Contrasting Instructions Assignment

Michael Simons

Scenario 1: I am an EMT teaching some basic first aid to a group of middle school students.
They have no former knowledge of first aid, but are interested in learning about it. Due to their
lack of knowledge, I will use very plain language and give detailed descriptions of how to
complete the steps of applying a Band-Aid. I will also add visual aids to help guide the students.
It is important to include a lot of detail when initially teaching first aid skills because the student
only knows what you are teaching them. They have no prior knowledge so it is important that
they know all the steps in detail. I will not assume that they know anything within this set.
Scenario 2: I am an EMT giving a first aid refresher to a group of wilderness guides. They
already know the basics of first aid, they are just here for a refresh. They do not need lengthy
descriptions on the subject matter or visual aids because they already have some degree of
command of the skill being taught. Too much detail in the directions would cause them to lose
interest along with it being unnecessary. The information given should give them what they need
to remember how to properly apply a Band-Aid.

Scenario 1 Instructions:

How to Apply a Band-Aid

These instructions will show you how to apply a Band-Aid to a small cut or wound. You will
learn how to prep the wound site, disinfect it and them apply the Band-Aid. This process should
take approximately 5 minutes or less. It is important that you wear nitrile gloves throughout
the process to prevent contaminating your hands.
You will need
1. Rubber Nitrile gloves
2. Access to a clean water source (sink, bottle of water)
3. Paper towels
4. Box of assorted band-aids
5. Alcohol wipes for medical use
6. Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
Instructions:
Identifying
 1. It is imperative to make the right decision on whether the cut can be managed properly by
a Band-Aid. If the cut or wound is too large for the Band-Aid to cover, or the wound will
not stop bleeding, stop the process and seek more advanced medical attention.
Prepping the Wound Site
1. Hold constant pressure on the cut or wound with a paper towel until bleeding stops.

2. Rinse the cut or wound thoroughly under sink or with other fresh water source until there
is no visible debris at wound site.

3. Dry wound and surrounding area thoroughly with a paper towel so there is no moisture
left.

Disinfecting the Cut/Wound

1. Gently scrub the wound with alcohol wipe for 30 seconds.

2. Wait an additional 30 seconds for alcohol to dry.

3. Apply antibiotic ointment over wound so that it leaves a thin film.

Q-tip not needed

Applying the Bandage

 1. Select the proper size bandage for wound.

2. Remove all wrapping from band aid.

3. Line up band aid by placing white padded area over cut or wound.

4. Press both sides of the Band-Aid to skin so that it is flush with skin and makes a seal
around wound.

You have completed the initial process! To keep the wound clean, repeat the last step of
“Disinfecting the Cut/Wound” and all the steps in “Applying the Bandage” at 24-hour intervals.
If the wound has debris in it, repeat all of the instructions. If the cut is not healing and appears to
be infected, seek further medical attention.

Scenario 2 Instructions:

Applying a Band-Aid
These instructions will guide you through how to properly apply a band-aid to a cut or wound.
Prior to the actual band-aid application, the instructions will explain how to prep the wound site.
This process should take 5 minutes or less. During the process make sure to wear nitrile gloves
while bandaging any wound to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens.
You Will Need:
1. Rubber Nitrile gloves
2. Access to clean water source (sink, bottle of water)
3. Paper towels
4. Box of assorted band-aids
5. Alcohol wipes for medical use
6. Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)

Steps:
1. Identify if the type of wound is suitable for a Band-Aid
 2. Hold pressure on wound until bleeding stops
3. Rinse wound to remove debris
4. Dry wound and surrounding area
5. Disinfect wound with alcohol wipe
6. Apply antibiotic ointment
7. Select proper size Band-Aid
8. Remove Band-Aid wrapping
9. Line up Band-Aid so that it fully covers wound
10. Press Band-Aid to skin so that it makes a seal

Reapply antibiotic ointment, change bandage and clean wound every 24 hours or as needed until
wound is healed. If wound or cut becomes infected, seek further medical attention.

Reflection:
Putting a Band-Aid on is a simple task for most of us but some groups of people may need more
details than others to perform the task correctly. That is what I tried to show with my audience
selection. One group consists of young kids with no previous knowledge of first aid and the other
group is a group of experienced hikers that simply need a refresher. If I were to give both groups
just one of the sets of instructions, they would either be bored with the material or would not
have enough details to complete the task. I was able to be much more concise with the group of
hikers where I needed to be much more detailed with the group of middle school students.
Both of the introductions were fairly simple and according to the module. They both gave the
who, what, why and a timeframe along with safety instructions and supplies needed to complete
the task. Since the introduction for this activity is very simple, they are close to the same. I did
not feel that a big difference in introduction style would have a big affect on the two different
groups. I bolded the safety information in both introductions to make it stand out and I separated
the materials list so that it would also be easy to find. As stated, the task was fairly simple and
since it was meant to cater to a smarter audience, I thought it was appropriate to keep the
introduction concise with only the bare minimum in it.
The instruction section is where the two sets of directions were very different. I was very concise
with the wilderness group since they have knowledge on the procedure and are only in need of a
refresher. The simple set of instruction that they received should easily get them through the
task. The other group though would not be able to utilize that set of instructions effectively.
Since they had no experience in first aid or Band-Aid application, I put a lot of details in so that
the instructions had the amount of clarity needed for them to perform the task. I also included
many visual aids for additional clarity in steps where they may need some additional help. I also
organized it in phases to make it easier to understand. I put the name of each phase in large print
in blue so that it would be easy to identify each phase. It is essentially four small sets of
instructions to complete one task. I found that to be the easiest way to guide someone brand new
through properly applying a bandage.
The conclusions to each set of instructions are very different. They both say the same thing, but I
included a lot more detail in the one for middle school students. For their set, I included a
sentence to somewhat congratulate them on completing the steps since it is most likely their first
time achieving this goal in first aid. I then included in detail what they need to do to maintain the
goal that they just achieved through what steps to repeat and when. Since there are two options
that they may have, I tried to make it clear when to use one or the other. It was a bit difficult to
write that in a clear manor though. At the end I put some information on when to abandon the
instructions and to seek other options. It is not part of the module to include that type of
information, but I believe it was necessary to include it. The conclusion for the set of hikers was
practically the same, just more concise since they did not need as many details as the middle
school students. Overall, I think each set of instructions was tailored well for each audience to
understand.