to start a first aid kit. What are some essential parts of a first aid kit besides band aids and alcohol?

2busymom answered:
Benedryl for allergic reactions, baby tylenol or motrin, orajel, neosporin, different size band-aids, one of those cold-pack things....I'm sure you can check babies r us for a pre-packaged first aid kit and just purchase the same items from the drug store for 1/2 the price.

blooming chamomile answered:
In addition to what she said, don't forget Syrup of Ipecac (sp). The stuff that causes vomiting.

Wendy answered:
Antibiotic ointment
Burn ointment
Eye wash solution
Thermometer
Ice pack
Tweezers
Pain and fever reducers
Laxative
Nasal aspirator bulb
Rehydration fluids
Diaper rash cream
Nose drops
Medication for gas
Medicine for diarrhea
Teething gel

Madkins0 answered:
According to some statistics...

• Nation-wide chances of surviving a significant heart attack (that was severe enough to put the victim in a Cardiac Care Unit for at least 3 days) runs about 7%
• Doing prompt, effective CPR improves odds of a person surviving by about 70%- note that this number is for ALL heart attacks, not just the severe ones described above.
• Other things that affect survival rate are local wellness statistics (local obesity rate, local diet, etc.), access to good cardiac care specialists and facilities, good paramedic response levels, etc.
• Some communities, such as Boston and Seattle, brag about a 40% survival rate- although it is unclear if they are using the same definition of severity described above.

Laurence W answered:
I am an emergency response team member at work. We get Red Cross refresher courses every year from two paramedics and an ER nurse. I am also a heart patient, and do a lot of research.

1. Just over 50% of first heart attacks are fatal.
2. CPR May be good 50% of the time by trained people. But much of it is by the untrained. I believe the real number is under 20%.

It is very difficult to compress an adult's chest a 2 inch minimum, or 1/3 of the chest depth of a heavy adult. That is the minimum. The pumping rate for life saving CPR needs to be at about 90-100 pumps a minute. Rescue breathing has been abandoned unless there is a 2nd person to do it. Just pump, the reflex expansion of the chest will provide the inflow of air.

If you really hope to save someone's life with heart disease, help them change their diet, lifestyle and get 30 minutes light exercise every day of the week. They need to be happy, content, and listen music that is joyful to them.

Thomas answered:
I am a medical profession for 25 years - a code team member for most of these and it is not like on TV I am sorry to say.

I've witnessed cardiac arrests with trained personnel on hand about and 50% survive but only 25% live to discharge from medical facility. A significant percentage, maybe 10-15% of those who survive, have deficits ranging from mild to severe enough to make independent living impossible. Unwitnessed events have about half the initial success's with very poor long term prognoses.

bpsgirl1 answered:
No, you can not teach it to your students unless you are a certified CPR instructor. You might be able to show it to your students but please stress the fact that you are not teaching them and they should not attempt CPR unless they are trained and certified themselves. Otherwise you could be held liable if they use CPR on anyone incorrectly because you "taught it to them that way". Be careful, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with CPR certification, but teaching it to others is not one of them.

Jan J answered:
Are you kidding? Are you certified to teach or just certifiable? Do you have any idea what the ramifications would be if you one of your students screwed up doing CPR after you taught them?

Katie answered:
I'm sure you can show it too them, but they will not become certified themselves.

All I can find are first aid kits with band-aids... Any suggestions? (For example, won't I need a eye washout cup?)

Baby Doll Strollers answered:
There are many sets of standard first-aid equipment in baby stores. In general, you will need to have a thermometer, infant Tylenol and/or ibuprofen, an icepack (it's nice to leave one in the freezer and it's easier to use a gel pack than ice cubes), and then some of the typical things that you'd need for yourself (antibiotic ointment, band-aids). There is some controversy now about whether syrup of ipecac is as universally useful as people once thought, but it can't hurt to have around.

I know calling 911 would be 1st, but what can a person do before paramedics arrive or if in a remote location. I searched on internet first, and didn't find anything helpful. Please list first aid for exit and non-exit wounds.

Just a little help, as I can't find anything on the internet. I know what you are trained to deal with but what is the extent of the training? What is out of first aiders control?

I did a basic first aid course but it didn't answer this question, we practiced on dummies on the floor.
Do you do CPR on the person when they are sitting or are you obliged to move them onto the floor?

One of my relatives had a mild stroke (left side of the body was paralyzed) 6 months before. He actually recovered. But today as he climbed some steep stairs, he is feeling pain again in his left side, especially in the lower backbone and left hand. Please tell me, what should be the first aid in such case?

Does it protect people who know first aid but never took the course to get the certificate?

I'm looking more on the "how large does it have to be" side of the question. 5, 10, 25, 50 employees?

We are moving to AZ, and I must admit I'm just a little scared of the scorpions. We have a young infant (3 months) and I'm a little nervous about them being around him. If he should get stung, what is the best thing to do? I have searched the internet, and can't seem to find much of anything. Any help? I know to put his crib legs in jars of water, but I'm worried about him crawling around and accidentally finding one.

gr_batem answered:
You can train at pretty much any age. Read through a first aid manual, which you can probably get from a library to help you out.

laur0117 answered:
The St John Ambulance start first aid training from 5! You can either join cadets until you're 18 or go straight to an adult division. www.sja.org.uk

laur0117 answered:
You're never too young to learn it! Go to your local YWCA or YMCA or community center to find out where to sign up for the class.

SaintsR answered:
Sure you can. I had my first aid certificate when I was 15. Try checking with the local chapters of the red cross.

zippythe answered:
My friend is 13 and has completed her 1st aid and CPR courses so a 16 year old should be able to do it.

debbie f answered:
Of course you can. You can learn first aid at any age from 5 years old through to adulthood. Get in touch with St John's Ambulance.

barrel_r answered:
Sure you could 15 years old is a great age. I suggest you take CPR also if you are going to take first Aid. I have been a instructor with the American Red Cross for about 12 years. You never know when it might be needed. You could get them both in a combined class. I am glad you are thinking about it more people need to know how to help other people.

Sandi K answered:
Of course you can. Pretty much anyone can learn first aid. Try the red cross www.redcross.org. Or one of the other first aid providers such as St. Johns. I'm sure they would gladly point you in the direction of a course. Maybe you would like to join their voluntary organizations and go out on first aid duties with them?

Kirsty answered:
Yes you can. Take a course at your local YMCA or possibly a community college summer program, and you get certified in CPR which is GREAT to have!

Is this considered legal certification? I have taken the real in class test and gotten certified but it expired and I wanted to know I could just do an online one.

I've got a CPR certification class on Wednesday and I have things to do afterwards but I don't know how long that takes. Does anybody know?

Madkins0 answered:
A full Red Cross Infant and Child CPR class takes about 4.5 hours. Since yours is not a real class like that, there is no way to know!

mlgable answered:
It usually takes about 2-3 hours depending on what they will teach you and how the class is run and how big the class size is. If you are worried call the instructor and ask how long it will last. Sorry but CPR is much more important than anything you need to do afterwards.

What are the steps? What treatments are effective? How can you tell if it is bad?

R.I.C.E.R., no harm, or stop ?

Alternate healing methods are known to work as quick first aid in times of difficulty and Reiki is one of the most powerful one. There are many who teach it in many places of Globe. Have you heard or tried it for first aid?

For a job I want to apply for it requires that I have Emergency First Aid and CPR level "C". However, the place I am getting my first aid from has the following seminars: "Emergency First Aid and Level A CPR", and "Standard First Aid and Level C CPR". I was just wondering what is the difference between them, and which one is better to take in my case?

Obviously, every person in a home should be able to dial the Emergency Number with clear instructions and a First Aid kit in homes is always a good idea, but what natural household products can be used for First Aid?
I know pepper can be used for cuts, aloe for burns (after it's been under running cold water for at least 10 minutes) but are there more?