When an emergency situation presents itself, things must be done quickly in order to save lives. That means that those present need to know what to do. This is where emergency first aid training comes in handy. But sometimes, that training alone isn’t enough. Some medical situations call for devices and tools that must be used in order to give effective care. So not only must those tools be present, but they must also be accompanied by people who know how to use them. Fortunately, modern technology has made some of these things much easier to use. One such thing is the AED.

An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a device which will help to jumpstart a patient’s heart by using an electric current. Just like the idea in the movies, those two metal paddles the doctor will apply to the chest and yell, “Clear!”, this device can bring the heart back into operation. The key is knowing how and also when to use it.

Just because a person in unconscious doesn’t mean they need this device applied. You need to check for a pulse and be certain that there isn’t one. They also need to be applied to the correct location of the body to be effective.

Now, these devices usually come with pictorial instructions and can be easy to pick up and use, but in a trying situation, it would be best for the person using it to have some prior knowledge of how the device functions and how it is best used. However, the AED is a great example of how modern technology can make  life-saving tools more accessible to everyone.

If people would learn how to use them, then loss of life can more easily be prevented.

Medicine is a subject that is always changing. Whether it is due to new pathologies being discovered or affecting people, or new treatments or tools being developed, if you are in the medical field, you need to constantly be learning and improving on your skill. Especially in the case of new medical tech.

Unlike where a disease is cataloged and rules for diagnosis are laid out, learning new medical tech (like devices and machines) takes time and practice to really get down cold. This means that doctors will need to carve out time from their schedules to keep up with the latest trends and techniques. It is important to do so, not only so that one stays competitive as a medical professional, but also so that you are able to give the highest and most up-to-date care to your patients.

This can be difficult for some, as a doctor’s schedule is usually jam-packed. But the efforts are usually well worth it. Take robotic surgery as an example. Those surgeons who took the time to train on using the machine are now able to help more patients as they can perform surgeries from anywhere in the country. This means that they can help more people and yes, make more income. The same goes for basic office tools, medical models (https://wwemsequip.com/head-neck-anatomical-models-c2858) and other pieces of equipment. As they get upgraded and improve in accuracy and effectiveness, doctors will need to know how to operate these as well.

Technology isn’t going to stop advancing. And in a subject like medicine, it will continue advancing quickly. So if you are planning on becoming a medical professional, whether it be a doctor or technician, the be prepared to have a commitment to lifelong continuing education.

The mobility of a patient is actually an important factor in case of an emergency. For example, if someone is hurt, moving them in a certain way can actually cause more damage. Should a bone be broken (especially a rib) internal organs can be further punctured due to the bone moving around inside the body. This is why people are usually told not to try to get up after an accident. The elderly are another type of patient that usually need help with transportation, and who are at high risk for further injury.

This is also why there are a few devices that were made solely for the safe transport of patients. The stretcher is the most commonly seen one. It consists simply of a platform with included restraints that can keep the patient still and prevent them from accidentally rolling off. There are many varieties of stretchers, with the most basic simply being a specially shaped plank, to more advanced ones with wheels and places for the attachment of other medical devices.

Another transport device is a stair chair. If you need to move a patient up or down floors, and no elevator is available, this is the option to use. A stair chair is exactly what it sound like: just a chair with specially placed handles so that two people can easily carry a person up and down stairs. Another advantage to a stair chair is that there is less risk to the people doing the moving. With a stretcher, efforts to keep the patient from falling off while using stairs can actually injure paramedics. So the stair chair is preferable in that situation.

With the proper transport equipment, further injury can be easily prevent. Obviously, one needs to be trained in the use of these devices in order to fully take advantage of their benefits.

I wanted to take a minute to talk about something a little bit different here, and that is that a hospital is more than just doctors and technicians.

Think about it. While it is the doctors, surgeons,  technicians and specialists that perform the regular miracles, they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs if not for a staff of people who make all the behind the scenes things happen. There’s the administrative staff who keep track of all the patients and their records, billing staff who keep the hospital afloat financially, and others. The doctors and medically-trained people wouldn’t be able to do their jobs without them and some recognition is in order.

Imaging if you were in charge of keeping the hospital stocked with supplies. There are literally tens of thousands of items used regularly in a typical hospital. Don’t believe me? Check out a site that sell those supplies and see how much they carry: wwemsequip.com. Imagine having to ensure that none of those items ever ran out!

These dedicated people are out of the “limelight” so to speak in their field, yet are essential to the smooth running of a medical facility.

This is something that as actually true in most professions. Behind a good technical staff (that is to say, those trained in special functions) lie and administrative team that makes it all possible.

So the next time you visit a hospital, remember that it’s not only the doctor that is helping you, but everyone working in the area. It may brighten their day to hear a word of thanks for all of their constant efforts.

One of the toughest types of patients to care for are the elderly. This is typically because various systems in their bodies are not in optimal condition, so complications can arise from otherwise normal procedures and treatments. They also tend to be weaker, not in terms of physical strength, but their hearts don’t pump as well through a usually corroded artery system (which brings its own problems to the table as well). It can be hard to transport them as they can easily be immobilized and require special equipment to get the to proper facilities (stretchers and stair chairs). And finally, they can sometimes be forgetful, not taking the proper medication in the right doses.

No doubt, geriatric medicine has some challenges. But many doctors specialize in this simply because there is a lot of business in this department.

Think about it. Most people who go to the doctor regularly are senior citizens. They mostly all have medical insurance or some other state healthcare plan. So there is no shortage of patients to treat.

Doctors have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The demand for medical professionals will always be high, but there is competition among doctors leading many to go into specialize fields. Pediatrics and geriatrics rank high among them.

But the elderly are more than just a good business model. They are actual, live human beings who need to be treated with respect and good care just like any other patient. It can be trying to work with them at times, but that’s no different than any other patient. So keep that in mind if you are considering going into geriatric medicine. There’s more to it than just an easy paycheck.

Anatomy is the most basic form of medicinal study. After all, you need to know how the body functions if you’re going to have any idea of how to fix it when it isn’t performing properly due to injury or pathology. So learning about all of the various systems, how they work and how they relate to each other is absolutely essential for any medical professional. Heck, it’s important for virtually anyone to know how their own body works!

Although it may seem like an impressive and difficult subject, there are lots and lots of tools that can be used to help one to understand it. As training good physicians is important, the technology of training doctors has come a long way.

Pictures

The most basic form of training aide on the subject of anatomy are simple pictures. In times past, they were drawings made by early physicians, but while helpful, they could be inaccurate. Now, we just use pictures. They are great because they let you see exactly what the part looks like.

Anatomical Models

These are models of the body and they are typically just a specific part (like one particular system) or they could encompass the whole body. These anatomical models range in terms of how lifelike they are. Some even include functioning systems (like circulatory or respiratory) so that you can really get in there and see them in action. They are a big part of medical training.

Video

We live in the age of multimedia and video plays a big part in the training of medical personnel. Doctors-to-be can now see procedures performed or just operations taking place, and thus gain a better familiarity of what lies below the skin.

So as you can see, there’s plenty of tools available to help you gain an understanding of how are bodies are made up and how they work.

Getting trained in first aid is essential. Obviously the best way to do this would be to get enrolled in a professional class and learn from an expert with the proper hands-on tools and equipment. This way your preparedness level would be high. But with the buys schedules of today’s workaday world, this can be tough. More and more people are working on weekends and free time is scarce. So the thought of going out to find a class and attend for several days or weeks isn’t all that inviting or feasible of an idea for some.

So online classes can be a way to get some useful and applicable knowledge while not interfering too much with one’s schedule. To assist you, here are some various classes round up from throughout the internet.

http://www.cprtoday.com/

http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training/cpr-online

CPR Training Video:

Training Video for CPR on a Baby:

Training For CPR on a Child:

For those that prefer to have a reference guide, here is a CPR training book.

Hopefully with these resources, you’ll be able to get the essential training that may one day permit you to help others in times of emergency.

There are lots of various medical and first aid techniques around, but none of them are more recognizable than CPR. CPR (which stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the action of breathing and circulating blood for another. It has been seen in countless movies and is a staple of basic first aid training. Funny enough that almost every time it is portrayed, it gives the incorrect impression. So to clarify this, let’s look at what CPR is, what it isn’t, and why it works.

CPR is basically manual life support. The patient/victim is no longer breathing on their own, and their heart has stopped. This isn’t itself the cause of death (not technically). The cause of death is the lack of oxygen to the brain. By forcing air into the lungs and pumping the heart artificially, you keep the brain (as well as the rest of the body) supplied with oxygen, and thus, alive.

CPR in the movies seems like a magic bullet which will results in an awake and alert person. Many times, the person performing the CPR will give up after only a few moments. This is not how it works in the real world. Applying CPR to someone will usually not result in an awake and alert patient (though it COULD happen). Instead, CPR is used to keep a person alive until they can get to a hospital or other care center.

It works only by those trained in it (with the use of proper equipment like this: https://www.wwemsequip.com/adam-cpr-training-manikins-electronics-carry-bag-white-ns-sb22301u-p23233) and needs to be continued until the person can be gotten to a medical center. That is how CPR saves lives. By buying the patient time. It itself is not an end-all of treatment.

Summer is once again upon us. It’s time to go outside, hit the beach and enjoy the warm weather. Not to sound like a downer, but it’s also time to keep a few things in mind in order to keep yourself safe and healthy during these summer months. It’s not like you can’t enjoy yourself, just be safe and you’ll have more time to enjoy.

First, you’ll want to stay hydrated. The added heat will cause you to sweat more, and your body will be losing fluids. So drinking lots of water is recommended. Not only that, but you’ll want to take mineral supplements, specifically salt and potassium as they are lost during sweating and cal lead to headaches (not to mention headaches from plain old dehydration).

Next, you’ll want to always have some sunscreen handy. Nothing can ruin a nice weekend like having a sunburn. It’s such a shame too as they are easy to avoid. Sunscreen doesn’t cost very much and it only takes a moment to apply. Save your skin and your summer.

You’ll also want to keep bugs away. As you’ll be probably spending more time outside, you’ll want to have some bug repellent. You can buy the stuff from the store or make one yourself:

Finally, keep a first aid kit stocked and ready. With all the outdoor activity, you’ll be increasing your chances for cuts and bruises. No sense in not being adequately prepared, so go through your first aid kit and ensure that you have everything you need. You can get one if you don’t already have one here: https://www.wwemsequip.com/first-aid-kit-metal-box-bulk-xxl-50-lb-10-5-x-4-28-686014-p1278.

Now that you have all the bases covered, you can go out there and enjoy your summer.

One of the most common injuries that can occur pretty much anywhere is a cut. This can of course vary, from slight paper cuts to deep and dangerous ones, severing critical arteries. Obviously, depending on the type of cut, your attention will shift to a different aspect of treatment.

For small cuts, the main thing to do is to disinfect. Here, we’re not super concerned about blood loss as the cut itself is minor. The threat here is infection. Your skin is the barrier from your internal organs and systems to the outside world and all the germs it contains. So when it is pierced, the introduction of a foreign particle is frequent. Using alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and then an antibiotic cream is usually enough. If the object that did the cutting had any sign of rust whatsoever, then you should go to a doctor immediately as there is a risk of tetanus. For different size cuts on different areas of the body, you should have a variety of bandages in your medical supply bag to hand.

For larger cuts with much bleeding, the focus shifts onto preventing the loss of blood. Try to sterilize the wound first (rapidly, of course) and then apply pressure with something clean to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding is very excessive, a tourniquet may need to be applied. The goal here is to stop blood loss and get the person to a hospital.

In the event of a severed limb, again, the goal here is to stoop blood loss, but you have the added goal of saving the severed part. Use a tourniquet to stop the blood loss, and package the severed body part in a plastic bag placed in ice. Do not place the limb into direct contact with the ice itself. Then get both patient and limp to a hospital immediately.

When we think of medical advances, we think of life-saving drugs or vaccines that can prevent millions from getting sick. We think about specialized procedures that work to treat serious and hitherto inoperable conditions. We think of medical devices developed that allow never-before treatments to occur. And while all of those are indeed important medical advances, one of THE most significant was also one of the simplest: sterilization.

In the early days of medicine, most people who were injured would die, not from their injuries, but from infections. Open wounds would easily attract bacteria and viruses alike and this is what would do the person in. This, of course, would make almost any type of surgery impossible, as you’d be opening the person up to multiple infections in the course of the operation.

Sterilization is not something completely recent, though widespread practice is. As early back as 400 BC the idea was around. Many doctors since then have used various forms of antiseptics to attempt to clean their instruments and the general areas they were working in. It was known that infection was the real threat.

This is why all medical equipment is carefully sterilized before use, or disposable parts employed. You’ve probably seen how a doctor will use a disposable tip for a thermometer that gets thrown out after use. Even the most trivial instruments need to be kept completely clean.

Doctors will also use medical bags to transport their tools in to protect them for foreign particles and bits. So as you can imagine, every aspect of medicine (as far as instrumentation is concern) needs to comply with these ideas in order to guarantee successful application.

The different types of medicinal practices

I often see people get confused about the different type of medical schools of there. For example, I’ve been told by a friend that they are taking a homeopathic approach to treating a toothache. If one knows just what homeopathic medicine is them one would know that the earlier statement is impossible. So let’s clear up some potential confusion about the different types of Medicine.
First we have general, standard practice. This is what you will get when you go to a regular doctor or hospital. These types of doctors use typical medical equipment like the stuff found here. Standard treatments will usually include drugs, surgery, and any clinically proven remedy for a particular ailment. The main thing here is that any type of treatment is fair game so long as it has some sort of proven record.
Next we move onto homeopathic medicine. This is a branch of Medicine wherein diseases are treated by using a small amount of the disease as a cure. The idea of giving someone cowpox to prevent them from later getting smallpox would fall under this category. So you can see that a toothache (at least one caused by rot) would not have any treatment within this realm.
Lastly we have naturopathic. This is a medicinal system wherein drugs and invasive procedures are avoided in favor of a more natural approach. Things like changes in diet, vitamins, lifestyle changes, etc all would fall under this category.
Which type of Medicine is best is really am impossible question as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. As with any medical condition, consulting professional doctors is a must before you decide on a path of treatment.

When one becomes a medical doctor, they set themselves up to have a potentially affluent lifestyle. It’s no secret that doctors can make more than a little money and though the hours can be rough, the position is well remunerated.

Given the financial position that many medicals professionals find themselves in, it allows for another aspect of being in such a field. I am, of course, referring to giving back. Most people don’t become doctors simply for the paycheck. There are certainly other professions that allow for affluent pay without all the stress and training required of a doctor. So for most, that is a bonus on top of the ability that they have to help others. This is where giving back comes into play.

One will often hear of lawyers doing things pro bono as a service to others. Well, many doctors can do the same. Volunteering their time to help low income families is one thing they can do. Helping out in clinics, doing vaccinations, even donating medical equipment are all ways that a doctor can contribute.

You see, society is built upon people of goodwill and high moral values. Doctors are usually people in that position because of their strong desire to help. Being a doctor is rough at times, and can definitely be unpalatable depending on the patient or circumstances. This is why if one loses sight of the charitable aspects and starts operating solely for the money, the job can start not feeling as worthwhile. Doing anything for the money alone doesn’t leave one with a feeling of true satisfaction. Especially a job where you are constantly working, having to make important decisions, etc.

So if you are in the medical field and are starting to lose your initial spark for the job, consider ways that you can help more and watch as your attitude changes.

When the subject of common illness and infection comes up, one thing seems to always be a topic of discussion. And that is the ear nose and throat. There is an intimate connection between these 3 parts of the body that causes them to typically share in infections and maladies. So much so that there are doctors who specialize in treating this trio of trouble (referred to professionally as otorhinolaryngologists). This is why your regular doctor will routinely check out your ears and throat so that early detection can be possible.

The connection between them is one of the oldest American medical specialties and this is why your doctor will place such care into checking these parts of the body out. They use their flashlight, tongue depressor and otoscopes to verify just what’s going on down there to prevent small problems from becoming much larger ones.

Check out this video for more information:

Most doctors who do house calls will have a medical bag with them containing the usual and necessary instruments as well as some basic first-aid gear. Things like bandages, gauze, painkillers are all part of the standard fare, but you’ll also find other things that only a doctor would know how to properly use.

Things like a sphygmomanometer (a fancy word for a manual blood pressure cuff) or a stethoscope (that thing you use to listen to heartbeat) would also grace a doctor’s bag. But there’s another set of items that should be included:

Those would be a otoscope and an opthalmoscope. These are also portable and necessary pieces of medical equipment. For those who don’t know (which would be virtually everyone who isn’t a nurse or doctor), and otoscope is a device that is used or looking inside of the ear. This helps to see if there is any blockage or infections present. As ear infections are quite common, this is an indispensable tool.

An opthalmoscope is used to help see parts of the eye and is used in routine examinations. Again, something that every doctor will need.

Neglecting to have all of the needed tools as your disposal can result in wasted visits and/or incorrect diagnoses. Not to mention the lack of professionalism (imagine a doctor showing up and needing to come back later as he forgot something). So make sure to always have your otoscope and opthalmoscope ready to hand on every visit.

When an emergency situation arises, it is of the utmost importance that the people involved act quickly and correctly to aid the person injured. Those first few seconds can make all the difference in whether the victim will live or die (obviously depending on the severity of the situation). So it is imperative that those trained in first aid know their stuff cold and are ready at a moment’s notice.

There’s actually a lot more involved in first aid than just CPR and how to bandage a wound. Setting broken bones, dealing with shock, initiating respiration, stopping blood loss, properly loading patients onto a stretcher splint or gurney, etc. are all part and parcel to handling medical emergencies.

Speed is the key. And you’ll only be fast if you have a good grasp of what you trained for. This is why I always stress to first aid students that they need to know their procedures so well that they can do them properly even in a time of chaos and crisis (which just happen to be the usual circumstances surrounding a first aid emergency).

The key to flawless application lies in only a few simple steps:

1. Study your procedures well.
2. Practice them thoroughly.
3. Restudy them, now that you have some hands-on experience with them in the form of practice.
4. Practice, practice and practice some more until it’s cold.

Following the above will prepare you. And it’s not enough to do this once. The best professionals in any field will continue to practice their skills. People get rusty, just like unused tools, so continuing to keep familiar is crucial. So keep the above in mind and do your best to become and stay as proficient as possible.

First aid training is something that has been widely available for some time now. Pretty much anyone can avail themselves of it at a time that is convenient to them. Some jobs even make this training mandatory for employees. But even with the availability of it, there are still many, many people who haven’t yet availed themselves of even the least bit.

Why would that be? It is, after all, not all that hard to learn first aid, and it can be useful in lots of different types of situations. Also, imagine how you’d feel in an emergency and you had the opportunity to learn first aid but didn’t and now were helpless! Well, some people think that there will always be “someone else” around to take care of things.

But now, consider this: the population is expanding exponentially. There will be over 10 billion people living in the world in the next 20 years. That’s a lot of humans! Now factor in that the amount of doctors and rescue workers will not be increasing in proportion to the general population increase and you can start to see the problem.

Those who know how to help in a medical emergency will be needed more often. First aid saves lives, not always by providing the necessary procedure to fix the problem, but often by keeping a person alive long enough to get to real medical help. This is something that cannot be overemphasized.

If you’d like to learn more about first aid, then you can visit https://www.wwemsequip.com. There you can find books and supplies that can assist you in learning first aid. Also, there are plenty of places (like community centers) in every city where you can get some hands-on training.

We live in an era of fast and affordable computing. Our systems are more powerful than ever, and also more easily accessible for the masses. This means that you will be seeing more and more computer integration into various areas and medical training is no exception.

With every medium that has come about, medical training has taken advantage of it to provide sounder and sounder training to aspiring doctors. In the beginning, there were only the verbal descriptions made by the professor, and the occasional cadaver which could be used for dissection by students. This was ok, but there weren’t always dead bodies lying around for use. Later on came sketches which helped greatly, but could be inaccurate.

With the advent of photography, sketches became outdated and accurate, life-like images could be used for study. This was useful not only for the study of anatomy, but also for specific symptoms and injuries. Still, this was limited, and students still had to attend open operations and use dissection.

Training manikins and moulage kits arrived, which provided a 3D and tangible way to simulate the human body. These will probably never be completely replaced as they are still the only way of actually touching and feeling certain parts.

But with computers, and especially VR technology, soon students will be able to manipulate simulations of the human body, as well as attend lectures and operations being performed across the world, in real-time. These advancements mean that students will be consistently able to learn from the best of the best in their respective fields of medicine, regardless of geographic location. It also makes for completely audio-visual training which is proven to work better than any other.

When people think of first aid, they usually think of the all-too-classic white kit, and possibly CPR. While these are definitely part of first aid, they are far from the full breadth of what first aid encompasses. There are many more procedures and techniques that one needs to know if one is going to say that they are well versed in it.

So what else is there? Glad you asked. To begin, there’s…

CPR

This is one we’ve all seen at least in movies. The action of breathing and circulating the blood for another so that their body stays oxygenated until further help can arrive. There are plenty of places that you can go to learn this skill, so there’s really no excuse not to know it.

CHOKING

For choking victims, there is the Heimlich maneuver. This is where quick pressure is applied to the abdomen to help force stuck objects out of the person’s windpipe. Again, not too uncommon and can be easily learned.

DRUG OVERDOSE

This one is scary in that there is no one-size-fits-all type of treatment. It really depends on the drug. Your best bet is to start CPR (if the person isn’t breathing) and contact a poison control center to advise based on the type of drug.

ACCIDENTAL AMPUTATION

For this, it’s necessary to stop the bleeding. Pressure may alone do the trick, but you may need to apply a tourniquet if it continues. You also need to clean off the area as best as possible as well as the amputated part. Place the part in a plastic bag and then place the bag on ice as it may be possible to reattach the severed part.

There is much more than just that. A good manual can teach you many more first aid procedures (like this one here).

One of the reasons that I decided to study and eventually become a doctor comes from a story that my grandfather told me when I was very young (and impressionable). It was something that always stayed with me and had a lasting impact and I thought for posterity’s sake that I would share it here.

When my grandfather was about 7 years old, he came down with scarlet fever. This is something that could potentially be fatal (even nowadays) so it was a serious matter. He told me that he was afraid because of the way his family was acting and that he really believed that he might die.

His condition was not good and he was weak and in bed. After a while (he didn’t really remember how long) he heard a knock on the front door. The local doctor had come to pay a visit. He told me that he was so impressed with this man, walking into his room with his medical bag, stethoscope around his neck, and a calm and collected demeanor. He looked my grandfather over and wrote some notes onto a pad. He asked how my grandfather felt, and despite the worst of descriptions, he never once made any indication that there was any serious problem. He got up and smiled. He tore off a prescription and showed it to my grandfather and said that with this, he would come out just fine.

It was that confidence, that bedside manner, that certainty that my grandfather most attributed to his recovery. While there is no doubt in my mind that the actual medication prescribed helped, I do believe that the power of suggestion was present and contributed.

A simple story, yes, but it inspired me to become that person for others. I always wanted to be that symbol of hope for the sick, and it is with great pride that I do my job every day.

When a medical emergency strikes, it’s important to have the necessary equipment to hand. Certain type of emergencies call for different types of gear, and it’s vital that you have what you need to properly deal with the medical situation you are presented with.

So let’s take a look at some of the various tools that will be necessary for the various medical situations one may encounter.

First, there’s the regular first aid kit. This is a collection of the most commonly used, and easy to apply medical tools. Things like bandages, alcohol, antiseptic creams, splints, aspirin, burn gel, etc should be here. No special training is required to use these tools, and most anyone can see exactly how they work just by looking at them. No home should be without one.

Next, there’s medical training equipment. This includes a lot of tools that are used to train doctors and EMTs. Things like medical manikins, false organs and moulage kits fall under this category. They allow doctors to practice seeing/handling real injuries and conditions right in the classroom and are an essential part of modern medical training.

Next we come to EMT equipment. These are more involved tools that are used by paramedics and rescue workers. Things like stretchers, defibrillators, oxygen tanks and braces would fall into this category. These are only used in times of severe (or potentially severe) injury and need to be used with experience and caution by someone trained to do so.

Finally, there is the equipment that is found in hospitals. This is the highest-level medical equipment and includes all of the above, plus special machines used for specific cases. These are only to be used by doctors and trained technicians as they could actually do more harm than good if used carelessly.

Medical training has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Those early years only included descriptions or drawings of parts of the internal systems of the human body from which students had to extrapolate all they could. Because this was literally all there was available to some students, you can guess that the medical field was primitive at best. But being unsatisfied with this, anatomist Andreas Vesalius began dissecting human bodies in the 15th century. Upon direct observation, he found that many of the descriptions that had been being used were wrong, and giving erroneous ideas to medical students which could lead them to think that a completely normal body part was actually abnormal. So he set about creating a work which included accurate descriptions as well as many drawings of the anatomy of the human body. From this moulage was born.

Moulage started off with wax sculptures, depicting parts of the body. Doctors quickly found that these could be used to simulate various injuries and diseases so that medical students could have the opportunity to see what was being taught. This gave a great benefit to doctors in training.

Some of these historical models are still in use today by some German hospitals and medical schools as they are very lifelike. More commonly, moulage kits are used to apply fake wounds to someone, and even very elaborate setups, including makeup and faux liquids are employed to give medical students a very realistic depiction of an injury or illness. While the wax models are not commonly used, plastic and rubber ones are still quite prevalent.

Thanks to the efforts of early Renaissance pioneers, we have the medical training facilities that we use today.

Being a doctor can be a very stressful job. After all, the lives of your patients are literally in your hands. Your decisions need to be spot on, and mistakes can be potentially fatal. So it takes a special kind of person to take up this type of profession. Now multiply this tenfold if you are a surgeon. You are involved with some of the most delicate of procedures, where a fatality could be one wrong move away. Again, a lot of confront is required to do this.

But, none of these come even close to being a doctor who regularly handles trauma victims. These patients will come you in all sorts of varying states of trauma. Many will be on the literal brink of death when they arrive at your doorstep, and you need to be prepared to see all kinds of mortifying scenes. This type of thing needs to be prepared for as you really not only need to know your stuff, but also be able to face horrifying and grotesque things while performing your duties.

Medical training does afford some sorts of preparation for this type of thing. First off, learning all of the body systems, with a hands-on approach, will give one enough familiarity to identify the different parts under many different states of disrepair. Also, there exists moulage (the simulating of various types of wounds) with can be used to give doctors experience in seeing all sorts of various degrees of trauma. This can really be a big help as you don’t want to be seeing severe injuries for the first time when the patient is right there depending on you.

All of these elements add up to full medical training. Remember, it’s more then just knowing the procedures and systems of the body. It also takes the guts to handled them in no matter what state they are in.

Most times, when we have to visit a hospital, we find ourselves at the end of the whole thing left with a bill that we will usually consider is way too high. While it is true that you can usually negotiate down these bills and often get a lower bill, you may not know exactly why these rates are the way they are. Or, why after just a single visit, you have several different bills.

The first thing to know, is that a hospital isn’t like a typical company. The doctors and specialist that work there are not all residents of the hospital, meaning they are not all paid by the hospital directly. That means that if you get an x-ray from a radiologist, that you have to pay them separately (while this is administratively handled by the hospital itself).

Another thing to consider is that much of the equipment that the doctors use on a regular basis, be is simple and common machines or big and complex devices, these need to be carefully maintained and cared for and purchased from medical supply retailers (like wwemsequip.com). This is part of what the hospital itself does. They provide a place and equipment for doctors to be able to use.

So yes, while these things are expensive (and perhaps our system of health care isn’t the best in the world), realize that it’s not being done in an effort to squeeze every last penny out of you. Also, many stated have laws that make it illegal for a hospital to turn you away due to lack of funds on your part. So it’s not as grim of a situation as you may have thought it was.

Everyone has heard of or seen it, be it in real life or in a move. It it the most commonly known first aid procedure and is ubiquitous with first-aid itself: CPR.

It’s a fairly straightforward activity: someone has stopped breathing on their own, and you manipulate their chest and lungs to continue respiration and circulations for them. This can lead to an immediate recovery or keep the person alive long enough to render more professional or invasive help. But what many people don’t know is that if you don’t know what you are doing, you can actually cause more harm than good.

This is in no way intended to discourage people from trying to help someone in need. But there re a few things to know and be aware of. First, you need to be absolutely sure that the victim isn’t breathing on their own. Next, (especially if you are dealing with a child) you need to know how much pressure to put on the chest to affect circulation without causing damage. Also, for the respiration, you can easily damage the lungs of a child or baby if you don’t know how much air to pass to them.

This is why actual CPR training is important. Getting the proper instruction can not only make it safer for you to deliver this procedure, but can also make you much more effective and likely to get results. Proper training is done with a trained and sometimes experienced instructor, and the class will have the proper tool, like CPR manikins which can be used to practice all elements of the training.

Getting the proper instruction is crucial for any medical or first aid procedure, so don’t think that just reading about how it’s done will make you an expert. Take the time to really arm yourself with the know-how to save a life.

Immediately after an accident, you’ll want to place the victim into the best position possible depending on the given injury. For example, you’ll usually want to keep the legs elevated should there be a cut on the legs, so as to reduce blood flow to the area. But after a particularly violent (and sometimes not so violent) jolt, you’ll want to keep the patient still. After all, you don’t know what kind of internal damage may be present, and moving the patient may make things worse.

Punctured lungs and other organs can result from improperly moving a victim. Broken bones may move about and cause damage to the surrounding tissues, so if you are in doubt, keep the victim as still as possible. Don’t permit them to get up. The obvious exception would be if they are still in harm’s way, in which case you’ll try to move them as carefully as possible from the danger zone.

Now, there is also equipment that can be utilized in transporting a patient safely. The most common of these is a good old fashioned stretcher. It allows the patient to keep a rigid position while making it easy for paramedics to move the person. There are also more specialized devices, like a stair chair, which is designed to help move someone who is otherwise incapacitated up and down flights of stairs, without causing harm to the person attempting to move them. Having access to the proper equipment allows for safe transportation not just of the patient, but also those doing the transporting.

So while this may not be the first thing on the mind of a first responder, it is indeed a point that deserves some careful consideration.

In the world of medicine and urgent care, there are a few life-saving procedures that it’s important to know about. These are the ones that can literally make the difference between life and death in an emergency situation, so it is important that they are well-known.

CPR

This is one that everyone should immediately recognize. It is the action of pumping the heart and breathing for another who has stopped normal breathing. It can be learned by virtually anyone and be practiced to proficiency in a short time.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600

Heimlich Maneuver

This is a procedure designed to help those who are choking. People who are choking need immediate help as they can pass out and suffocate in a relatively short time. The procedure is simple and no formal training is required to learn it.

http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/choking-rescue-procedure-heimlich-maneuver-adult-or-child-older-than-1-year

Tourniquets

In the event of severe bleeding, a tourniquet can save a life. They tend to get a bad reputation as they are often associated with amputations, but in a serious situation, would you rather lose a leg, or lose your life?

http://firstaid.about.com/od/bleedingcontrol/ss/07_tourniquet.htm

These procedures can be crucial skills to have. You can usually find local classes that will teach them to you so the you can be expert in their application (especially in CPR). You can also get training aids and equipment (like the ones found at this link) to help you better prepare yourself for their use.

When it comes to working on the human body, there’s no such thing as too much preparedness. This is why there are a whole slew of different medical training aids available to help doctors-in-training learn their way around the human anatomy.

In the old days, one would rely on sketches or cadavers in order to familiarize themselves with the human body. While this was indeed useful, it failed in one specific area in that if you were learning how to handle a specific condition, you would have to either get lucky and find a patient with the condition, or you’d just have to take the description from the teacher. Not every cadaver would have the same characteristics, so training on specific procedures would be difficult. This is where medical training manikins come into play.

A medical manikin is a dummy of the human body in greater or lesser detail. They range from just a certain part of the body, to a full representation of a complete human. Some are designed for training only on a specific procedure, and others, like the Susie Simon with Ostomy, can simulate a wide variety of medical procedures and routines.

These manikins work very well in giving medical students a realistic experience so that when it comes time for them to work on an actual patient, they have a high level of familiarity already. This not only boosts confidence in the student, but also improves effectiveness in the real world. These tools are an invaluable and indispensable part of modern medical training.

Medical training has come a long way from its earliest beginnings. Medical students in the early years would have to rely of drawings of the body’s systems and listen to descriptions from doctors who had performed certain procedures. Sure, there were cadavers, but there wasn’t always a supply of them and so it was easy to miss being able to see the real thing during one’s medical training.

Now, modern, and old technology provide all the resources necessary to train first-rate doctors and other medical experts.

Modern technology would of course be video and 3d simulation. Now, students can literally see scans of the entire human body, from head to toe. 3d representations of organs and their functions allow students to gain a never before obtainable reality on how a living human body works, not just seeing one post mortem. These tools greatly enhance understanding of the basics of anatomy.

Then there’s the old school, yet still useful methods. Moulage kits allow students to see simulated injuries and other medical phenomena. This way they are prepared for the various conditions and states they may have to confront their patients in during treatment. Nothing has to be left to surprise the fledgling doctor when he has already seen it and handled it during his training.

These types of methodologies are proven and very beneficial. After all, it doesn’t take long to ascertain if a doctor’s medical training was worth it or not. In a profession such as this, we can’t afford to have anything short of the best in terms of education, and that’s what these various methods provide.

There has never been a better time to train in the medical field. The doctors of yesteryear would be very jealous indeed of what modern medical schools have to offer.

A medical emergency can occur at any time, and in any place. So it it essential that one has the proper tools and equipment to hand at all times if one is to assist at a time of medical emergency. Normally, people have a first aid kit at home. This is all good and well, but it will do nothing for you if you are not at home. This is why it is essential to have a first aid kit that goes where you do.

The simplest and most effective solution is to have a kit in your car. This way no matter if you are at work or out at the store, you have the right supplies in reach. While this kit will probably not be as extensive as your home kit, it should still include the basics: bandages, gauze, tape, alcohol, iodine, aspirin, burn creams, tweezers, etc. This can all be packed into a relatively small space and so fit in the glove box of your car.

But you can take it even one step further and arrange a kit that is small enough to fit in a purse or even a wallet. One can take a couple of already moistened alcohol swabs and a packed of aspirin powder and wrap it in some gauze. Then place it in a tiny plastic bag (like those used for fishing hooks) and put a few strips of tape on the bag itself. This extremely compact kit will allow you to treat cuts and fever which are quite common. This may not seem like much, but in lieu of carrying a full medical bag, this could come in handy.

So always make sure that you are prepared to deliver first aid wherever and whenever it may be needed.

First aid is an absolutely necessary and vital thing to learn. You will get the crucial information needed to address and treat basic wounds, cuts, burns, broken bones and other medical situations. But after first aid is well learned, what then?

There is certainly more than can be studied to make one even more adept at handling medical emergencies. But with such a wide range of areas to choose from, where should you start? Well, this is actually a pretty easy question to answer.

You should learn that which has more of a likelihood of happening around you based on where you live/work or what you do. For example, if you work outdoors in a warm areas, learning how to treat dehydration would be a good start. If you were out in the woods a lot, then learning how to treat animal bites and lesions would be the route to go. Basically, just pick those things that you would be most likely to encounter.

Obviously, you should branch out from there if you still have a desire to learn. But this would be further education. After first aid (which always comes first), pick that which you will likely see in your day to day life.

Learning about these things is also a lot easier once you have a basic knowledge of first aid as you may only have to read about a few techniques to learn how to apply them as you will already have a working knowledge of some basic medical procedures. So don’t limit yourself to just one area of expertise. Also, remember to revisit your training from time to time so that you remember well what you have learned. Nothing worse than being faced with a situation you once knew how to handle but now forgot.

Finally, make sure you have the right equipment for the job. You’ll need a comprehensive medical kit that you can keep with you at all times. So pick one up (like the one found here).

We no longer live in an age where if you need to practice some medical procedure, you need a live patient to undergo that procedure in front of you so that you can see how it’s done. With internet and video, almost any medical student can see exactly how these types of things, both routine and uncommon, are performed. But while this is a great advancement of the medical training of yesteryear, is it really enough?

Seeing is one thing, but doing is another thing altogether. There’s no substitute for being able to get a hands-on experience, especially in a field as delicate as medicine. This is where the importance of anatomical models comes in.

An anatomical model is a life-like representation of a part of, or a complete human body. It contains the internal structure that is to be dealt with and shows it with accuracy. This allows students to actually “feel” the parts of the body, internal or otherwise, that they will be dealing with without the need for a cadaver. This is both a more sanitary and convenient way of showing students just what they need to be prepared in the field.

While some may say that these models are expensive, consider that just one well-made model completely removes the need for a cadaver at that stage of practice. It is definitely more economical in the l0ng run.

Obviously students will eventually need to get their hands dirty, meaning work on an actual human body, but for earlier training purposes, a model will suffice quite well.

These models have come a long way and now are very, very close to the real deal, both in appearance, and (for some) also in texture. They are an invaluable aid for doctors and medical students.