A first aid instructor teaches people how to provide first aid in an emergency situation. A person in this field may teach individuals and groups how to treat burns and abrasions as well as a range of wounds. A first aid instructor may also provide instruction in how to help a person who is choking or having trouble breathing. Sometimes, a person in this field also provides training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). An individual with this job may work as an independent instructor, providing first aid lessons to individuals, organizations, or businesses that wish to hire him, or he may work as an employee of a company that offers first aid instruction.
Typically, a first aid instructor works to give his students the skills they need to avoid panic and provide effective emergency treatment when needed. His job is to prepare people to react effectively to a range of common emergencies. For example, he may teach his students how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a person who is choking as well as the steps they should take after performing the technique. He may also teach his students how to help a person who is unconscious but appears to have something lodged in his throat. If CPR is included as part of first aid instruction, he may also teach his students how to breathe into a person’s lungs and keep his heart beating until help arrives.
Usually, a first aid instructor also teaches his patients such things as how to check a pulse and place a victim in the standard recovery position. He may teach his patients how to handle burns, cuts, and deeper wounds as well as how to tie a tourniquet. A first aid instructor may also prepare his students to provide emergency care for a person who is bleeding excessively, having a seizure, or suffering from shock.
In most cases, a first aid instructor focuses on providing the training a person needs to help preserve a victim’s life and keep him safe until other help arrives. First aid isn't usually intended to replace medical care. Instead, it is intended to sustain the victim until an ambulance or other emergency responder can arrive and take over.
A person who wants to become a first aid instructor typically has to enter a program to become certified in first aid. After earning first aid certification, he typically has to enroll in an instructor training program. Finally he may have to submit to an evaluation before he can begin training others.
