You are treating a patient who has cut herself while working in the lodge kitchen. She has a jagged laceration on her left forearm that is bleeding steadily and heavily. While attempting to control the bleeding, you should first:

a. tightly wrap roller gauze around a large sterile dressing placed over the injury.
b. apply direct pressure to the elbow pressure point to slow the flow of blood into the arm.
c. place a sterile dressing over the site and hold steady pressure on the dressing with your hand.
d. wrap the injury tightly with roller gauze and apply a tourniquet proximal to the laceration.

Answer: c