To be fair, no. I am supposedly a trained first aider but I really never feel comfortable with the whole thing.. I don't mind blood n stuff but when it comes to the technical details I don't have enough knowledge.
No, I am not. I am one of the few people in office I work in that is certified in first aid though. I always sign up, cos I like to get paid two days to go offsite and roll around on floor and play with CPR dummies. If anything bad happens to coworkers though, they probably going to die if I actually have to use first aid. I don't deal well in emergency.
Depends on what you'd call "good." The one person I ever did CPR on stayed dead. I don't think he could have been saved though. He had been down for too long by the time I arrived. That's one thing a CPR teacher imparted to me that stuck- if they need CPR, they're already dead. You can't hurt them, and you can't save them. The best you can do is try to keep their blood oxygenated and flowing until paramedics arrive and can revive them. So, by some standards, I failed. By others, I did all I could do and gave him the best chance at survival possible.
On the other hand, I've been first on the scene for several emergencies, and I tend to be good at keeping the situation calm, doing general first aid, making sure everyone is safe/ securing the area, and directing others on how they can help. Most people just stand around lost and won't take any action unless someone specifically tells them to, including calling 911. The last one I was involved in was just a couple weeks ago- I was behind a car as it was involved in a collision. I handed my phone off to someone and told them to call 911, got one driver moved to safety, and held the other one's hand until paramedics arrived. He was elderly and said he had the symptoms of a heart attack, but he was conscious and could communicate, so I just tried to keep him calm.
I've taken CPR and first aid courses repeatedly. It was a requirement while I worked as a dental assistant. Following that, I let my certification lapse, and I regretted it when I had to do CPR. Some of the classes stuck- it really was second nature, but little bits and pieces left my memory, so I took another class after. I'm probably due again. I really believe in those classes. I think everyone should take them repeatedly. If you take the classes enough, you don't ever need to stop and think about what to do- you just do it. The time I gave CPR, an officer arrived on the scene first. I didn't look up at him- I just saw his uniformed legs. Instead of asking him to take over or just moving, the first thing out of my mouth was "Do you know CPR?" An odd thing to ask a cop, and I think he said something along the lines of "Of course I do." I didn't ask him that because I didn't know. I asked because that's what I had been trained to ask. I wasn't thinking through the situation- just following the steps that had been seared into me. From there, I asked him if he could take over and we did the transition- like clockwork. That's what the training does, and it's an absolute blessing in an emergency.
Yes, I am someone you can rely on in an emergency or medical situation. Something just "clicks" inside me when a person or animal is in danger. It is like a wave that assess what needs to be done, makes me stay calm, and allows me to move quickly and do whatever that is all at once. My credentials are good but I have let my certifications lapse. After reading JA's answer, I am reminded as to how important it is to keep them current. In fact, I think I will make that one of my New Year's resolutions :) Hopefully, I will Never have to use them in the future but always good to have tucked in your back pocket :) :)
Just Asking 