20807258First Aid and CPR
Course Information
Description
This course provides students with the knowledge, analytical skills and physical skills necessary in an emergency to help sustain life, reduce pain, and minimize the consequences of injury or medical emergency.
Total Credits
2
Course Competencies
  1. Provide emergency care
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Apply the emergency action steps
    Implement the Check–Call–Care protocol to ensure scene safety and victim prioritization
    Demonstrate scene size-up
    Identify potential hazards, determine the number of victims, and don personal protective equipment (PPE) before approaching
    Obtain consent
    Use a standard verbal introduction to identify yourself, state your level of training, and ask a responsive victim for permission to assist

  2. Perform the complete cycle of care for breathing emergencies and choking
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Identify signs and symptoms of respiratory distress, such as gasping, wheezing, or cyanosis (bluish skin)
    Demonstrate ventilations
    Breaths are delivered using a resuscitation mask or face shield
    Breaths last approximately one second and produce visible chest rise
    Perform care for choking
    Five back blows are delivered followed by five abdominal thrusts for responsive victims or transition to chest compressions if the victim becomes unresponsive

  3. Provide care for cardiac emergencies (CPR/AED)
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Describe the cardiac chain of survival
    Recognize cardiac arrest
    Confirm absence of responsiveness and absence of normal breathing (or presence of only gasping)
    Perform the steps of High-Quality CPR
    Maintain a compression rate of 100–120 bpm and a depth of at least two inches (adult) while allowing for full chest recoil
    Power on an AED device, apply pads to bare skin in the specified anatomical positions, and clear the victim during rhythm analysis and shock delivery
    Minimize interruptions to less than 10 seconds

  4. Manage a victim of shock
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Recognize shock by identifying the signs and symptoms, including a rapid or weak pulse, skin that is pale, cool, or moist, and an altered mental status such as restlessness or irritability
    Activate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) by calling 911 or the local emergency number immediately upon the recognition of shock
    Place the victim in a supine position (flat on back) to assist circulation, unless breathing difficulties or injuries suggest otherwise
    Maintain the victim’s normal body temperature by covering them with a blanket or insulation to prevent heat loss
    Monitor the victim's level of consciousness and breathing, ensuring the airway remains open, and refrain from giving the victim anything to eat or drink

  5. Control bleeding
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Classify external bleeding as arterial, venous, or capillary to determine the necessary level of intervention
    Apply firm, localized pressure with a sterile dressing until the bleeding stops or is controlled
    Bandage with a wrap tight enough to maintain pressure without cutting off distal circulation
    Position the tourniquet two to three inches above the wound
    Tighten the windlass until the bleeding stops completely
    Record intervention time
    Communicate information to EMS personnel, per instructor guidelines
    Apply additional dressings directly over the first, per instructor guidelines

  6. Manage soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Identify specific signs of injury such as deformity, swelling, bruising, or protruding bone
    Apply the principles of Rest, Immobilize, Cold, and Elevate (RICE) for closed soft tissue injuries
    Demonstrate effective splinting and bandaging
    Immobilize the joint above and below a bone injury, or the bone above and below a joint injury, ensuring the limb is secured in the position found
    Verify distal circulation
    Apply sterile dressings
    Maintain stabilization of the injured area until the splint is fully secured or EMS personnel arrive

  7. Respond to medical emergencies
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Identify general signs of medical emergencies, including changes in level of consciousness, breathing difficulty, and skin color or temperature changes
    Identify stroke using FAST
    Manage diabetic emergencies
    Provide seizure care
    Execute environmental exposure protocols for heat stroke and hypothermia
    Determine the necessity of advanced medical care

  8. Demonstrate emergency and rescue moves
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Scenario, and/or Exam
    Criteria
    Determine the need to move a victim based on immediate environmental danger
    Determine the need to move a victim based on the need to reach a more critical victim
    Perform mechanical drags and carries per instructor guidelines