"What is a triband?" was the first question I asked before I attended my first Vitals training.
The Vitals and First Aid Training is one of the most awaited Special Projects (SP) events every semester. It is a whole day event that would left the members gain skills, such as bandaging for common injuries and basic first aid. Certificates and priority for medical mission are given to the members who would complete the session.
Aside from the knowledge I gained from the training, I took home fond memories of bonding with my fellow members. We looked silly and clueless while while trying the bandaging techniques for the first time, but we went home with smiles on our faces (and maybe decent first aid skills).
Quarantine changed everything as we moved to an online setup that is entirely different and unprecedented.
The Vitals and First Aid Training was supposed to be held live through Zoom, to be led by some UP Red Cross Youth volunteers last 21st of November. The topics would center on injuries and accidents that are likely to happen at home, such as sprains, fractures, and hyperventilation, which are all relevant due to quarantine. However, we had to postpone the training due to Typhoon Ulysses.
The RCY volunteers were willing to consider rescheduling, but the SP Career and Academics team then decided to go asynchronous instead. They requested demonstration videos from the UP Red Cross Youth to be accessed by the members through Google Drive. It truly would be much more different as the members would have to practice on their own without volunteers to check up on them. However, we deemed it best for both the PMS members and RCY volunteers, given our current circumstances post-typhoon.
The whole situation on how the Vitals and First Aid Training will go is still a blur, but whatever the outcome may be, we hope to be able to deliver a similar albeit virtual experience. From simply knowing that a triband means triangular band, to embracing lifelong skills that would maybe even help us save lives one day, the Vitals and First Aid Training is an experience that all members would benefit from.