Essential medical training?

[298436]

Where is an inexpensive, quality (usually mutually exclusive) source of basic fundamental medical training?

Red Cross? Local college offers EMT training but not first aid stuff. I want to know the fundamentals, how to handle a GSW, broken this/that, deal with shock, etc etc.

[BrianS]

Where is an inexpensive, quality (usually mutually exclusive) source of basic fundamental medical training?

Red Cross? Local college offers EMT training but not first aid stuff. I want to know the fundamentals, how to handle a GSW, broken this/that, deal with shock, etc etc.

Your location could probably help people from various locations suggest where to take first aid classes and get more advanced training as a followup to that if you were interested.

[298436]

Central California.

[Gutshot John]

For what you're talking about the "First Responder" is probably your best bet to get the broadest overview, most intensity for the most reasonable price.

I don't know if this is local to you but I did a quick search on "First Responder Classes California" and this is what I came up with. You can refine a search more local to you they should be pretty common.

http://hr.caltech.edu/Education/cour..._responder.htm

[Lee Indy]

self aid buddy care.

[drsal]

l
Look up local ' tactical medicine' courses in your area, also try contacting your state swat assoc, some offer 1 week tac med courses or look up local phtls classes. Hope this helps.

[tsconver]

Red Cross Wilderness First Aid is not a bad place to start to get some basics.

[Gutshot John]

l
Look up local ' tactical medicine' courses in your area, also try contacting your state swat assoc, some offer 1 week tac med courses or look up local phtls classes. Hope this helps.

Neither of those are really appropriate for "basic fundamental training."

[DrScooter]

As an Emergency Room RN for some 15 years I don't want to discourage you from getting some basic training. However, care can get complex and training even more so. Meaning a two day or two week class without refresher and continued training often leaves too few skills an a illusion of help. Sure in a SHTF scenario, any help is "probably" better than none but that may NOT be true. Example, your friend is down on the ground, alive speaking with a large butcher knife stuck in his gut, what's the first thing you do? Many would pull out the knife, that's wrong.

Look modern shock trauma survival rate is directly related with the time it takes to get to a trauma center. EMS is more often told to scoop and go, stabilize in route, if you can not in the field. Not because they don't have skills or training, however, survival odds decrease with time. ABC, airway, breathing, circulation.

Learn basic "Life Support" for sure CPR a few hour course at the Red Cross. Learn basic First Aid, how to stop bleeding, what to do for a "sucking chest wound" if you want some GSW chops. Hey, you are not going to set a broken leg, you can learn how to splint or stabilize a fracture. Most Community Colleges will offer some form of First Aid Training, there you can also meet people in the field, learn about more advanced training.

It's possible that a situation may evolve where you are the only source of help, even with minimal training, fine. However, one must be aware not to make a situation worse by delaying available treatment, remember, sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Even a highly trained individual taking required ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support we do it every 2 years) which at the risk of being over simplified, qualifies an individual to run a "Code" including, peripheral access, intubation, drugs, defibrillation, we are repeatedly told except for V-Fib where we might go straight to shock to FIRST activate the 911 system, or get "skilled" support depending where we are at. Meaning if I got a "Crash Cart" the odds are I'm in a hospital.

Take a course, take a course by an EMS Crew, they tend to be hardass. Hardest ACLS courses I've had are taught by at least a solid core of EMS people. Just remember the most important thing is first, do no harm. That is harder than it sounds without constant training AND real experience.

[lwhazmat5]

Take a 16 week Basic EMT class at your local community college. The class will cover all of the BASIC fundamentals of Shock/Trauma Resuscitation which is really what is important as far as taking care of GSWs, Stabbings. & etc. The hardest part of the course for the average student in learning the anatomy & physiology of the human body unless you have already taken an A&P class.

Good Luck