Coming Soon: Free Shipping Promo from HSI!

Now that everyone is back from summer vacation, it’s time to get back to business. Let us help you stock your Training Center shelves with an upcoming free ground shipping offer:

From September 15-21, 2019, you’ll get free domestic ground shipping when you use promo code GRSHIP19 at checkout for any order for $250.00 or more. Order online or call 1-800-447-3177.

Get your shopping cart loaded up and place your orders for student completion packs and other HSI-produced materials beginning Sunday, September 15, 2019!

Terms & Conditions:
Offer valid September 15-21, 2019. Receive free ground shipping for any order of $250.00 or more. Must use promo code GRSHIP19 when ordering. Offer valid for domestic U.S. ground shipping only. Does not apply to international orders or expedited shipping options. Available for online or call-in orders at 800-447-3177. Not available for previous purchases or third-party merchandise. Cannot be combined with other offers.

The Evolving World of ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Client Services

An appreciation from Nancy Liebig, VP of Client Services, Technical Support

A lot of things have changed over the last 10 years, and the support the Client Services team offers is no exception. 10 years ago, the Client Services team primarily placed orders, researched shipments, and handled returns. Heading into 2020, the team has become much more technical in the support we offer. Most of our interactions involve researching technical issues or helping educate clients on how to navigate the TCM and instructor portals to manage their training. We do miss the simpler times when technology was less pervasive, but, like you, we have had to evolve and expand our support offering to meet the changing world we live in.

The team we have supporting our instructors and Training Centers has had to grow and expand their skill set to incorporate expertise in the online tools, processes, and information available to you so they can advise you how to best incorporate these into your daily operations.

But our goal of leveraging technology has never been to minimize human interaction. In fact, that is the one thing that has remained constant over the last 10 years - we do truly enjoy our customer interactions!  We now focus on educating clients on how they can more easily and efficiently manage their instructors and training. There is a LOT that’s offered, and we want to help you take full advantage of all the tools available to you. While we still are happy to take orders, research shipments, and/or handle a return, the calls related to those tasks have declined while the calls about learning a portal tool or helping find an easier way to manage training have increased.

I am proud of the exceptionally knowledgeable team we have and the way they have embraced learning and understanding our technology-based offerings so they can, in turn, help you. I’d like to dedicate this article to giving them the limelight and acknowledgement that they deserve. They’ve truly become experts who then educate others. Just like our instructors' passion for training others to protect and save lives, we have a passion to help educate others on how to run their training programs the most effective and efficient way possible. While we’re still growing and still learning every day, we relish the chance to help you learn, grow, and understand new options that can help make managing your training a bit easier.

Please do call us and let us help you understand all that HSI has to offer in the portals, with our products, and with our processes. We absolutely live to educate and help expand knowledge. I imagine this is exactly aligned with how you view your role in emergency care training – you love to educate, too! 

We look forward to hearing from you.

What Is "Adequate" in Workplace Emergency Care Training?

Paragraph 1910.151(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) general industry standard on medical services and first aid states:

“In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available.”

As CPR and first aid instructors, we are familiar (we hope) with this regulation, as it drives much of the general industry training we do on a daily basis. Today, let’s focus on one simple word with a complicated meaning in this context: ADEQUATELY.

OSHA does not specifically define what “adequately trained” means. Webster’s Dictionary defines adequate as:

“Sufficient for a specific need or requirement”

That definition aligns with the long-standing OSHA guidance that a comprehensive workplace first-aid program should be designed to reflect the known and anticipated risks of the specific work environment, and that first-aid providers should receive training and periodic refresher courses on first-aid skills and knowledge suitable to their specific workplace.

ASHI and MEDIC First Aid certification requirements include core training content, which is based on a consensus of scientific evidence and best practices that reflect the minimum knowledge and skills necessary to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The programs also include supplemental training content that may be added by the instructor as desired or required. This supplemental content is clearly identified in our program Instructor Guides and positioned where it can be seamlessly added to the core content within the appropriate lesson.

Supplemental content allows instructors to customize ASHI and MEDIC First Aid programs to help employers address the unique conditions or potential hazards of the work environment and ensure their employees are adequately trained to provide first aid. For example, if the mechanical components of machinery in the workplace present a potential amputation hazard or if an amputation has been previously documented, the supplemental topic “Amputation” in the section on Sudden Injury should be incorporated into the training program. Note that, if an employee is expected to provide first aid as part of his or her job duties, he or she is also covered by the requirements of the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). That standard includes specific training requirements that are supplemental to the CPR, AED, and First Aid certification requirements of ASHI and MEDIC First Aid. Keep in mind that adding supplemental content will lengthen your class time, so adjust your schedule as needed. 

As you set up your next class, work with the employer to ensure you are covering topics that meet the potential threats in their workplace. As they identify those hazards, take advantage of the supplemental content provided by ASHI and MEDIC First Aid programs to deliver the best and most effective class you can!

The Marketing Power of Real Words from Real People, Like You

Marketers have lots of ways to get their message across; yet a well-executed tagline and eye-catching photos don’t guarantee the power to persuade like a first-hand, “been there, done that myself” testimonial.

In other words, don’t let your TC miss out on your own most effective advertising: the voices of you and your ASHI and MEDIC First Aid peers!

From life-and-death rescue scenarios to exciting stories about making do with limited resources when responding to a medical crisis, emergency care is actually a pretty compelling topic. And no one can bring the passion about why emergency care training is so important like an instructor.

That’s why we added a video stories page to the marketing resources on our website, and wow, have our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid instructors stepped up! We’ve loved the videos you’ve shared for our project launch question: What inspired you to become an emergency care instructor? You have made the case about the importance of CPR, AED, and first aid training, and we hope all our TCs are sharing these video clips with potential customers to get the word out that emergency care training saves lives.

If you haven’t uploaded a video yourself yet, give it a try! If the current question doesn’t inspire you to respond just yet, keep your eyes open for an announcement of a new page with a new question coming your way soon.

More of a reader than a video watcher? We’ve got something new for you to share as well. On our website, you’ll find a new case study of an interview we did with a satisfied, community college-based TC director who relies on ASHI and MEDIC First Aid to provide her students with training that’s easy to learn and remember, and streamlined administration for her customers to process their employee certifications.

It’s the first entry on our Resources page here. Check it out and then share the link with your customers to show them the flexible, effective training they’ll get when they choose you and ASHI and MEDIC First Aid for their training and compliance needs.

Good Samaritans Making a Difference 

Is there anything more satisfying than learning that one of your students used their skills to help someone in need? Here’s just a sample of some Good Samaritan stories we’ve heard recently from our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid instructors.

Cynthia Stubbins of Premium CPR in Cypress, TX let us know about her ASHI students Karen Saldivar and Kaolis Castillo. This dynamic duo knew just what to do when a student at their preschool suddenly collapsed from a febrile seizure this past February. They kept their cool throughout the event, remaining with the child until the arrival of EMS and the parents. Recognizing an emergency, taking appropriate action, and following it through to the end kept their precious charge safe and sound until more advanced help arrived.

Sgt. Tami Hemminger, PA DOC Training Academy in Elizabethtown, PA is proud of her student, Corrections Officer Matthew Losiewicz, who came to the aid of a man lying in a parking lot at the River House Grill on July 17, 2019. Officer Losiewicz, then still an officer trainee, saw that the man was unable to get up and quickly rendered aid, using the basic first aid techniques he had recently learned at the Training Academy.

After tending to the man and remaining with him for several minutes, the gentleman was able to stand with the assistance of Officer Losiewicz, who then helped him to his vehicle.

“All contact staff receive BFA/CPR training during Basic Training...Since contact staff are often the first responders to an emergency inside corrections facilities, they have to be skilled and proficient to handle a wide variety of situations,” says St. Hemminger.

Dr. J. Hudson Garrett Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Associates, LLC in Atlanta, GA, prepared his student Marvin Chavajay of the City of Chamblee Police Department Auxiliary with the training he needed to respond to someone in need.

Auxiliary Officer Chavajay was leaving church on August 15, 2019 when he saw a group of people trying to help a teenager in distress. The girl was lying in a chair and having great difficulty breathing. After retrieving his first aid kit from his car and donning his gloves to render aid, he saw the girl suddenly become unresponsive. Her breathing stopped, her skin was cold, and she did not respond when he spoke to her.

Auxiliary Officer Chavajay directed a bystander to activate EMS and began to perform CPR. During his second round of rescue breaths, the young lady became responsive again. He put her in the recovery position to protect her airway, and asked her questions such as her name, her parents' names, and whether she knew where she was. He kept her engaged this way until the DeKalb County paramedics arrived.

Dr. Garrett would also like to acknowledge Lt. Guy Antinozzi, who is the sworn officer responsible for leading the Chamblee Police Department Auxiliary, as well as Civilian Leader Jason Apple, for their leadership in ensuring all their team members receive the emergency care training they need.

If you have a student you would like to honor, we can help! Fill out our Good Samaritan form and we’ll send you a certificate you can present to your student.

From all of us at HSI, thank you and great job to these wonderful students and instructors! You’re making a lifesaving difference in your workplaces and communities and we couldn’t be prouder.