I am now only a few months from my Africa trip.

I was relaxing with a on Friday night and it occurred to me that I haven't yet organised any first aid training

So, the question is how many of you intrepid adventurers have had first aid training and what type of training did you have?

I have looked at Emergency First aid at work, First bike on scene and adventure courses which amount to £435 [3 days without accomodation]

Given that most of the journey is likely to be on my own, I'm not sure of the best tact

George

Hi

We did first aid at work course before we set off on our long trips.

It helped with my confidence setting out on my first trip.

regs
tina

Have had battlefield training with work for the last 20 years - the motto being "survive to fight". Not sure how much will be used out on the open road...

I did a FA course in ST David's at an out door adventure company around three years ago, we had about ten on the course and it was well worth the exspence.

At the time it was only about 65.00 per person, so It might be worth trying to arrange a course your self and then get the numbers togeather.

Contact your local St. Johns Ambulance folk....surely they'll run courses of some kind at a reasonable cost??? Or maybe your local college.....at this time of year the evening classes and short courses are bound to be going on.

Good luck
Chris

I I have tried this at our club. You'll be amazed how many people think £40.00 is way too much to pay to to learn how to possibly save a life.

I think it should be a requirement in order to get a driving license or maybe even a compulsary subject at school.

I have done an "at work" course but it assumes you are just stopping someone from dying for 10 minutes until an ambulance arrives.

Maybe an (I hate this word) "Adventure" first aid and medical course would be better.

Such as "The Far From Help" course run at the Royal Geographic Society by Wilderness Medical Training.

Wilderness Medical Training courses & conferences for travellers & expeditions

Very good. The Wife and I did part one and two (seperate courses) a couple of years ago and still remember a lot. Part one was a lot of people, all at once in a hall listening to talks, then smaller groups for practical stuff. Plenty of oppertunity for asking specific questions either during or after sessions since if you think of the type of people who would go on this, from never done any 1st aid before like the missus, to practicing nurses going to be an expeditions medic, it won't/can't cater to you specifically. The tutors are all people who have been there and done that, unlike your local St Johns perhaps? You also get to meet a lot of people with "interesting" travel being a theme.

Part two (in Oxford for ours) teaches how to stitch, inject in muscle and IV, has many fewer people but the same fab tutors for a much closer and memorable learning experience. These techniques are not legal to practice in the UK, emergencies abroad only.

Completion of part one also gets you a prescription from the main doctor of the course, valid for three years, covering a whole spread of drugs that work in the situations the tutors have encountered. Our GP would not give similar. You have to buy anything you decide you need from the prescription list from Nomad however. These are for you only, not for you to dispense as you see fit, since you won't be qualified for that!!

The book with the course is also fab. Another is "Where there is no Doctor" ISBN-13: 978-0333516522 if you've got the room, which is aimed at the village teacher perhaps in remote Africa, so no jargon!

The couple of talks at the Lumb Farm HUBB meet were well worth it if you get the chance next year! Again from people who have been there and done it, not just read the book as my GP probably hasn't yet got round to doing!

Thanks everyone

Looks like it's going to be a basic First Aid at Work course. Time is pressing and so it will at least help