After hours care and First Aid/CPR training go hand in hand. Accidents and illnesses can strike when a person least expects them. They do not follow a schedule and are not concerned with whether or not the doctor’s office is open. This can make it difficult for a person to get immediate care if they don’t want to go to the emergency room. Even those who attempt to go to an ER may be left waiting for several hours until more severe cases have been seen and dealt with by the doctors. For those who don’t know whether or not their injury even warrants an emergency room visit, they may end up just wasting several hours of their day.
After hours urgent care facilities were created for just that reason. While emergency rooms handle the more traumatic cases, urgent care offices are able to take care of the minor problems people face. They have extended hours and are available much later than regular doctors’ offices. Patients are seen much faster than in an emergency room and receive the same level as care. Often times, people know they need medical care but aren’t sure whether or not they need the emergency room or just a doctor’s visit.
After hours care can be enhanced if a person becomes trained in First Aid and CPR. Individuals who are certified in First Aid and CPR are trained to assess a patient’s condition. They are taught to evaluate a person’s condition and do what is necessary to keep them stable and secure until an ambulance arrives or they arrive at the emergency room or doctor’s office. In a time of distress, a first responder or other trained emergency response professional knows and understands that they may only get one chance to save a life.
In some cases, a person trained in first aid can help evaluate an injury and offer a recommendation as to which would provide the best service, an after hours care facility or an emergency room. The choice is up to the patient but it will give them an opportunity to decide before they arrive and get stuck in line waiting for several hours.
Another benefit of being First Aid/CPR certified is the fact that they are able to help stabilize a patient until an ambulance arrives to transport the patient to the hospital. For example, if a person has a heart attack or goes into diabetic shock, the person trained in First Aid/CPR can immediately provide lifesaving care. They will continue that care until the patient is taken to an after hours care facility by family members or taken by ambulance to the local hospital. Either way the person who has received their First Aid certification was trained to take control of a situation and keep the patient comfortable until medical care could be provided.
