The Recovery PositionWhen to use it, and the sequence for getting someone into it.Body & healthEducational reference for people who have done a first-aid course. Take thetraining.1Check it appliesUnresponsive AND breathing normally. If not breathing, start CPRinstead.2Kneel beside themPlace the near arm out at a right angle, palm upward.3Far arm across the chestBack of their hand against the near cheek. Hold it there.4Bend the far kneeFoot flat on the ground.5Roll toward youPull on the bent knee. Adjust so the airway stays open.THENCall emergency services if not already doneCheck breathing continuouslyTurn to the other side after 30 minutesIf a spinal injury is suspected, only move them if the airway cannototherwise be kept open. Follow your training.The Recovery Positionlearnposters.com
The Recovery Position — printable health wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

The Recovery Position, step by step

Educational reference for people who have done a first-aid course. Take the training.

  1. Check it appliesUnresponsive AND breathing normally. If not breathing, start CPR instead.
  2. Kneel beside themPlace the near arm out at a right angle, palm upward.
  3. Far arm across the chestBack of their hand against the near cheek. Hold it there.
  4. Bend the far kneeFoot flat on the ground.
  5. Roll toward youPull on the bent knee. Adjust so the airway stays open.

Then

  • Call emergency services if not already done
  • Check breathing continuously
  • Turn to the other side after 30 minutes

If a spinal injury is suspected, only move them if the airway cannot otherwise be kept open. Follow your training.

Questions about the The Recovery Position poster

What’s on the The Recovery Position poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Educational reference for people who have done a first-aid course. Take the training. Check it applies — Unresponsive AND breathing normally. If not breathing, start CPR i…; Kneel beside them — Place the near arm out at a right angle, palm upward.; Far arm across the chest — Back of their hand against the near cheek. Hold it there.; Bend the far knee — Foot flat on the ground.; Roll toward you — Pull on the bent knee. Adjust so the airway stays open.. If a spinal injury is suspected, only move them if the airway cannot otherwise be kept open. Follow your training.
Who is the The Recovery Position poster for?
The Recovery Position belongs to the Body & health section rather than to a school year, because health is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning first aid can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the The Recovery Position poster?
Unconscious but breathing normally. That is the case this is for, and the only one. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so The Recovery Position belongs on the wall where that health work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with The Recovery Position?
Anaphylaxis, Bleeding & Burns and Burn Depth sit alongside The Recovery Position in the Body & health section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.AnaphylaxisBleeding & BurnsBurn Depth
Is the The Recovery Position poster free to download and print?
Yes. The Recovery Position downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Body & health section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the The Recovery Position poster print at?
The Recovery Position is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of The Recovery Position loses nothing.Printing guide

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