Creating Inclusive Training – Why Scenario Role Play Matters in First Aid

When it comes to first aid training, technical knowledge is just one part of the puzzle. Confidence, comfort, and clarity under pressure are just as vital—and that’s where inclusiveness in training really matters. Recent research has cast a harsh spotlight on one area where traditional first aid training has fallen short: preparing people to confidently perform CPR on women.

A major study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress found that bystanders are significantly less likely to give CPR to women than men in public settings. The numbers are telling—68% of men received CPR compared to just 61% of women. Even more alarmingly, this disparity isn’t just limited to untrained individuals. Paramedics were also shown to be more likely to administer CPR to male patients.

The reasons are complex but include fear of accusations of inappropriate touching, anxiety about causing injury, and a lack of awareness that women experience cardiac arrests at all. The root of much of this discomfort? A lack of realism and inclusiveness in first aid training environments.

Women are less likely to receive bystander CPR or survive a cardiac arrest than men. (British Heart Foundation)

Why Inclusivity in Training Matters

When most CPR mannequins are male-presenting and media portrayals of cardiac arrest victims are overwhelmingly male, it's no wonder people hesitate when faced with a real-world emergency involving a woman. If trainees never see or practice CPR on a female-presenting body, we’re leaving a significant gap in both their preparedness and their mindset.

That’s why inclusive training practices—especially realistic, scenario-based role-play— are not just helpful but essential. When training environments reflect the real world, trainees are more likely to carry out what they've learned without hesitation, regardless of the patient’s gender, age, or background.

The Role of Scenario-Based Role Play

Scenario role play is one of the most powerful tools in a trainer's toolkit. By mimicking real-life emergencies in a safe, supportive setting, we give learners the chance to:

• Practice skills on a variety of body types using diverse mannequins, including those with breasts.

• Build confidence in performing lifesaving interventions on anyone, regardless of gender.

• Confront and challenge personal biases or discomfort in a structured, facilitated manner.

• Internalise the fact that cardiac arrest doesn’t discriminate—and neither should their response.

Brisbane-based CPR trainer Gayle Guthrie has taken this concept a step further by adapting mannequins to resemble female bodies more realistically. Her approach not only improves hands-on familiarity but sparks vital conversations during training sessions—ones that help break down barriers and encourage trainees to share concerns, ask questions, and reshape assumptions.

Treat the Heart as Gender-Neutral

It’s time to normalise inclusive CPR practice. We must move beyond viewing mannequins as “standard” when they’re actually perpetuating a narrow view of the people we’re likely to encounter in an emergency. If inclusiveness becomes the standard in training, it will become the instinct in real life.

As Melissa Del Popolo, a cardiac arrest survivor, powerfully put it: “My life is worth more than flashing my boobs to the world.” Saving a life should always come before social discomfort, and it’s up to trainers and organisations to make that message loud, clear, and actionable.

Final Thoughts

Inclusive training is not just about fairness—it’s about effectiveness. By incorporating diverse scenarios and mannequins, embracing open dialogue, and using role play to prepare trainees for real-life responses, we give people the skills and confidence to act without hesitation.

When every life matters, every training should reflect that.

Need help creating inclusive, realistic training for your team? At Haffenden Training Solutions, we offer scenario-rich, hands-on first aid courses that prepare people to respond confidently—no matter who needs their help. Let’s build lifesavers, not bystanders.