The four-year-old is pulled from the pool. He is coughing, then he is fine, then he is laughing and asking for a biscuit. His father says he is obviously all right and to say nothing to anyone. He is not obviously all right, and you are not going to say nothing.
The chain of response
You are not the hospital. You are the first link in a chain, and your job is to start it immediately and correctly.
- Recognise that this is an emergency, and do not talk yourself out of it.
- Shout for help now. Never manage a child emergency alone and never delay to look competent.
- Give the first aid you are actually trained and certified to give - and nothing else.
- Alert the bridge. The yacht medical response is activated by the captain: medical kit, oxygen, the designated medical officer, the ship medical guide.
- Telemedical advice: yachts obtain remote medical advice by radio or satellite from a shore-based medical service. That is the doctor.
- Evacuation - helicopter, tender to shore, diverting the vessel - is the captains decision, taken with medical advice. Give the captain accurate information: what happened, when, what you have done.
- Record everything: times, observations, what was given. Write it down while it is happening.
Conditions you must be able to recognise
| Condition | What matters most |
|---|---|
| Choking | Recognise the difference between coughing effectively and a silent, blocked airway. Act on your training and call for help immediately |
| Anaphylaxis | Rapidly worsening breathing, swelling, collapse. The prescribed auto-injector, then medical help without delay - always, even if they improve |
| Drowning / near-drowning | Every immersion incident goes to a doctor. A child who was under and came up coughing can deteriorate hours later. There is no such thing as a minor drowning |
| Head injury | Any loss of consciousness, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, unequal pupils - medical advice, immediately |
| Burns and scalds | Cool with running water, do not use ice or creams, cover, seek advice. Galley, hot deck and engine heat are the sources |
| Sunstroke / heatstroke | Confusion, hot dry skin, collapse - a genuine emergency. Cool and call |
| Seizure, unresponsiveness, breathing difficulty | Call immediately. Do not wait to see |
What this lesson deliberately does not do
It does not teach you to perform CPR, to relieve a choking child, or to give an injection. That knowledge only exists in a practically assessed paediatric first aid course, and it expires. These pages are preparatory background - not training, not permission, and not a certificate.
Onboard Notes
In your first week, find out three things: where the medical kit and oxygen are, who the designated medical officer is, and how the yacht obtains telemedical advice. If you cannot answer those in an emergency, you are not ready to be alone with a child.
Preparatory study only. These lessons are not a childcare qualification and are not first aid training. Caring for children at sea requires a recognised childcare qualification and a current, practically assessed paediatric first aid certificate from an approved provider.