Six Junior Doctors offered to share their experience and train Post 16 students in how to administer CPR and what to do if you see someone choking.

Six junior doctors offered to share their experience and train Post 16 students in how to administer CPR and what to do if they see someone choking.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique used in many emergencies, including a heart attack, or where someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Post 16 students were given a little theory behind the technique and then were placed into working groups to practise the actual techniques on CPR mannequins.

Students practised both mouth and hand techniques, to resuscitate the mannequins. Singing the Bee Gees classic 'Stayin Alive' helped to create the successful rhythm, most likely to kick start breathing. The technique is strenuous, and as one junior doctor explained, it often requires a team who will swap every two minutes to retain momentum. The students were shown a demonstration on choking; noting the signs to look for if a person has something blocking their airways. They were shown the Heimlich manoeuvre and how to use a defibrillator.

The session was not just informative, it was practical. Students left the workshop with an understanding of what to do if someone collapses or if a person is choking. Both were simple techniques, but ones which can really save lives.