Australia's Science Forum

Hi all,

I have a couple of questions about lab manager duties & how things work in independent, gov, catholic school systems......

Do you have first aid qualifications?
Is it a job requirement/in your duty statement?
If so.....are you responsible for administering first aid for staff & students in your area?

Cheers,

NSW govt school. I have had my first aid cert but currently out of date. In our role, we do not perform first aid unless we get paid for it, which is a whole 9.67 a fortnight loading.
Having said that I have dispensed many a bandaid in my time. Basically all care and no responsibility. But first aid is not on our list of duties unless we get paid for it.
Cheers

I have a first aid certificate, mainly for use in my OTHER life.
First aid in schools is not part of the job description, it is supposedly a volunteered job.You have to have a current first aid cert to do it though.
I am the first port of call for the first aid for the whole school from the science prep room.I then decide whether I administer first aid, or whether I send them to the sick bay, or whether I phone a parent to pick them up.
It used to be the front office but then the lady who used to do it finally had enough mentally, and refused to do it anymore. The other ladies in the office also refused to take it on and therefore haven't renewed their first aid certs so can't legally do the work.
I offered to do the job, mainly because I like working with the students and I also like figuring out who isn't actually physically ill, rather they have emotional problems which need attention. So I get to talk with them and figure out where best to refer then on to, sometimes all it takes is for them to actually get someone to show an interest in them and they get a lot better. I have my regular "patients" for a while and then I don't get to see them again, which is satisfying to know that I have helped.
One thing though if you do first aid, make sure you jot down what you do for each student even though it might seem insignificant. I have been asked to give the Principal my notes on a student I saw about a month ago for something that didn't seem a big deal, lucky for me that I did, seeing as the parent wants to know what we did for the injury.
Also, as I said in another post you do get paid extra but not that much, and in our school you have to keep asking otherwise the paperwork doesn't get done for ages.
OH&S was a bit of an issue for first aid in the prep room but we have made a designated area and a yellow line on the floor that the students know not to "cross over". So it has worked out rather well, except that now I have the issue of getting the office to realise the amount of time I save them doing the first aid and that I can't keep going down to help them out.
Estelle

Where I have worked the office staff have always done it. And as all the facilities are situated next to the offices, I think that is where first aid should be done. This is not meant to be a criticism of Estelle. She is doing it because she finds value in it.
I do not like to be away from my preparation area more than is necessary. I also do not want to take on the responsibility of first aid. It would concern me that I might do the wrong thing. Probably not, however, Estelle herself stated that she was glad she kept notes on students injuries/illnesses as a parent made an enquiry. Schools are now beginning to employ their own nurses. And parents are becoming litigious. Someone is always to blame. Nothing is an accident any more!
Unless it was a condition of employment then there is no reason for you to do it. Plus, the office staff always assume that many jobs can be passed off to the lab. tech.
And I don't think that the allowance is adequate for the responsibility!
Maree

Having read your posts can I please point out that First Aid falls under OH&S these days and has strict guidelines.
Read your state OH&S manuals and there are several handbooks for schools eg CCH and Workplace Safety Australia which will also help.
The documentation of any treatment you give is critical and must contain several specific requirements.
Only staff with current first aid certs should administer first aid.
we have a designated person and she does all first aid

I work in an independant school. ALL staff have their first aid certificates (paid for by the school) but I'm pretty sure one or two of the office ladies are the designated First Aid Officers (the one's that get paid the extra). I think it's a good idea to that every one has their certificate because you never know when something is going to go wrong, and a first aid officer may not be handy at the time.

Everyone here updates their first aid, cpr & epipen every year, that way, it doesn't matter who goes on excursions etc... everyone is able!

Our office ladies are trained at a higher level as well as a few others - 2 PE teachers.

Well I had a hissy fit and insisted that the school pay for me to have first aid training, mostly because the Science block is so far away from the front office that I refuse to send a hurt student all the way to the front office if they get hurt in Science. Especially if that injury is chemically induced! Frankly, the office ladies wouldn't know what to do anyway, and why should they. It's not in their training or experience.

SO, now I have a Fist Aid certificate, but I only usually administer, like I said, if kids get hurt on my turf. Covers me,and the kids, and the school, so it's all win.