Splinting & Bandaging Guides

Several of you have asked about this material.  Good descriptions, step-by-step guides, and pictures.  These guides are posted in the Class Materials section.  Direct link here.

Week 4 Reminders

As we discussed in class last week, we are 25% done with the course.  Everyone is looking good, but as we also discussed, now's the time to press forward to be fully competent and confident in the baseline assessment flow.  I know you're all working hard on this.  Keep up the good work.

Looking forward:

- This week and next we move forward to cover splinting.  As a reminder BRING YOUR CRAVATS.  For those that haven't made them yet, instructions are here.  Yes, they are big.

- Next week we'll cover boot removal.  Please bring yours in next Tuesday (9/17).  A few of you have said that your gear is in Tahoe or elsewhere, which is fine.  But if you have them locally, bring them.

- Finally, looking forward to the midterm on Oct 5, start recruiting your "victim" that you'll use to demonstrate each of the bandages & splints.  This will be about a 2 hour commitment on their part (likely 9AM - 11AM), and as we said, an excellent social media photo opportunity.  After this first skills demo session, they are welcome to stay, or more likely will want to take off, as we move forward into scenarios (likely 11AM to 1 or 2PM).

- And, of course, remember to block Sunday, October 6 for Backboard Sunday.  Agenda in the works.  Look to start at 8AM and go through the afternoon.  Yep, all day.

Another CPR Training Opportunity

For those that didn't make it to the Red Cross CPR training a week ago, Jimmy Rios has attanged for another course.  His note below:

Class - I have arraigned for a CPR for the professional rescuer at Lifesafety Associates. This will be a American Heart Association class. The class will be held by a fifteen year paramedic. We are targeting the weekend of September 21st. If you're interested please let me know ASAP so we can lock in the head count. 

Thanks, Jimmy Rios jrios555@yahoo.com

Good Week #2

Great job all.  As we discussed, you're all looking quite good for this point in the course.  Having said that, now's the time to press ahead aggressively to get the assessment committed to memory and be able to complete it in 3 minutes.  As you know, the key is practice, practice, practice.

In the meantime, a few items that have come up:

1. Writing out the assessment flow is often a good study tool.  As we discussed in class, use whatever tool works for you.  I've place the example write-up on the Google Drive "Materials" folder.  You can go there directly here.

2.  Some of you have asked about the audio recording of the flow.  As we discussed, it's from 2008 and the flow has changed since then, but nonetheless, this may be helpful.  I've also placed it on the Google Drive "Materials" folder .  You can go there directly here.

3. We passed out hard copies of  the final exam evaluation sheets in class.  It's also available in electronic form on the Google Drive "Materials" folder, here.

Now, back to practice, practice, practice...

Students - Good Week #1

Nice job all!  As we discussed, assessment is the foundation of the class and critical to know and be able to perform well.  So:

- Practice, practice, practice.  In your car, on your run, with your family, etc.  Get in as much as you can.

- Slides from this week's sessions are here.   Download/use as you see fit.

Next week, we'll focus on practicing assessments in a variety of configurations.  As we discussed, they will escalate in complexity as we progress through class.  Get your practice in now so you're well prepared.

Once again, nice job all!

Instructor & Assistant Instructors Sign-up

To help organize and create visibility for our Instructors, Assistant Instructors, and support help, I've created a calendar & sign mechanism on VolunteerSpot.com.  The system enables each of us to see what help is needed, when, as well as who's signed up to do what.

I've copied their instructions and a direct link to our calendar below.  Have a look & sign up for what you can do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Volunteer Spot Instructions:

We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online signup and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming activity.

Please sign up for OEC SouthBay 2013 - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:  

   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/pFaGJP
   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 
   3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
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Class Starts This Week

As you all know, class starts this week.  A few key things to note:

- Class is on Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week.  Moving forward, classes will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

- Class starts at 7PM to goes until 10PM.

- Once again, be sure to read and fully digest the "Guide to Assessment" document prior to the first class.

See you all in class!