First Aid Merit Badge

Tips for Earning This Badge

• 1Read the pamphlet cover to cover before your first counselor meeting — most requirements are covered in detail there.
• 2Practice scenarios on family members at home: wound care, splinting, and shock treatment all benefit from repetition.
• 3A community center First Aid/CPR class counts toward several requirements and gives you hands-on practice with an instructor.
• 4Bring a basic first aid kit to your counselor meeting — assembling one is a requirement and showing it demonstrates preparation.
• 5Counselors usually want to see you demonstrate, not just describe — practice bandaging and splinting with your hands, not just talking through the steps.
• 6A common stumble: knowing the individual skills but freezing on what to do first in a scenario. Drill the initial assessment sequence until it is automatic.