First Aid Health Promoter Training

Today was the second day of our primeros auxilios (First Aid) course with the second year health promoters Domitila, Ingrid, Samuel, Mariela, Benita, Delma, Clara, Magali, and Veronica. We taught Evaluate, Call for Help, and Treat; Cuts, Injuries, and Fractures; Animal Bites; Hemorrhage; Burns; Choking; Drowning; and Shock. This is a relatively shy goup (compared with the two graduated classes) but they did a very good job getting involved in the scenarios this time. One of the fun challenges of this year -- and a really nice learning opportunity for me -- has been experimenting with how to teach to health promoters. There is a book published by the Hesperian Foundation entitled "Helping Health Workers Learn." It is full of great ideas for teaching including models for explaining complicated concepts in simpler ways (many people have not even had a health course before), adapting information so that it's appropriate for the setting, soliciting important contributions from the learners as the people who know the patients and the setting best, etc. Planning for the courses takes a few days between the two lead health promoters and three of us volunteers. We've learned some important lessons along the way. One being that the learning has to be active and breaks for games are a must. Something new I learned today is that magic tricks don't get quite the response they get in the States. They seem to be disturbing to people. I think I'll save those for kids! Dominga teaching about wound cleansing Shom with a great fracture face Veronica stabilizing the fracture with Clara's help Magali cleaning a dog bite Clara responding to a snake bite Taking a break for hot potato ("patada caliente") Shom suffers a bloody nose mid-lecture

Clara gives Shom a handDomitila saves Ingrid with the Heimlich maneuverDomitila gives back blows to a choking baby

Delma choses a donated watch for taking pulses and resp rates