Written by Liz Wilkie
EFR Primary and Secondary Care skills are almost the same as any other, in that if you don’t use ‘em, you’ll lose ‘em – but these are the skills that you really don’t want to lose. Often referred to more generally as ‘first-aid skills’, these are the actions, procedures, and habits that will help you to handle accidents and illnesses with confidence. Given how crucial these skills could be in an emergency, it’s amazing how easy it is to forget what to do when you’re in one.
An EFR Refresher course will not only help you to consolidate good habits and fill in the gaps in your knowledge (and let’s face it, we all know that these gaps just widen over time), but it will also keep you up to date with any changes and best practices. Keeping your Emergency First Response® (EFR) knowledge and skills fresh will increase your confidence as well as your ability to react calmly to potentially stressful situations.
Many of us are currently adapting to new ways of living, and this can be challenging. Families are balancing working from home with caring for children who would otherwise be at school. Many individuals are facing more anxiety over health and well-being, whether their own, their friends’, or their family members’. Refreshing your CPR and first aid skills can help you feel more in control in unfamiliar circumstances, giving you a greater sense of preparedness – even if it’s just having a well-stocked first-aid kit for those bumps and grazes!
You might even help to reduce pressure on our medical services, too. When in doubt you should always call for professional medical help, but with fresh primary and secondary care skills, you’ll know what to do until help arrives. You’ll be in a position to support emergency care teams by managing the scene of an incident until they get there to take over.
With social distancing measures in many places, it may not be possible to take an in-person EFR Refresher course as you normally would, which is why Instructor-led online courses are now being offered. You’ll review the EFR Primary and Secondary Care manual before attending your virtual class. A two-way camera, webinar-style class ensures interactivity and the opportunity for your instructor to assess your understanding and progress. Remember that, as a refresher, you’re not starting from scratch and you’ll spend time on the things that you’ve forgotten since your last course.
When social distancing measures are lifted, you can also attend an in-person, hands-on skills refresher, which is a great way to cement your knowledge. In the meantime, though – there’s always a reason to revisit your EFR Primary and Secondary Care skills, and with an Online Refresher course readily available, you could do it today. Contact your EFR Instructor to find out more.
