According to the Red Cross, Australia has one of the lowest rates in the world for first aid training, with less than five per cent of people trained in how to handle a medical emergency.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is despite around 500,000 Australians being hospitalised annually for injuries, with about 12,000 of those people losing their lives. Another startling statistic is that an average of 33,000 people suffer cardiac arrests in Australia each year, and only 5-7 per cent of victims surviving.
In rural areas like ours it's often a friend, family member or workmate who has to deal with an emergency until professional help can arrive, and some training can mean the difference between life and death.
READ ALSO:
A short course in first aid is available through local campuses of TAFE NSW, to equip participants with skills and knowledge to empower them to take control of an emergency situation. They leave with a Statement of Attainment in Provide First Aid.
"First aid is something you hope you never need but you never know when you will need it," TAFE NSW first aid teacher Steve Tremont said.
"It's an amazing feeling to help someone and having these skills stops you from feeling helpless when you're confronted by an emergency."
Mr Tremont said a first aid certificate was highly regarded by employers and was a prerequisite for some roles in industries like childcare, education, fitness and leisure, disability care, community services and health.
The TAFE NSW short course gives students the flexibility of eight hours pre-work online, followed by a day at your local TAFE for practice and assessment. The courses are offered regularly but the next ones on the schedule in this area are at Armidale (July 25), Tenterfield (August 1) and Glen Innes (August 7). The cost is $175 per person.
The interactive day equips students with skills in basic life support, casualty management, CPR and use of a defibrillator.
"Anyone can do first aid, young and old; as long as you can physically get down on the floor, you can do it," Mr Tremont said.
He said some past students had extraordinary stories to tell.
"TAFE NSW Tamworth had a student undertake this first aid course. Shortly after she was able to provide CPR to someone who had experienced a heart attack and saved his life."
Contact TAFE NSW on 131 601 or go to ww.tafensw.edu.au for more info.