RYA First Aid Course

Halcyon Yachts

Halcyon Yachts

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I have just updated my first aid qualification with a school in Southampton:

http://www.technical-recreational-coaching.co.uk

Very good value at £59, excellently delivered and very useful information. Having had some terrible first aid instructors in the past it was a pleasant surprise to have had such a good day.

You hope to never need the skills, but a course I think all sailors should complete from time to time!

Are you upto date?

Pete
 
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Thanks for that - very reasonable price & something I intend to do in the next couple of months. Not too urgent as I have done the rospa course for diving, but a refresher would be good.

Di
 
Our RYA first aid course and sea survival course were both excellent. The sea survival course had a video of Duncan Goodhew and Sharon Davies swimming in cold water, in about 5 minutes they lost coordination through hypothermia death follows soon. It's the best advertisement for having a life raft if you sail in cold water.
 
Halcyon Yachts said:
...Having had some terrible first aid instructors in the past....
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That nicely describes the last one I went on in Falmouth! Mandatory for taking part in ocean races, it spent 90% of the time on CPA, and the stock answer to any question was 'call an ambulance'.

It may be true for the general population that the most common thing which will kill unless a member of the public does something immediately is heart attack, and as long as one can keep blood circulating and oxygenated a bit for 10 mins until the ambulance arrives the patient has a markedly improved chance of survival. But I would argue that for ocean racing:
(i) heart attack is unlikely in this demographic
(ii) if it happens, unless one has defib machine, the knowledge to use it and probably other drugs and knowledge, the patient is brown bread anyway.

Instead I'd have liked it to spend 90% on the things we could do to improve outcomes, for instance something on hypothermia, dehydration, trauma, bleeding control / sutures and the administration of the antibiotics we carried. But the course didn't concern itself with any of these and so I'd become thoroughly disillusioned, thinking it only the general first aid course for retail workers, with extra cost added but no extra content as a result of it having an 'RYA' label.

So it's good that the one you found was better - what did it have that you found so much better than the others?
 
>it spent 90% of the time on CPA, and the stock answer to any question was 'call an ambulance'.

Our course covered:

- cuts steristrips and kitchen roll to staunch the bleeding it's sterile out of the pack.

- burns use Flamzene cream and clingfilm it's sterile out of the pack.

- a whole range drugs to treat anything from infections in ears, stomach, skin problems, throat problems local anaesthetics both skin and injectable etc to the two drugs used to slow down appendicitis giving enough time to be taken off the boat and to hospital. How to recognise appendicitis is it hurts but if you press it it stops hurting.
- ABC check airways, breathing and circulation.

And much more including the symptoms of many things.

Before we left to go long distance sailing we taught ourselves how to stitch. The key is you must sew under the wound otherwise Gangrene sets it. Get a piece of Pork make different depth cuts, stitch it then slowly cut the bottom of the Pork to see if the stitches are below the cuts. The way to cheat is you will have applied anaesthetic so put something thin in the wound to check the depth.

if anyone wants it I have got a list of the drugs and medical kit we carried but it's very long.
 
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KellysEye said:
Our course covered... a whole range drugs to treat anything from infections in ears, stomach, skin problems, throat problems local anaesthetics both skin and injectable etc to the two drugs used to slow down appendicitis giving enough time to be taken off the boat and to hospital. How to recognise appendicitis is it hurts but if you press it it stops hurting.
- ABC check airways, breathing and circulation.

And much more including the symptoms of many things...
Click to expand...

Sounds brilliant and exactly what I'd hoped for and not got - what course and where?
 
Halcyon Yachts said:
I have just updated my first aid qualification with a school in Southampton:

http://www.technical-recreational-coaching.co.uk

Very good value at £59, excellently delivered and very useful information. Having had some terrible first aid instructors in the past it was a pleasant surprise to have had such a good day.

You hope to never need the skills, but a course I think all sailors should complete from time to time!

Are you upto date?

Pete
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Pete, when I first started deliveries I did the Medical Care At Sea. Bit too much for the needs of the leisure sailor but going offshore routinely it's the tops. Pricey but you never know. Stitching wounds and inserting the catheter are fab party tricks......... :D
 
I've done the basic Red Cross course: CPR, shock, stroke, etc. Two days' course with a 1-day refresher after two years then back to the two-day course after another two. But honestly very little sticks in my mind when I don't use it: I should probably do it at least once a year. I bought a DVD to do a DIY refresher - it should be helpful if I ever get round to watching it. But I do carry aboard the Red Cross manual (in English for me and Finnish for the wife) and a couple of flip book quick reference guides.
 
For hypothermia, check out cold water boot camp. Excellent Canadian made. Much more up to date than the very old INM duncan good hew thing.
 
>Sounds brilliant and exactly what I'd hoped for and not got - what course and where?

It was a RYA course held at the Cruising Association, CA House, 1 Northey Street, Limehouse Basin London E14 8BT
 
I have that video but it is still on HHS, it was produced by the grey funnel line and very informative. I always used to ask my class if anyone was doing ocean passages and if so did a few mins on burial at sea. It might have put a few off oceans crossing but fascinated
the rest!

regards,

dratsea
 
A wee heads up. On the 8th March there is a first aid course in the Polmont run by the Ochil Hills Sailing club.
http://www.shorebased.org.uk/ochil-hills-sailing-club

Thanks for your interest in the RYA first aid course on Saturday 8th March

The course will be run at the Greenpark Community Centre in Polmont, about a mile from the motorway. Postcode for google-maps or satnav is FK2 0PZ. Landmarks are the Co-op supermarket and the Black Bull Pub. The centre is in Greenpark drive one street down the hill from the Black Bull.

The main objective of the day is to cover the type of injuries/situations likely to be encountered by a boating enthusiast and on completion the RYA First Aid certificate is issued that is needed for some RYA practical assessments. It is a shorter course than the HSE three day course and for that reason covers the “basics” appropriate for boaters.

The course references the Red Cross First Aid manual that you could borrow or I can supply them for £10
Cost is £50 for the course and certificate, Please make cheques payable to the Ochil Hills Sailing Club

The course will involve lying down on a carpeted floor, so please wear appropriate clothing, not your clubbing outfits!
There will be a lunch-break but could you please bring along a sandwich so we don’t get caught up in catering regulations. Tea and coffee is available at the centre for a small charge.
There are local shops if you need to avoid making sandwiches.

Please bring along your First Aid Manual or if you have requested me to supply one, the additional £10 for a new copy for you to keep.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me by e-mail or on my Mobile ( 07788 567 302 )
See you on 8th March
 
Halcyon Yachts said:
I have just updated my first aid qualification with a school in Southampton:

http://www.technical-recreational-coaching.co.uk

Very good value at £59, excellently delivered and very useful information. Having had some terrible first aid instructors in the past it was a pleasant surprise to have had such a good day.

You hope to never need the skills, but a course I think all sailors should complete from time to time!

Are you upto date?

Pete
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I did the First Aid course with Steve at Tec Rec, he is very passionate about First Aid and has some great anecdotal stories to go with his excellent props (dummies that squirt blood and things like that)!

I would definitely recommend his courses in general, but especially the First Aid one!
 
KellysEye said:
... a video of Duncan Goodhew and Sharon Davies swimming in cold water, in about 5 minutes they lost coordination through hypothermia death follows soon. It's the best advertisement for having a life raft if you sail in cold water.
Click to expand...

I agree that it's good, if a little dated. I always show it when I run First Aid Courses for sailing clubs in central Scotland. (Please excuse the gentle plug!)
 
SWMBO and I did the RYA First Aid course at Bisham Abbey Sailing School (very good by the way).

During a role playing exercise, I was the casualty and wife plus another student the first aiders. Wife walks over to where I'm lying on the ground, takes a quick look at me and says, "Nah! Too late, he's a goner"

I'd like a course where I can run round shouting "GCS 8... get me LFT's, U's and E's, Amylase, Glucose and a strong coffee!":)
 
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