Week 3 Complete. Looking forward...

Nice work all.  You're all looking strong.  As we've discussed, priorities now are to continue to build both competence & speed in patient assessment and now to assimilate baseline treatment skills.  We'll spend the next couple weeks doing so.  In the meantime, continue to practice your assessment skills, weaving in bandaging and splinting you'll soon learn.  And, of course, CMS...

Bandaging & Splinting Guides

Starting this week, we will begin a series of classes on bandaging & splinting.  For those looking for some reference material on the topics, these two guides - Bandaging Guide & Splinting Guide - are quite useful.  Link to the GoogleDrive folder here.

Another CPR Opportunity

Joanne Barnes pointed out another opportunity to get your CPR Cert.  Thanks Joanne!

From Joanne:

The Mountain View/Los Altos Adult School is offering two BLS (Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers) classes.  

062609 9/1 Tue 4:30PM-8:30PM 4 hrs. AdultSch/202 $50.

062610 9/11 Fri 9:00AM-1:00PM 4 hrs. AdultSch/200 $50.

To register, go to www.mvlaae.net and click the Online Registration link. They accept VISA or MasterCard.

Both classes will be held at the Adult School, 333 Moffett Blvd., Mountain View, CA 650-940-1333, between Central and Middlefield  The numbers after AdultSch are for the classrooms, both on the second floor.

CPR Class

As we discussed in class, your patrols will want you to have a CPR certification.  For our class, we want to see you have this certification by the midterm.

As we further discussed, each patrol has their own requirements - typically either the American Heart protocol or the Red Cross protocol.  You should check with your patrol to see which they want, and then sign up for that course.  As a guideline, here is what we have found common:

American Heart:  "BLS for Prehospital Providers" Example: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/HealthcareProviders/BasicLifeSupportBLS/BLS-for-Prehospital-Providers_UCM_459708_Article.jsp

For Red Cross:  "BLS for Healthcare Providers"  Example:  http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/course-class000000005214243?ref=ux

But once again, your patrol will have the final say in which you should take.  Check with them. And then get signed up!

Assessment Flow Verbalization

As we discussed in class, many candidates find it a useful learning aide to sit down & write out the assessment flow as they would perform it. 

If this suits your learning style, I'd recommend it.  A candidate from a couple years ago, Piotr, created a nice version.  Link here.

I'd recommend you take a cut at your own first, but you can use this as a reference.  And, of course, make the time to practice this critical skill.

Class Presentations & Materials

Several of you have asked about getting a copy of the class materials.  We'll post the class powerpoint and related class materials here.

Good Week #1

Nice work, candidates, on completing week #1.

As we discussed, top priority now is to become comfortable with the patient assessment "flow".  Don't worry too much about speed at this point; we'll work on that soon.  For now focus on committing the baseline assessment procedure to memory and being able to execute it at a moment's notice.  As a wise man once said: "know the flow like you know your name".




The best approach for most is to get as much practice as possible - walking through it verbally by repeating it to yourself often, and getting practical experience with your friends, family, pets, etc.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday and hearing how it went.