First aid courses

It was always one of my fears to be unexpectedly caught up in a situation of not being able to help someone with a stroke, seizure or any other kind of similar sudden ailment. My mental weakness in such situations involving relatives especially frightens me  so I decided to overcome this apprehension and finally feel confident in what future might bring. However, this 3-hour course I signed up for with my sister was nothing I expected it to be like.

First of all, the courses appeared to be intended to gain general knowledge about the human body and how to sustain it in emergency situations of injury until ambulance arrives. This frustrated me a little at first as my main goal was slightly different. Nevertheless, I was intrigued to finish the courses. Surprisingly, I learned a lot of new information with which I, as a future biologist, wasn't familiar at all. For example, did you know that human's have seven points where major arteries run close to the skin? I certainly thought the only places to check one's pulse were the neck, the wrist and the temple, but you can also feel the pulsing of the blood on the knee, groin, foot and elbow! My sister and I actually tested if it was true (not saying that I thought I was lied to) and I can approve for six out of seven spots (except for the foot one as it was too unpleasant to check). Moreover, I got acquainted with the methodology of evaluating the severity of injury, artificially initiating respiration if a person is not breathing on his own and blocking the blood flow from the injured place. Even though I was already familiar with the snippets about all of these things, it was beneficial to hear the detailed and well-structured speech of the instructor. 

The best part was the practice-one where each from the group was able to practice newly gained abilities. It was great that I had my sister as a "partner in aid" because I definitely struggled to remember some theory we've been told a minute ago. 

In the end, I'm glad I joined these first aid courses as I still do remember some important facts. Still, I hope that I won't need to use them in real life situation.