Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43051 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 210 pages

Customer Reviews

Good info, bad design
This is a bit of an odd book to review. No one I know is likely to pick this book up and read it for fun. But if you're in a first aid class, you'll be required to read it and it won't be fun.

*****What's new in first aid*****
Two things worth knowing: first, the standard now is 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths.

And "compound fractures" are now called "open fractures" because the latter is more descriptive of the actual injury, especially for the lay person. Apparently calling them "compound fractures" makes you old school.

And that's really the only good information you're going to get out of this review. It's not like you have any choices--if you need to get first-aid certified, you're pretty much stuck with this book or another Red Cross one like it.

****Problems with design****
The callout boxes overwhelm the main text. And there is rarely a good stopping point at which you can switch over to the sidebar items. Since I started reading Red Cross books as a lifeguard-in-training in 1995, I have always been frustrated with all of the flipping back-and-forth I have to do. I'm constantly losing my place.

****Poor use of open-ended questions*****
This book also introduced a new kind of sidebar--open ended questions. Maybe these would work if your instructor was supplying the answers, but when you're reading it on your own, it's frustrating not to be able to find answers to the questions somewhere.

****Needs to address the reader*****
This would be a great book if the target audience was just interested in flipping through at gleaning kernels of wisdom here and there, nothing too deep.

But it's targeted an audience that's trying to cram bucket-loads of information in a short amount of time so that they can get their certification. And, to add to the stress of cramming, most readers will also have in the back of their minds that they don't get something right, someone could die.

I appreciate that this book is trying to be more appealing, but it needs to be more like a book and less like a magazine.

Excellent
Arrived on time and in the shape it was supposed to! Thanks a bunch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Aid/CPR/AED for Schools And the Community
It's a good book. Luckily I didn't pay very much for it because the class is more hands on. A good supplement.