As a DofE leader at St. Clare’s, Oxford, we run the award from the college, mainly helping students to gain their Gold award. So I have been looking to attend a first aid course which covers the topics relevant to these kinds of trips. I found a course run by an expedition and outdoor training company called Fieldskills. The course is actually called “Basic Expedition Leader First Aid” and is specifically focused on things like the Basic Expedition Leadership Award, DoE and walk leaders. The course was at a convenient location and unlike most first aid courses the date and duration of the course was perfect for me to attend. Personally I was keen to extend my first aid skills and be able to relate these skills to an outdoor environment so I would feel confident about dealing with issues that could arise during expeditions.
The course covered essential first aid skills concentrating on core, first-on-scene skills which are integral to all first aid with particular application in the outdoors. The course used lots of practical training and hands on scenarios to build up confidence whilst looking at things like accident procedures, resuscitation, bleeding and shock. It also focused on specific outdoor issues such as hypothermia, burns and blisters.
The course leader was very informative and had a wealth of experience of leading expeditions in a variety of environments to help relate the course content in a relative and interesting way. The content of the course was interesting, practical and interactive. At the end of the day I feel that all the reasons why I choose to attend the course were met and I now feel more confident about having to deal with any first aid issues that may arise during DofE expeditions.
Rebecca Winfield
St Clare’s Oxford.
For further details see http://www.fieldskills.com/firstaid or call Fieldskills on 0845 293 7296.
Fieldskills: First Aid, Expedition, Fieldwork & Travel Safety Training for individuals, expedition companies, universities, fieldworkers & businesses. We use our heritage in outdoor pursuits & expeditions to help others complete safe & successful ventures
