On 22nd February 2020, the Bill Mapleson Education centre (BMEC) ran its first First Aid & Basic Life Support course for Nursery Nurses at University Hospital of Wales. 22 nursery nurses from the Archway Court Nursery in Newport attended the 6-hour course designed to meet the requirements of the “Millie’s Mark” criteria as defined by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).
The day was a total success, with the teachers engaging thoroughly with all the students and, as a result, getting a 100% satisfaction feedback rating. Comments left by the students included “The course was really helpful, tutors lovely and made us feel at ease”, “Having been on many courses this is the most I’ve learnt, lovely friendly teachers”, “All beneficial, all good, very helpful” and “Scenarios felt like real situations”. Comments on the most useful aspects of the course included “Presentation on breathing very useful”, “Very thorough, in-depth course”, “Gain in confidence”, “All of it, practical and theory”, “Doing the practical on the dummies” and “Learning that time is crucial in CPR”.
Teaching was delivered by Drs. Gill Dunn and Monica Chawathe (both Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetists, Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend) and Dr. Dan O’Donovan (Lecturer, Cardiff University). They were assisted by Professor Judith Hall OBE (Professor of Anaesthesia at Cardiff University) and Mr. Tim Davies (University Teacher at Cardiff University and Manager, BMEC).
The tutors covered ‘How pre-school children differ from older children and adults’, ‘How to recognise an acutely ill child: presentation and initial management’ and ‘Paediatric Basic Life Support (including the choking algorithm)’. Mr Davies taught ‘Accidents, Trauma and First Aid for babies and Pre-School Children’ and Prof Hall ably assisted everyone making an excellent cup of coffee (as befitted her professorial status).
It is hard to see how a better result could have been obtained. Congratulations to all!
Please contact us if you’d like a Nursery Nurses course or any course specifically designed for the needs of your organisation: daviest49@cardiff.ac.uk
Comments