Updated ASHI Emergency Medical Response Training Program

Crash Injury Management. Kind of to the point, eh?

This was the name of a training program created for police officers back when EMS got started. The U.S. Department of Transportation had developed curriculums for EMTs and paramedics, but cops wanted something north of standard first aid and south of becoming an EMS provider. So Crash Injury Management (CIM) was created as about a 40-hour course, to meet that gap.

Today, you would know CIM as Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) via a long period of being known as First Responder. Still filling the gap between basic first aid training and EMT, it is now about 48-50 hours in length and has become desirable training for a much larger audience than law enforcement. Many more groups find EMR training to be the best fit for their circumstances.

Perhaps the biggest move to EMR training has been in the workplace, where centralized emergency response teams can provide a more efficient and effective solution for managing medical emergencies than the traditional method of decentralized employee training in first aid.

The downside to the journey from CIM to EMR is that the training became a more formal part of EMS, including the increased regulation of classes, instructors, and certification. It became more complicated to get EMR training, even if you didn’t want to be an EMS provider.

Enter the ASHI Emergency Medical Response training program, a comparable program to EMR, but without the complication of EMS regulation.

The ASHI Emergency Medical Response training program provides a detailed and comprehensive approach for managing out-of-hospital medical emergencies prior to the arrival of EMS.

It provides more details, depth, and exposure to standard first aid training topics to provide richer and more advanced training in first aid. It meets workplace first aid training requirements and satisfies the desire to learn more than just basic first aid without the burdens associated with EMS provider training and certification.

Although the program is not intended to train licensed EMS providers, individuals likely to benefit from ASHI Emergency Medical Response training include the following:

• Law enforcement officers

• Correctional officers

• Security personnel

• Event and crowd control staff

• Lifeguards

• Park rangers

• Workplace Emergency Response Team (ERT) members

• Disaster team members

• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members

• Athletic trainers

• Outdoor guides

The original purpose of First Responder training— filling the knowledge and skill gap between basic first aid training and EMS for non-EMS providers — is the intent of the ASHI Emergency Medical Response program.

ASHI's program is based on the same nationally developed information for training Emergency Medical Responders in EMS. The program uses the same instructional and student materials to provide an effective EMR alternative for non-EMS providers.

From a workplace compliance standpoint, certification in ASHI Emergency Medical Response meets and exceeds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) medical and first aid training requirements for the workplace.

If you are a CPR and first aid instructor, you should consider using the ASHI Emergency Medical Response program to offer your customers or company an alternative approach to meeting first aid training requirements, especially in the workplace.

It may not be for everyone, but as organizations and employers consider alternatives to meet first aid training regulations, ASHI Emergency Medical Response could provide a unique and beneficial alternative in terms of cost savings and operational effectiveness.  

As a currently authorized ASHI instructor, there is a good chance you already are qualified to teach the program. It uses the same instructional design features found in other ASHI training programs. If you are trained at least to the level of EMR or above, you are eligible to use it. As an EMS provider, nurse, physician, or other qualified medically trained person, you are probably good to go. Call us at 800-447-3177 to find out if you are.

The ASHI Emergency Medical Response training program provides you the flexibility to meet the needs of almost any group. Features of the program include:

An ASHI digital resource kit that contains all the things necessary to conduct classes and evaluation processes for certification

Complimentary access to the same digital instructional materials from Pearson Education, Inc. used in EMR training

Discounted pricing on the required student textbook, Emergency Medical Responder: First on the Scene, 11th Edition, Christopher J. LeBaudour, J. David Bergeron, Gloria Bizjak, Pearson Education, Inc. © 2019

• An overall time frame of 47-50 hours, not including supplemental content

• Identified core topics to meet workplace first aid training requirements

• Numerous supplemental topics to uniquely fit the needs of the organization being taught

• The ability to provide a unique training class that is highly comparable to state-regulated EMS EMR courses.

• Multiple renewal options for certification that helps to minimize ongoing time and cost for training

Overall, the ASHI Emergency Medical Response training program allows you to provide a non-EMS alternative to those seeking EMR-level training, without getting tied into the complexity of state-connected EMR regulations. Chances are you are already qualified to use the program.

Find out more about the updated ASHI Emergency Medical Response training program in our Emergency Medical Response Information Guide.  

Contact a customer support representative today at 800-447-3177 or go to https://emergencycare.hsi.com for more information on how to get started.  

Grow Your Corporate Customer Base with Blended Learning

The blended learning delivery option for ASHI and MEDIC First Aid classes is a big selling point for many of our Training Centers, especially for their corporate customers concerned about having employees away from their workstations for a whole day of training.

With blended, we combine online content and in-person skills sessions to make scheduling and administering a corporate training program easy:

1. Students are assigned a course
2. Students take the cognitive portion online when it’s convenient for them
3. Employer is notified when each student completes the online portion
4. The hands-on skills session(s) for the entire class is scheduled
5. Certification cards can be handed out in class or emailed to students and employer upon successful completion

There are a number of significant benefits of blended learning for employers:

• Flexible, convenient scheduling
• Saving money and improving productivity by reducing class time and keeping workers on the job
• Certification cards available in print or digital formats
• User-friendly LMS tracks, notifies, and maintains records

Blended learning should not be confused with “online only” courses. These types of courses do not include any hands-on skill assessment by a qualified instructor, and their completion cards will not help fulfill OSHA and other certification requirements.

The next time you work with a customer who has a lot of employees to train and who has concerns about inconvenient scheduling, suggest a blended learning solution. To help you make the case, we’re put together a customizable marketing flyer all about the benefits of blended, with form fields to customize with your TC contact information and logo. 

You can download the flyer here, or find it any time in the Documents area of your Otis portal.

For more on how to access and use our customizable flyers, see our April, 2018 newsletter.

Tips for Instructors, by Instructors

Learning from your peers is a big part of the ASHI and MEDIC First Aid community experience. We recently spoke with a former EMT and long-time emergency care instructor to learn how he brings that real-world experience into his classroom.

Ross Bartoe relies on his EMT background to inform the way he teaches emergency care at Ross’s Public Safety in Clear Lake, CA. A MEDIC First Aid instructor since 2000, his primary audience is day care providers across several counties in rural Northern California, using the MEDIC First Aid PedsPlus program.

“Unlike the materials from other providers, PedsPlus effectively addresses two kinds of learners: the ones who learn better from reading and those who rely more on pictures. One paragraph, one photo, rather than three long-winded pages to explain one simple skill,” Ross says.

He also trains police departments, offering them classes at cost as part of his commitment to serving his community.

So, what does this emergency care veteran want our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid instructors to consider emphasizing at their next class?

First Aid Response Begins with the Approach

“I explain to my students that, in an emergency, people get tunnel vision. They see the victim, but not the surroundings, and that can mean danger for both of you. For example, by not careful paying attention, I accidently gassed myself with chlorine once when responding to someone. Always check for safety, and, if your gut tells you something is seriously wrong in a situation, go with it and call the professionals. Sometimes our gut ‘sees’ things that our brains don’t, and one victim for EMS to deal with is much better than two if you yourself become injured!” Ross explains.

Remind your students about our natural protective instincts. “We see someone hurt and we run towards them to help, but you may not know why that person is there or how they got injured. They might be ready to fight you, so don’t leave yourself vulnerable. Approach their head from a 45-degree angle to keep your body out of harm’s way, and gently shake their shoulder as you ask if they are OK. If they say don’t treat me, then back off. And be careful what you say around an unresponsive person; it’s possible they can still hear you. Never speculate that they’re going to die and never promise that you’re going to ‘save them.’ You don’t want to scare them or give false hope to them or any loved ones who may be nearby. Just let everyone know you’re there to help, and then get busy helping.”

If the injured person is aware of what’s happening, remind your students to take the opportunity to establish a connection. Make eye contact, tell the person you can help, and ask permission to do so. Once you get the go-ahead, give them a quick pat on the shoulder and announce you’re going to help them now. “You’ve now reassured them and taken some of the fear away. With your touch, you’ve comforted them, establishing rapport by erasing the barrier of physical contact between strangers. Now you can proceed to help,” he explains.

Stay Frosty, Stay Focused

Emotions run high in emergency scenes, but rescuers need to focus like a laser on the task at hand. “Our minds can be like scrambled paint in a barrel, with a million colors all mixed up,” Ross says. “But you’re trained, you know the skills. Access that skill, focus, and just do it! You might not even remember everything you did in the moment until long afterwards, and you may be surprised by your own emotions later. A foster-parent student of mine did rescue breathing for an infant who had stopped breathing. The baby resumed breathing on his own again at the ER. The student was stunned that, after the incident, she couldn’t stop crying. I said that was great! It showed that she stayed completely focused when she needed to be.”

It’s All in the Skills, So Use Them

“A student passing a written test tells me nothing,” Ross explained. “Emergency care training is all about self-confidence and that’s what we need to build. The psychomotor skills are everything, so take the time in class to make sure everyone feels confident in their hands-on skills before moving on to the next topic.”

However, Ross does have a favorite test question he always asks each class, and he insists on an immediate response: Can you kill a dead person, yes or no? “The answer is simply ‘no,’ and that’s so important for students to understand in a CPR situation. Don’t second-guess yourself. You are providing the injured person a possible chance to survive until EMS arrives. If you don’t do anything, that chance is gone. You don’t know how many minutes someone may have left in their timeline. A healthy young person might last a few minutes; an elderly or ill person may have fewer, so don’t waste any of that precious time. Respond quickly. And don’t torture yourself afterwards if the person doesn’t survive, because you can’t kill a dead person.”

The Power of Letting Go

Through his own experience in the emergency response world, Ross understands the pain of post-traumatic stress disorder. “I have my own issues to deal with, and I want every responder, lay or professional, to know they can learn how to live with it. Accept that you have these feelings; once you do, your eyes will open to all the help available to you. Then accept that help. Put your emotions aside during the emergency, but don’t keep them there forever. Eventually, you have to deal with them and help is available for you if you are willing to accept it. And it works.”

Breaking the Tension with Humor

Don’t think it’s all doom and gloom in Ross’s classrooms. This retired EMT has a career’s worth of in-the-field stories, including some that never fail to make students laugh. “We got an alarm box call one day from a military base in San Diego. There was a man there with a very rapid heartbeat, so we hooked him up on an EKG. There was a lot of commotion and a police officer on the scene yelled, “He’s having a heart attack!” This spooked the patient so badly that he got up and started running, with the EKG leads still stuck to his chest. The policeman, some firefighters, and I ran after him. After a chase, a firefighter built like a linebacker was finally able to tackle him and we eventually got him to a hospital. So, I tell my students to be prepared, because ANYTHING can happen in an emergency!” 

Do you have training tips you would like to share with your peers? Fill out one of our Training Center Profile surveys! We've recently added a section where you can describe the props, scenarios, and exercises you use to help students build the confidence to respond. You'll find the survey links at the end of our Customer Spotlight article.

Training Center Profiles

Meet Your Peers

Discover what your peers are thinking about the emergency care industry, the challenges their TCs face, and the solutions they’ve found in their goal to make their workplaces and communities safer.

TC Name: Alaska Coastal Safety, Girdwood, AK. www.alaskacoastalsafety.com

Director: Brian McGorry

How long have you been in business?

2 years, with 1.5 years as an ASHI, external for-profit TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Our biggest challenge currently is marketing. With multiple course providers in adjacent towns, it has been interesting to establish a niche market to differentiate our program from the others available. We have chosen to focus on the outdoor recreation community while still meeting the needs of industry employers, healthcare providers, and community members.

What do you do to market your training business?

We currently use our website, Facebook, and local community boards and publications to reach our audience. We also focus heavily on developing partner organizations to host courses and market to their own audiences.

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Get a website and social media presence up earlier. Take a hard look at your insurance cost to make sure you have a viable business that can cover its expenses and turn a profit.

What are your plans for your Training Center for the next 5-10 years?

Continue to focus on partnerships and contracts with organizations that will return each year for training.

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

The ASHI Wilderness First Aid program

What strategies have proved to be a waste of time and money?

Blended learning, challenge courses, and reviews

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

Instructor newsletters from ASHI, AHA, ARC, Wilderness Medical Society, National Ski Patrol, and local EMS support organizations

Can you share a favorite Good Samaritan story about your students?

Living in northern climate, I am constantly surprised by how many students have anecdotal lessons to share related to hypothermia. These real stories help to drive home [how often] cold injuries and hypothermia are experienced, prevented, and treated, even at the basic first aid level.

Image by Brian McGorry

TC Name: Academia de Bombeiro Arco de Fogo, Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil www.arcodefogo.com.br

Director: Edson Cavalcanti

How long have you been in business?

12 years, with 3 years as an external ASHI TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Teaching with excellence and quality, and making the knowledge reach the largest number of people possible.

How do you market your business?

[A number of different ways] for clients and the public in general

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Always study, and update frequently

What are your plans for your Training Center for the next 5-10 years?

Implement other ASHI certification courses

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

Civil Professional Firefighter Training Course

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

Through online sites and [other] studies

Can you share a favorite Good Samaritan story about your students?

Last March, we had a sudden cardiac arrest [incident] in front of our Training Center. Students immediately [used] the AED until the arrival of advanced support. [The rescue was a success.]

TC Name: B.M.E.C Training Center, Lecanto, FL

Director: Bill Whateley

How long have you been in business?

34 Years, with 18 Years as an external, for-profit ASHI TC

What is the biggest challenge for you and your business?

Colleges, hospitals, and the companies that affiliate with them only accepting AHA courses

How do you market your business?

Social media, word of mouth, and public [presentations] as I teach an average of 15 to 35 classes per month every year

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

The best advice I gave myself was to move over to ASHI.

What are your plans for your Training Center for the next 5-10 years?

Keep pushing forward, and trying to win the places the only accept AHA certifications

Of your business or training investments that cost less than $500, what has given you the best return?

Keeping my course cost low [while working to add more clients]

What strategies have proved to be a waste of time and money?

Paid web sites, paper advertisements

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

State regulations; agency for healthcare administration; [EMS, Nursing, and Childcare Administration Boards]; HSI updates; AMA; ADA

Can you share a favorite Good Samaritan story about your students?

I have so many that I could write a book, but here are two: [A week after attending my class, a woman] and her husband were riding their motorcycle and were hit by another vehicle. She was thrown from the motorcycle, and when she finally got her orientation back, she [saw her] husband was still attached to the bike. She was injured but she went to him and noticed that [his leg] was bleeding badly. She rapidly applied pressure and used whatever she could find to stop the bleeding. [As she did, she saw] that his leg was broken as well. She used clothing, [nearby items, and tree branches] to secure his leg the best that she could.

When they finally received medical help and were taken to the hospital, the doctors told her that she not only saved his leg, she saved his life. When she told me this by email, she said that the only thing [she could hear] at that time was my voice teaching her what to do. I have seen her and her husband [twice] since then and they are doing well, and she thanked me for the training.

I also had four daycare workers attend to a child in their center that had a seizure and stopped breathing. They had him on his side [as he recovered from the seizure when he] stopped breathing. They placed the child on his back and started rescue breathing skills and got the child breathing [on his own] before ems arrived.

TC Name: Tracy Winsor Training Center, Winter Garden, FL.

Director: Tracy Winsor

How long have you been an ASHI/MEDIC First Aid Training Center?

5-10 years as a MEDIC First Aid, internal TC

Based on what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were starting out?

Make sure you are familiar with the resources available to you.

Does your organization offer refresher training? If so, what strategies have worked to encourage employees to participate?

]The] ability to do the refresher partially online at their pace.

Where do you go to stay current with the latest industry information and knowledge?

MEDIC First Aid dashboard and newsletters

What is the biggest training challenge at your company?

Coordinating training across multiple locations

What is the most difficult part of managing an internal Training Center?

Employee scheduling

We want to hear from you!

Share your wisdom with your TC peers by completing one of our 15-minute profile surveys.

If your TC provides training for individuals or organizations for a fee, click the "External TC" button. For those TCs that offer training for employees/members at no charge, choose "Internal TC."

How to Reach Us

Phone: 1-800-447-3177

Email: emergencycare@hsi.com

Website contact page: https://emergencycare.hsi.com/contact-us

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Note to those on social media: If you’re already following HSI, be sure to add the ASHI and MEDIC First Aid pages as well! Remember to tag your posts with #ASHICPR and #MFACPR.