CPRMom

Add the subtitle:  and how creating schedules in my house is like herding cats. My instructional business is part-time.  I don't teach full time.  I could try to, but I'm just not sure there is actually enough people out there wanting to take classes to have enough registered participants in each class.  I also like being part-time as I can teach around my family's schedule. And this is where I should put "Cat Herding" on my resume.  Except, we don't own a cat. I usually schedule my classes 3-4 months ahead of time.   Not this time.  Here it is June, and I'm finally posting the summer class schedule.  We were supposed to take a trip, which didn't end up happening.  Then we were signing the kids up for summer camps, looking at creating smaller vacations while college touring all while not knowing which colleges since my oldest has been so busy with school, softball and work that I only see her for short pockets of time - if at al...

I read a great article this morning in one of the CPR First Aid Instructor forums I belong to; Unmasking the Certification Mill Problem published in Occupational Health and Safety . This is a topic I'm pretty passionate about. Online-only CPR and First Aid certification websites are scams. They promise "nationally accepted" certification that you take in your home and you can print your card on your own printer. Unfortunately most employers and licensing boards will not accept these cards. Why? Because there is no hands-on component to the course. I did a quick search on my blog and discovered over the past 4 years I've written on this topic a few times. Starting with Online CPR First Aid courses in 2009, I've written Be wary of some online BLS courses , False CPR certification , Video or computer based training versus learning it the old fashioned way , and I received this comment... . On my Coastal CPR & First Aid Blog I've posted What is o...

Last month I had a phone call I was initially really excited about. It was from an organization that provides training and continuing education resources for childcare providers.  A child care center I had taught CPR & First Aid at referred me to them.  Can I say that I absolutely without a doubt LOVE referrals?  I do, I truly do.  It means I did a good job training their staff and they're not embarrassed to admit I taught them.  Anyway the caller from this organization was thinking of trying someone new to provide classes for them. Sadly I know they will never call me back. I didn't scare them away.  At least I don't think I did.  I told them how long a CPR or First Aid class is and what is covered.  A full class is 6 hours long, but can be broken up into 2 3-hour classes.  A renewal class can be about 4-5 hours long and can also be broken up into 2 classes.  I can do really focused skills-based renewals through the American S...

Last week in two of my classes we had a big discussion on hand washing vs. using hand sanitizer. There was a story on Good Morning America about this which I went searching for this weekend. Both classes the participants insisted hand sanitizer was the best way to go, but some parents are concerned about accidental (or otherwise) ingestion of hand sanitizer by their kids. So what method is the best way to prevent the spread of germs? The study recommended good hand washing. Good hand washing techniques wash germs away. It doesn't kill germs, just washes them down the drain. It really doesn't matter if you use regular soap or antibacterial soap. The study done at the University of Maryland demonstrated that use of antibacterial soap did not do a significantly better job than just hand soap. What made the difference with hand washing was the technique used. Wash for at least 20 seconds or more. Statistically they found that most people just do a quick rinse. It is the...

Cost of CPR Barrier Sheet: $9.50 Cost of Pocket Mask: $12.25 Cost of CPR course: $40.00 Cost of First Aid Kit: $10.00 Cost of First Aid Course: $40 Knowledge that you can make a difference for someone in an emergency: Priceless In our current economy a lot of us are watching our budgets and trying to get the best value for our money. Taking courses is no exception to that. Prices for CPR and First Aid courses vary depending upon location, who is offering the course, etc. Sometimes I hear that courses are too expensive or I'm asked if discounts are available. So what exactly does the course charge cover and what is the value of knowing CPR and First Aid? First let's take a look at what goes into the cost of a course. I can only speak from my experiences as an American Heart Association Instructor, but the AHA does not set the prices for the courses, it is up to individual instructors to set their own prices. For my business I set up a formula. It is based on a minimum cl...