Meet the St John first aid trainer who is top of the class
St John WA’s first aid trainers are a special lot.
Adaptable, flexible, kind and clever, they can read any room and ensure every student has the best training experience possible.
Sarah Cronin is one of St John’s best.
She has recently been promoted to a senior role and oversees a group of trainers from Kelmscott to Mandurah.
Her only regret is not starting out sooner.
After gaining her Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, she moved from the drug and alcohol space into first aid 18 months ago.
A typical day will see her help people from all walks of life complete their ‘Provide First Aid’ certificate – a popular St John course that can help anyone respond in an emergency.
“I thought training first aid is a great way for me to give back to my community, potentially training someone to save a life,” Sarah said.
Her passion for the job stems from the classroom and the new people she meets every day in her role.
“We’ve got capacity for 20 students in a class and every person is a little different.
“They might be a bit flat in the morning, or a bit reserved, but by the end of the day everyone’s chatting and having a laugh.”
And being able to hear stories of her students putting their first aid skills into practice in the real world means Sarah knows she’s making a difference.
“A student had written in because they’d helped in a first aid situation with an unresponsive casualty, and they’d had the confidence to go and get an AED.
“He didn’t end up needing to use it, which is great, but he knew where they were located because we talked about it in training.
“It’s just so rewarding.”
Being able to bust first aid myths and break some generational misunderstandings is hugely satisfying too.
“There’s the old chestnuts that come up quite frequently – like sucking the venom out of a snake bite or putting honey or butter on a burn.
“It’s up to us trainers to say ‘let’s not do those things’, because they get passed down generationally, and people think that they’re true.”
Outside of training, Sarah is a busy mum of two and gets behind the local Scouts, fundraising and volunteering in her spare time.
She’s even been able to put her training skills through their toughest test yet with a first aid night for the younger Joey Scouts.
First aid trainers can work on a casual and part-time basis, so the flexibility of Sarah’s job ensures she can keep up with her family life.
There are opportunities to become a St John trainer all across Western Australia including Broome, Port Hedland, Newman and Kalgoorlie.
Sarah’s advice?
“Absolutely go for it – it can take you so many places.”