Special Pricing on Prestan AED UltraTrainer

HSI and Prestan are pleased to offer our HSI-affiliated Training Centers a great deal on the Prestan AED UltraTrainer™ (Product Code: 9086-ULTRA).

The UltraTrainer has features not found on any other universal AED trainer and is the most accurate representation of how current AEDs in the marketplace perform. This compact and lightweight unit will give students a realistic training experience with training pads that sense when they are placed on a manikin. In addition, the pads are pre-connected and voice prompts are clear and calm. 

Instructors can customize their training classes with options to turn on or off the compression metronome and/or the “give breaths” voice prompt. 

The UltraTrainer is the first and only universal AED trainer with:

• Dual graphic (Adult/Child) training pads
• Pad sensing system
• Pre-connected pads
• Child training button and child AED-specific voice prompts
• Automatic or semi-automatic shock simulation
• CPR coaching, “Give Breaths” voice prompt
• Turn on or off compression metronome and “Give Breaths” prompts
• Low-battery warning
• 3-Year warranty

This 2015 guidelines-compliant and upgradable device includes two languages, Play/Pause button, and 5 training scenarios.

Limited time offer: From now until March 31, 2020, get an UltraTrainer for only $84.95* (regular price: $99). Use promo code ULTRA0320 when ordering online through your Otis portal or by calling 800-447-3177. Plus, when you order the UltraTrainer, you’ll get free U.S. ground shipping on that entire order!

For more on the Prestan UltraTrainer, click here to download the manufacturer’s product sheet. For suggestions on what to consider when purchasing your next AED trainer, see our newsletter article, “AED Trainers – How Do I Choose?” here.

*Offer valid March 2-31, 2020. Not valid for previous orders. Must use promo code ULTRA0320. Valid for online or call-in orders. Special pricing does not include taxes. Order must include product 9086-ULTRA to qualify for free ground shipping. Free ground shipping offer available only in the continental U.S.

New PACE Process for EMS Safety & New Stats for ASHI, MEDIC First Aid

By Ralph Shenefelt, Senior Vice President, Regulatory & Quality Assurance

As we explained in the Regulatory News article in our January issue, HSI gained national approval by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) when it acquired EMS Safety Services (EMSS). HSI’s national AGD Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE) approval covers EMS Safety, ASHI, and MEDIC First Aid programs.

To ensure compliance with PACE standards, HSI has updated the previous EMSS process of issuing continuing dental education hours (CDEs). One of the main benefits of the new process is that an EMS Safety authorized instructor may directly award CDEs to students at the end of each class using the new HSI AGD PACE Verification of Participation Document. Except for dental professionals who are also AGD members, instructors no longer need to fill out, sign, and upload documents to EMS Safety or pay and wait for the student’s Course Verification Form to provide CDE hours. Instead, issuing PACE-approved CDE is now directly in the hands of the instructor teaching the class. 

However, HSI’s new streamlined process does come with some additional technical and ethical responsibilities that are built into the PACE standards. To learn more about these changes and how to advertise, issue, and document AGD PACE approved CDE, log in to the Otis-supported Training Center Manager and Instructor Portal and download the 2020 AGD PACE Document Package (left navigation menu>Documents>TCAM>2020 AGD PACE Document Package). Please read the entire AGD PACE Document Package carefully. Then, if you have questions concerning compliance with the new PACE procedures for issuing CDE, please contact us at 800-447-3177. We’re here to help!

ASHI & MEDIC First Aid 2019 At-A-Glance

2019 was another year of growth and success for our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid TCs. Here’s just a peek at some major milestones:

• Since 1978, ASHI and MEDIC First Aid authorized instructors have certified nearly 35 million emergency care providers in the U.S. and more than 100 countries throughout the world
• Top ASHI certifications: CPR, AED, and First Aid combination training
• Top MEDIC First Aid certifications: BasicPlus
• Current # of program approvals: More than 6,200

Great job, everyone! Thanks for everything you do to make our workplaces and communities safer.

To download our updated Regulatory and Compliance infographic, click here.

Skills Demonstrations

By Corey Abraham, Director of Instructor Development

Part of your role as an HSI instructor is to provide quality demonstrations of skills where appropriate.

Your Instructor Guide provides this information to you in the “Instructor Activities” section, shown below.

Skill demonstration is an important presentation skill. These demonstrations are much more than a simple real-life example of a skill. An effective demonstration should promote understanding not only of the correct sequence of steps, but also the actual physical movement of the skill being shown.

Effective skill demonstration behaviors include:

• Using the same physical orientation (standing, sitting, or kneeling) as done in real life
• Demonstrating in a location that gives all students a clear viewpoint
• Demonstrating the skill in real-time

It is essential for you to have high-quality skill ability for the skills you are demonstrating and to provide accurate examples of the skills being performed. Remember, students may mimic poor-quality skill demonstration.

One suggestion to stay on top of your skills is to video and review your demonstrations. Identify any aspects of your presentation that you can improve upon. Practice changes to your approach and then record yourself again to measure your improvement.

Another suggestion, and maybe the most important, is to teach, A LOT! The more you are performing these skills, the better you will be, and the easier it will be to improve your skills. Feedback from a live audience is an invaluable tool as you perfect your trade!

It is our responsibility as instructors to develop and maintain high-quality demonstration skills. Taking the time to practice and refine our skills on a regular basis means a better training experience for our students, and that can mean more confidence to respond in an actual emergency.

Learn, Understand, Go! – The Influence of Readiness on Surviving SCA

By Bill Rowe, Director of Content Development

Recently, I was given a letter from a Michigan 5th grader who was looking for knowledgeable people to help him better understand the history of first aid. He was doing a big school project on it because he was fascinated by the topic.

First, what a wonderful thing to see someone at his age interested in such an important subject!

Secondly, where should I start? It was a great challenge to try and distill the important milestones that got us where we are today. How about Friedrich von Esmarch, the Prussian Army Surgeon-General who is credited with the development of the triangular bandage and also the development of first training for the general public in Europe? What about the remarkable story of chest compressions at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore? How about Dr. James Elam’s effort to finally debunk the manual methods of artificial resuscitation in favor of mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths? So many things to choose from! (For more, see our blog post on the history of first aid kits here.)

In developing my response, it became apparent to me that we are experiencing another potential milestone right now… in this moment. It will impact all of us and I wanted to share some thoughts with you.

You don’t have to go far to find information about our ongoing difficulties in dealing with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The 2020 Heart Disease and Statistical Update from the American Heart Association (AHA) recently came out and it shows our collective improvement on survival from sudden cardiac arrest since 1975 remains pretty small (U.S. survival to hospital discharge after EMS-treated adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was 10.4% in 2018).

However, keep in mind that there are some pretty remarkable survival rates in a local sense, such as in cities, airports, and casinos.

So, how can local survival be so high in some areas while the national average remains low?

One word. Readiness.

Except, readiness does not exist without Comprehension. And comprehension does not exist without Learning, something most of you know a lot about.

It may surprise you, but out-of-hospital CPR providers are currently divided into four distinct categories:

• Untrained Bystanders – Those who may or may not have knowledge of what CPR is, but have no training in doing it
• Trained Bystanders – Those who have had some exposure or training in compression-only CPR and use of an AED
• Trained Providers – Generally those trained for regulatory compliance that receive traditional certification in CPR and AED
• Healthcare Providers – Those who have more extensive Basic Life Support (BLS) training and are generally part of a formal emergency response plan

As an emergency care instructor, you are probably quite knowledgeable about traditional CPR, AED, and BLS training but are you aware of the fundamental revolutions going on in the bystander and healthcare areas? Improvement in the readiness of a bystander can double or even triple the survival of a witnessed cardiac arrest. Improvement in the readiness of responding EMS healthcare provider teams also have a huge impact on survival.

Your understanding of these transformations will become more and more important going forward as the needs for different levels of learning grows.

Bystander Training

The key concepts of bystander readiness are simplicity and confidence, training as many people as possible in very short training sessions. The fundamental skills to learn are compression-only CPR and the use of an AED, things can be easily understood without the need for extensive hands-on skill practice:

• Doing compression-only CPR – Put your hands, one on top of the other, on the center of the chest. Push hard and fast repetitively. Don’t stop until an AED is attached and analyzing
• Using an AED – Turn on the power and follow the voice and visual prompting to bare the chest, adhere pads, allow for analysis, and deliver shock

Besides simplicity, bystander confidence is a critical part of developing bystander readiness. Primarily driven by a limited understanding and the fear of making things worse, it is easier for a bystander to do nothing, even when trained. Keep in mind that, as educators, we can go a long way in building confidence by clarifying how simple, safe, and effective bystander care can be.

The confidence of a bystander, or even a trained provider, to help is the most influential factor on a cardiac arrest victim’s chance to survive and absolutely needs to be addressed in training.

Do you address bystander readiness in the areas where you teach? There are some things you can consider to help:

• Mass training events in which many people are trained at a single time
• On-demand training for individuals at a community health fair
• Posters, flyers, short videos covering the basics of bystander emergency care

Healthcare Provider Training

The revolution in healthcare provider CPR readiness includes the attention to developing high-quality rescue breathing and chest compression skills, and an efficient team approach to managing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Described as high-performance CPR, the attention to detail in managing care has shown to have a significant impact on the long-term survival for victims of cardiac arrest.

The concept of spaced learning is also taking shape. Spaced learning provides training in shorter, more frequent, sessions, instead of the traditional two-year certification periods. More frequent exposure has shown to aid in retention, comprehension, and readiness.

How does this affect you? Mostly, it opens the door to crafting a more comprehensive approach to BLS training. Things that may be of a help include:

• Short, weekly, monthly, or quarterly individual skill practices with a CPR feedback device
• Sudden cardiac arrest team scenario drills
• Team debriefing of drill and real-life performances

We can help. Our ASHI and EMS Safety BLS training programs incorporate high-performance CPR concepts in training. Our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid High-Performance CPR training programs take a deeper dive into developing high-quality CPR teams.

Looking Forward

Nowadays, it seems as if we are in a transition and perhaps there may not have been much impact yet on how you provide CPR and BLS training. However, staying on top of the progress of how things are developing would be beneficial to do. The lines are becoming blurrier between CPR provider levels and you probably will have to take a more consultative role in determining the best CPR training approach for the groups you teach. For example, would some of the trained provider groups, which you now train in a traditional approach, benefit from the concepts of high-performance CPR and spaced learning?

Overall, improving survival from SCA outside of a hospital continues to be a work in progress. The most recent additions in our training approach to bystander and healthcare provider readiness have the potential to significantly advance survival both locally, and hopefully, nationally.

Thanks again for doing what you do.

Training Center Profiles

There’s nothing more valuable than the been-there, done-that advice we can learn from our industry colleagues. In our Customer Spotlight feature, we share the ideas, lessons learned, and best practices of our Training Centers. Read on to discover how they make their TC a success.

TC Name: Event Medical Services of New York. Fort Edward, NY www.emsofnewyork.com

Personnel responding to survey: Travis Dunklee, Chief of EMS. Ryan McConky, Director of Training

How long have you been in business?

14 years, with one year as an external, for-profit ASHI TC

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

For Ryan, the lesson is patience: “It’s going to be a slow, gradual build up,” he says. “Should have done this sooner, [I’ve] enjoyed the ride,” says Travis.

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

Various websites

What is the biggest training challenge at your company?

New clients, working within a limited budget, and travel time

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

Travis reminds us of the great value of face-to-face customer contact, and Ryan cites instructor candidate training as yielding good ROI for EMS of New York.

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

Mailings

What do you do to market your training business?

Word of mouth, Facebook, ASHI, local classifieds, HubSpot

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

As a full-time brick-and-mortar business

What is the most difficult part of managing your Training Center?

Instructor scheduling and working within a limited budget

Do you have any specific training tips, such as props, scenarios, or exercises, that you would like to share?

Ketchup on the gloves is awesome for glove-removal drills.

TC Name: Medical Care Training, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. www.medicaltraining.org

Director: Erwin Romero

How long have you been in business?

14 years, with 4 months as an external ASHI and MEDIC First Aid TC

What is the biggest challenge for your business?

Expenses

What do you do to market your training business?

Social media and website

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

Trust your potential and your way of [imparting] knowledge

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

Expanding [to have] several locations, and continuing to grow in student numbers

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

Prestan manikins

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

Offering free classes

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

ASHI Newsletter and the [latest] protocols of [relevant] agencies

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

One of our training participants was able to apply his knowledge to render aid to someone who had fainted.

Do you have any specific training tips, such as props, scenarios, or exercises, that you would like to share?

I like to do simulated exercises very close to the real thing so that my students [come to an understanding of what to do] in an almost-real scenario.

TC name: Belleview Valley Nursing Home, Belleview, MO.

Director: Peggy DeClue

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

More than 10 years as an internal ASHI TC

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

Step outside your comfort zone

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

Yes. [We have] mandatory training, but offer [it to employees] on their own time.

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

Conferences and conventions

What is the biggest training challenge at your company?

Scheduling and attendance

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

Working within a limited budget, and getting employees to attend training

Do you have any specific training tips, such as props, scenarios, or exercises, that you would like to share?

[Our] best scenario is a tabletop exercise of a major earthquake taking place on a Saturday morning at shift change in the middle of winter with snow and ice.