When a motorcyclist was involved in a road traffic accident, one Medilink International first aid trainee found himself facing a situation he had never expected to encounter. The motorcyclist had suffered a fracture and significant bleeding, and although the trainee was initially afraid of the sight of blood, he remembered the techniques he had practised during his training. He used an improvised tourniquet technique to control the bleeding until help arrived.

For Mohamed Chaabane, First Aid Trainer at Medilink International, the incident demonstrated something that can be difficult to capture through a certificate or assessment: the true value of first aid training is revealed when knowledge has to be applied under pressure.

First aid is often viewed as a skill reserved for healthcare professionals, workplace responders or those whose roles require formal certification. Yet emergencies do not make those distinctions. They can happen at home, on the road, at work or in a public place, and the person who first recognises that something is wrong may simply be a colleague, family member, friend or passer-by. In that moment, having even basic first aid knowledge can make a meaningful difference while professional assistance is on its way.

The challenge, however, is that knowing what to do and being able to do it are not necessarily the same thing. As First Aid Trainer Aymen Ayari explains, first aid is fundamentally a practical skill. While understanding the theory is essential, regular hands-on practice helps participants develop the confidence, coordination and reflexes required to respond correctly and effectively during a real emergency. Practical training allows people to experience scenarios before they encounter them in real life, helping transform information into a response that can be recalled when circumstances are stressful and time is limited.

Training also has an important role to play in challenging common misconceptions. One example is the belief that chest compressions during CPR should be performed on the left side of the chest because the heart is located there. In fact, compressions should be performed in the centre of the chest, over the lower half of the sternum. Understanding such distinctions is important because an emergency is not the time to rely on assumptions or incomplete knowledge.

For Ayari, there is also one fundamental action that everyone should remember: recognise and report an emergency. Contacting the appropriate emergency services promptly is a crucial first step, whether or not the person at the scene has formal medical training. This reinforces an important principle of first aid: responding effectively does not necessarily mean having all the answers. It means recognising what is happening, seeking appropriate help and taking safe, informed action within the limits of your training.

At Medilink International, first aid training encompasses a range of scenarios, including cardiac arrest and CPR/AED, choking, severe bleeding, burns, fractures, unresponsiveness, heat stress and dehydration, as well as risks that may be particularly relevant in certain environments, such as snake bites and wildlife-related incidents. The emphasis is on practical, scenario-based learning that prepares participants not only to understand a response, but to have the confidence to carry it out.

Perhaps the most powerful measure of that preparation is what happens after the training ends. Reflecting on the trainee who applied his skills at the scene of the road traffic accident, Chaabane shared a message he received after one of his training sessions: “What you have taught us will live on.” It is a reminder that the impact of first aid training does not end when the instructor leaves the room. The knowledge remains with the people who have been trained, ready to be recalled when someone, somewhere, needs it.

Because the first responder may not always be the person with the most medical experience… Sometimes, it may simply be the person who was prepared to act.