Bleeding Control: Direct Pressure and Pressure Bandage

In pairs, students practice controlling simulated bleeding: putting on gloves, applying direct pressure with gauze, and wrapping a pressure bandage while checking circulation. It ends with a timed quality challenge.

How to play

1. Demo (4 min): gloves, direct pressure with gauze, add more gauze if it soaks through without removing the first, and a firm wrap that doesn't cut off circulation.
2. In pairs, the victim sits and the wound is marked with red masking tape on the forearm.
3. Guided practice (5 min): pressure for 30 seconds counted out loud, then wrap bottom to top. Press the fingernail: color should return in under two seconds.
4. Switch roles and repeat with the wound on the palm and the shin (4 min).
5. Challenge (5 min): 90 seconds for the full sequence. Another pair checks five points: gloves, pressure, gauze left on, firm wrap, circulation.
6. Wrap-up (2 min): remove gloves without touching the outside and discuss when to call 911.

Rules

• Always put on gloves before touching a wound.
• Never wrap so tight that it hurts or tingles.
• Don't remove soaked gauze; add more on top.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: wrap a victim seated at the student's height on a table.
• Squeamishness or anxiety: use a different tape color and practice first on their own arm.
• Limited fine motor skills: use tubular bandages with a partner securing the end.

Learning goals

• Apply direct pressure as the first response to bleeding.
• Wrap a pressure bandage and check circulation.
• Recognize why gloves matter for self-protection.

Equipment for a class of 25

• gloves (pairs): 30
• gauze pads: 50
• elastic bandages: 13
• masking tape: 2

Teacher tip

Use nitrile gloves in case of latex allergies. The usual mistake is wrapping too loose or too tight; the fingernail test gives a clear reference.

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