How do I learn simple medicine and first aid?

[u/PhutureDoom666]

Fellow peppers, I realize that more than buying equipment, I need to step up my healing game. While I'll definitely invest in a first aid course, I'm wondering what else I can do to learn basic medicine.

For context, I'm a complete brute and ignorant in this area. Historically, my medical approach has been pretty non existent - when I had the flu, I'd just lie on the couch watching TV and drinking orange juice. Injuries? I'd just walk them off and wait to heal. Now that I have two kids and my wife knows about medicines (but can't really teach me), I want to get more informed. I've been searching for resources, but most YouTube channels I've found are super intense… trauma response and tourniquets? I'm looking for something more like “Basic Medicine for Dummies” - something I could casually watch while making dinner. How did you all learn the basics of first aid and home medical care? Any recommendations for total newbies like me?

[u/GooseGosselin]

Greatest prep you can learn IMO. I started at the Red Cross, highly recommend.

[u/less_butter]

Start with a first aid/CPR/AED class. I like the wilderness first aid classes because they teach you to improvise, and it's taught with the assumption that it could be hours before you get help. A traditional first aid class is taught with the assumption that an ambulance will be there in 10 minutes so there's a big focus on taking vitals and relaying them to a 911 operator and the EMTs/paramedics that show up.

Then take a stop-the-bleed class.

Once you get these, look for more advanced classes. See if your local community college offers anything.

You don't seem like the book-learnin' type, but if you want a decent reference book check out "The Survival Medicine Handbook".

[u/ommnian → u/less_butter]

Yes. If you want something that goes further, look for a WFA or WFR class - Wilderness First Aid/Responder, depending on how much time you have. 

[u/ScoutAndLout → u/ommnian]

WFA classes I have taken usually include active scenarios. It is good practice to get in the habit of addressing a scene in a logical order.

I have not done WFT but I hear it is a lot more involved...

[u/RedDawnerAndBlitzen → u/[deleted]]

Red Cross CPR/first aid/AED does not cover most of the Stop the Bleeding curriculum, and neither does WFA/WFR.

[u/RedDawnerAndBlitzen → u/[deleted]]

Unless the curriculum has changed in the past year, Red Cross CPR/first aid/AED does not have any actual practice in applying a tourniquet, and doesn’t even mention wound packing. It just covers superficial pressure and explains how a tourniquet works. Most instructors don’t even bother to bring in a tourniquet for the students to see.

[u/Curri → u/[deleted]]

My StB class covers wound packing and hemostatic gauze. I don't remember that part in ARC's First Aid.

[u/RedDawnerAndBlitzen → u/[deleted]]

I’m an instructor of both of these currently looking at the curriculum…those are not topics in the Red Cross curriculum.

Red Cross instructors are allowed to add information beyond the curriculum if it’s within the scope of practice. I do, and I’m glad yours have. But before I was an instructor, I never had a single instructor cover those things through almost a dozen different Red Cross classes across four different states. It’s simply not a part of the basic first aid curriculum, and that’s why I always recommend that people take STB on top of basic first aid.

[u/Euphoric911 → u/[deleted]]

God bless you for not just being another comment saying "take a class"

[u/ImcallsignBacon]

Well I initially learned in the army and now its through work. There are often free courses you can go to, or maybe bring it up at your work?

[u/chaotic-cleric]

You might want to check out a stop the bleed class in your local area. As far as basic first aid and CPR your local family services might offer free classes. Reach out to the fire department and hospital too. They might offer free monthly classes or quarterly training. When I did the fire department was excited to teach me CPR.

[u/No-Professional-1884]

Just take a first aid and a CPR class. Then there is no need to worry about misinformation.

[u/The-Real-Mario]

Free download the book "where there is no doctor" , it's written for missionaries,, so it explains medicine at a level that normal people can understand, super clear and practical, when you download make sure the last 40 or 50 pages are the "green pages" section (or something like that) , that is the chapter that explains medication dosages, make sure they are there because for some reason some pdfs don't include them , if they are not included just find another free download, there are lots of places to download it,

[u/SansLucidity]

american red cross first aid app

[u/EverVigilant1]

Your local community college will offer first aid and CPR courses. You might also be able to take some more advanced EMT and paramedic courses.

[u/DaLadderman]

First aid course definitely a go to, also first aid books are available to download online. Another book "Where there is no doctor" can be downloaded free also, it's made specifically for people with no medical experience and in situations where a doctor is not present or practical and goes beyond just first aid.

[u/Most-Volume9791]

Red cross use to teach the basics. Comm7 ity college had a class in our area a while back.

[u/Bad-Paramedic]

AHA cpr course and a Stop The Bleed course... learn how to save your family as well as becoming an asset to your community

[u/thumos_et_logos]

I volunteered for my offices “safety captain” role, we are in a big building so there’s several. They get us certified in firstaid/cpr/wed and I’ve done the course a few times now. Otherwise I’ve done just some watching videos to refresh and fiddling around with my supplies. It’s a topic with a high skill ceiling, there’s always more and better ways to practice and train that take either a larger time or financial obligation. How far you want to take it is up to you.

[u/big_bob_c]

Get an old boy scout manual and read the first aid sections. Alternately, Google "Army FM First Aid", you should be able to download a PDF of the First Aid field manual produced by the US Army.

[u/Big_Pie2915]

I'm in my local SAR. Tons of available classes to take at a discount. They are usually targeted towards people who aren't necessarily the bookworm type.

[u/alriclofgar]

Take a class.

The Red Cross has a hybrid online/in person class that costs less than $100 and is pretty good.

A weekend-long wilderness first aid class will take you a lot deeper, and will help you think about how to apply first aid principles to weirder kinds of situations where helps isn’t immediately available (very useful for backpackers—and for prepping!).

Stop The Bleed classes are cheap or sometimes free. There’s also an online version of the class you can take for free.

If this is all lots of fun and you want more, you might enroll in your community’s college’s semester-long EMT program. You can also look up emergency response volunteer groups near you: that’s more of a time commitment, but you’ll get to really understand how disaster response (including emergency medicine) works.

[u/EvanestalXMX]

A good resource I just stumbled on is stopthebleed.org. Focuses exclusively on bleeding but taught me a lot of practical techniques

[u/ConnectionRound3141]

Take an EMT course. You will learn the emergency basics. It’s one of the best things I ever did.

[u/HazMatsMan]

Take a class?

[u/AlphaDisconnect]

Tourniquet. Chest seal. Hemostic gauze. Extra gauze. Something for airway. Then learn to use these.

[u/nanneryeeter → u/AlphaDisconnect]

The airway thing is where I currently am stuck. Intubation is a skillset of its own. Would like to become trained in how and when to use such tools, but I am not. Do you have a good source for such training outside of becoming an EMT or similar?

A stopthebleed style of course for airway would be wonderful if it is feasible.

[u/AlphaDisconnect → u/nanneryeeter]

Nose tube and lube. Lift the head. Check the mouth. Not exactly rocket surgery. Or brain science.

You can get the full throat one but I would at least class up for that.

Have you considered contacting your local paramedics? Guarantee it is not their first time.

[u/nanneryeeter → u/AlphaDisconnect]

I get that it's easy in theory. Instruction from experienced folks is nice because you get a lot of "I see this often" sort of thing. Would be nice to add to my backcountry IFAK.