The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
The biggest challenge for us has been figuring out how to run a business. From accounting and marking, to creating business plans. There is so much behind running a small business that as nurses we didn’t know about.
Adjusting teaching styles towards parents rather than nurses has been a new skill. Most parents have no health backgrounds. They are often tired and overwhelmed with information. Keeping information simple, memorable and the whole experience enjoyable brings challenges of its own. Many parents are likely to be home alone when their little one needs first aid, so it’s also about giving them the confidence that they will be able to act in the moment.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The ability to build parents’ confidence is by far the biggest pro. Especially when it comes to starting solids and fevers. Parents leave our courses feeling empowered by their own knowledge, which is such a reward.
Freedom to work in a way that works for us is also a massive pro. In the ICU, we have no choice on the shifts we work. We are working days, nights and weekends with pretty minimal flexibility – which when you have a young family, is quite challenging.
The biggest con is the unknown. Not knowing if we will be able to bring our courses to the masses. Although learning baby and child first aid is extremely popular in Australia and the UK, the ‘she’ll be right’ mentality of New Zealanders means many families don’t see it as a necessity. This unfortunately means we have massively high rates of preventable injuries compared to other OECD countries and over a third of kids in New Zealand don’t get correct first aid or CPR when it’s needed.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Our aim is to provide high-quality first aid courses to all Kiwi families, to not only provide them with the information they need, but in a way that works for them, that is accessible, enjoyable to learn and fits in with their schedules.
Essentially, we want to be the gold standard for baby and child first aid learning in New Zealand. Eventually, we want to be able to travel around New Zealand so no matter where families live, they are able to access quality first aid education.
Every family in New Zealand should know how to do correct CPR, effective choking first aid and be able to recognise the red flags quickly – three things that can truly save a child’s life.
Even better would be every family knowing how to prevent major injuries and how to manage illnesses at home effectively. In an already overrun health system, there are so many simple and easy steps parents can take that can be learnt in less than 2 hours at one of our courses.
Book a course here and start building your confidence with their free resources. You can also connect with them on Instagram.
