Why Take A Pediatric First Aid Class
More than 1 million US childcare workers need a Pediatric First Aid and CPR credential for their jobs. Other workers that have a job requirement for taking a Pediatric First Aid and CPR course are elementary teachers, coaches, dance instructors, camp counselors, recreation leaders, etc. Millions more would benefit from the training because they are a parent or grandparent, babysitter, or foster or adoptive parent.
How is a Pediatric First Aid course different than a traditional one? The Pediatric First Aid course focuses on the infant, child, and adult victim and addresses illnesses and injuries that are age specific. Children from the age of 8 and older are considered to be an adult victim but are still children in nature and suffer from childhood injuries and illnesses.
Children usually suffer from respiratory problems and preventable injuries as opposed to cardiac problems that we typically see in adult patients. For this reason the Chain of Survival differs from that of adult patients. The order of the Pediatric Chain of Survival is: 1. Prevention, 2. Basic CPR, 3. Prompt access to the emergency medical services system (EMS), and 4. Prompt Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
In a Pediatric First Aid course, a student will learn additional topics that are not covered in a traditional First Aid course. First of all, they will learn that children have different characteristics at different ages. This must be taken into consideration when interacting with a child or infant patient. Injuries are the most common cause of death from ages 1-44. This year a child you know will probably be injured seriously enough to require emergency care. Injuries are often thought to be “accidents” that can be avoided. But at least half of fatal injuries can be prevented by simple actions in the home, car, child care center, school, or playground. So safety at home is another essential topic that differs from a traditional First Aid course. Home Safety includes Motor Vehicle Safety, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Firearm Safety, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Shaken Baby Syndrome, Drowning Prevention, Fire and Burn Prevention, Fall Prevention, Poison Prevention, and Safety on the Playground or Sports Field.
First Aid courses always cover controlling bleeding, but in a Pediatric First Aid course, the student will learn how to deal with bleeding from the mouth and nose, as well. They will learn how to deal with the loss of adult teeth. When dealing with a child victim as opposed to an adult victim, we need to take into consideration that children have less volume of blood so can bleed to death much faster. A cut on a child would be worse than on an adult since they are so much smaller and the damage done can be much worse on a child.
All First Aid courses teach how to recognize and treat for shock. But this is much more serious in a child. They can get dehydrated much faster than an adult and go into shock from loss of fluid from vomiting and diarrhea.
There are additional topics that are optional in a Pediatric First Aid course but are mandatory for childcare workers. They include Recognition of Child Abuse, Fever, Immunization, Handling and Administration of Medications, Daily Health Inspection, Hand Washing Procedures, Diaper Changing Procedures, Surface Sanitation, Factors that Contribute to the Spread of Disease, Food Handling and Nutrition, Field Trips, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Fire Extinguisher Operation, Safety Around Animals, Indoor and Outdoor Safety, and Toy Safety.
It is essential to learn First Aid and CPR skills to save the life of our family members, coworkers, friends, or people in the public. But if we take care of children, we have an added responsibility. Only 2% to 10% of all children who develop out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive, and most are neurologically devastated. Some studies show that survival and neurologic outcome can be improved with prompt CPR. The major causes of death in infants and children are respiratory failure, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sepsis, neurologic diseases and injuries. Taking a Pediatric First Aid and CPR course can alert us to many of these problems and help us know what to do if it occurs. So let’s get the word out and sign up for a Pediatric CPR and First Aid course today!