Injury and illness can occur in children. Since children spend a
considerable amount of time in school, teachers must have the
ability to assist when required. However, no research to date has
examined Irish primary school teachers’ experiences, training and
knowledge in first aid. An online survey (n = 587) examined Irish
male and female primary school teachers previous first aid
experiences, training and knowledge. Respondents generally
showed high levels of both previous first aid training and
exposure to events requiring first aid. In addition, most teachers
knew the location of the school’s first aid equipment and were
aware of their school’s first aid policy. However, many felt ill equipped to deal with these situations, particularly for serious
incidents and over a third of teachers were not currently certified
in first aid. While teachers displayed good overall knowledge,
gaps were evident. The findings demonstrate the need to
develop a multilevel school strategy to ensure teacher proficiency
and school preparedness in managing situations requiring first aid.