By Tithi Mayani
Last weekend, students from the Health and Wellness SHSM acted as First Aid responders for the Road to Hope race in Hamilton, which has one of the highest percentage of finishers that qualify for the Boston Marathon in the world: 23%. Students had earned their CPR/First Aid HCP Level—which is the highest level—certificate the previous Friday.
The race took place at Confederation Park in Hamilton, next to Lake Ontario. The students worked with nurses, paramedics, and physicians to provide first aid to everyone who attended the event, including staff, runners, and their families.
The 1km, 1km (for kids), 5km, and 10km races took place on Saturday. This was a relatively slow day for the SHSM students, as not many medical emergencies occurred during the shorter races.
The students who volunteered on Sunday, during the half marathon (21km) and full marathon (42km), saw a lot more action. They responded to runners with hypoglycemia, hypothermia, muscle cramps, and exhaustion.
Throughout this trip, the Health and Wellness SHSM students got a chance to practice skills in the real world. Their help was much appreciated by the medical staff volunteering for the race. Great job, future healthcare professionals!
THE MUSTANG MESSENGER 
