Parrs Wood Students become AED first aid trainers in unique collaboration with MRI 

‘Teaching the course is so enjoyable because it involves a level of independence and it is satisfying to see that you have taught someone something important.’

By Amy, Sophie and Thadchajini Year 13

Three year 13 students have been working as part of Manchester Royal Infirmary’s AED first aid training team in a unique collaboration between Parrs Wood Sixth Form College and MRI. The government is putting more Heart Start defibrillator machines in public buildings around the country because rapid intervention can greatly improve the chance of survival. However, if the machines are used incorrectly they can be lethal. For this reason there is a minimum age limit for learning to use such equipment. Last year MRI trained a group of Parrs Wood Sixth Form students to use the equipment, and they were so impressed with the students that they offered them the chance of becoming trainers themselves so they could help teach the course to more students.

Parrs Wood First Aid Trainers
We took part in the first aid course because the idea of learning how to handle an emergency like this seemed both useful and interesting. We ended up really enjoying it and there’s the added bonus of it being something interesting to go on your UCAS application, especially if you are applying for medicine. In the course you learn about causes and symptoms of Cardio Vascular Disease and Coronary Heart Disease. You then take part in a very interactive lesson in which you learn how to help someone who is having a heart attack and what to do if this deteriorates into cardiac arrest. This involves learning how to do CPR and how to use an AED - an Automatic External Defibrillator - to restart the heart once it has stopped. We found the lessons very enjoyable and decided to go on to become trainers.

To become a trainer we were taught how to engage the tutees and exactly what to say because it’s a subject where slipping up and saying the wrong thing could risk them doing something wrong when trying to save a life. Once we were qualified as trainers we worked as part of the MRI team to teach the lessons and coach groups of students in how to do CPR and use the AED. This was the part we enjoyed the most because it involved a level of independence and it was satisfying to see that you had taught someone something important.

It was very different being at the front of the class delivering the lesson, and although nervous at first this experience helped us to become more confident in talking to large groups of people. I can now say I would be able to confidently go and help someone if they were to suffer from a heart attack or cardiac arrest. The experience also proved very useful in a recent University Interview for Medicine.
We have now delivered the course several times and a total of 15 year 13 and 35 year 12 students have passed the AED qualification. It was a real pleasure to work with the MRI team who are very friendly and professional. We feel very proud to have worked as part of a team that do such an important job.

Sylvia Davis MRI Course leader
Amy, Sophie and Thadchajini put so much effort into learning the material that they became really effective members of the team. We really enjoyed working with them and they are exactly the kind of hard working and positive students we would employ at the MRI. It has been so successful that we are expanding the program at Parrs Wood next year.

 

 

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