07/21/20 – ‘First Aid, Health and Safety’ Revisions Provide Updated Content for Learning Center Core Course

July 21, 2020 Athletic Department Blog Updates

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 21, 2020) — Revisions to “First Aid, Health and Safety” – one of two core courses in the NFHS Learning Center – have been completed to provide relevant, up-to-date content to the 10-unit course. The other core course is “Fundamentals of Coaching.”

From its inception, “First Aid, Health and Safety” was designed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the American Red Cross to offer coaches and administrators an overview of first aid. Included in that overview are best practices for the numerous situations in which medical attention may be required.

“The NFHS and the American Red Cross have partnered together on a first aid course since the NFHS Learning Center platform launched in 2007,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services. “In that time, nearly 300,000 first aid courses have been accessed via the NFHS Learning Center. Over the past year, the NFHS and the American Red Cross revised the course content, making sure it was consistent with current first aid guidelines as well as introducing an upgraded look and style with new videos.”

The 10 units of the “First Aid, Health and Safety” course consist of educational opportunities in numerous areas of first aid. Those subjects include providing care, breathing and respiratory problems, sudden illness, environmental emergencies, soft tissue injuries, injuries to muscles, bones and joints, mental health and anxiety disorders, and preventing infectious diseases.

Each unit offers detailed breakdowns in subsequent subcategories that provide course-takers an extended view into a specific area of first aid. Those areas include, but are not limited to, spinal injuries, shock, asthma, strokes, allergic reactions, bleeding, and even anxiety disorders.

“We believe we have raised the bar for the overall learning experience for the course and we look forward to people taking it,” Schuster said. “The health and safety of the students participating in our programs is our first priority and this course provides the necessary overview all coaches need to be able to best handle first aid situations.”

Schuster also encouraged those taking “First Aid, Health and Safety” to remember that the skills learned in the course do not replace medical professionals’ expertise. Instead, the course offers recommended guidelines and techniques for temporary assistance in any setting – athletic or not – until medical experts arrive on the scene.

For more information and to access the “First Aid, Health and Safety” course from the Learning Center, please visit: nfhslearn.com/courses/first-aid-health-and-safety. To view the Learning Center’s entire course catalog, please visit: https://nfhslearn.com/courses.

Online link to article: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/first-aid-health-and-safety-revisions-provide-updated-content-for-learning-center-core-course/

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About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,500 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.9 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.