Immersive first aid training courses instil confidence in an emergency
It is surprisingly common how often Australian workers get injured at work. Last year, 162 Australian workers were fatally injured in their workplaces, according to Safe Work Australia. Sophie Gleeson, a previous St John Ambulance Victoria student, was one of those people to have witnessed an emergency firsthand in her workplace. It was Sophie’s third day in her new role working in operations management in a supermarket when a team member called a code blue (critical incident). Alert and ready to act from previous first aid training completed with St John Ambulance Victoria, she rushed downstairs to find a customer lying on his back, completely frozen and quickly turning blue from a cardiac arrest. To her surprise, out of 30 customers and team members, she was the only one that had the skills and confidence to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
She performed CPR on the man for 30 minutes while waiting for the emergency services to arrive. The supermarket were fortunate that Sophie had completed her first aid training as the store did not have a defibrillator, nor anyone comfortable to assist the victim. Sophie never thought she would have to use CPR in real life, and unfortunately this is a common perception. Last year, in Victoria alone, there were more than 6519 cardiac arrests and of those only 35% of victims received CPR from a bystander. One of the main reasons why workplaces hold back from sending their team to complete first aid training is due to the time employees have to spend away from their desk, resulting in a loss of productivity and additional wages that the company needs to spend.
To combat this problem and improve the number of Australians who are trained in first aid, St John Ambulance Victoria has launched a series of first aid training courses that use immersive technology on large cinematic screens, specifically tailored for workplaces. The disruptive technology trains students in first aid 50% faster than traditional programs, cutting down the time employers and employees spend away from the workplace at first aid courses, streamlining the process to become first aid ready.
The technology saves time and creates a more engaging and real-life first aid experience that allows students to better apply their skills to save a life, ultimately improving cardiac arrest times and therefore survival rates. The immersive course enhances retention and recall of facts, procedures and scenarios, providing the learner with a unique experience. As stated by WorkSafe Victoria’s ‘First aid in the workplace’ compliance code, all workplaces need to determine their first aid needs based on assessment of their workplace hazards and risks. However, ensuring all staff are equipped to react in an emergency situation should be a high priority on every workplace’s agenda.
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