Skill Test for Volunteer Squad

[medic42912]

In any event - volunteer or otherwise, that service should still have at a minimum quarterly training for Audit & Review. We have 2 paid personnel, 8 hours a day, then back to volunteer in the off hours. We have 2 meetings monthly: business and training. If your training officer is proficient in their job, they should be putting out any new training as well as refreshing everyone's memories each month with some type of skills training. As the training officer at my organization, we have both Basic and Basic Advanced. It is very hard sometimes to accommodate both, but it is the training officers responsibility to at least offer it and if the personnel choose not to attend, then they should be sidelined until they can prove themselves, if not, then they should be let go. I realize it is hard to keep volunteers these days, but can hinder your organizations ability to remain licensed if they screw up by not staying fresh and up to date and being sued. It can close your doors in a heartbeat, especially for volunteer services who don't bill and rely on donations. I personally test each new member out after they have done observation time with elder members regardless of how long they have been an EMT. Once they do their observation time, they then test out with me and when I am satisfied, they go on a trial period on their own. All personnel should go through this. Get on your training officer and mak them stay up to date on their skills as well as tracking everyone elses. That is what they're there for.

[jskost]

At an EMT-B level, you have to "refresh" at least every two years. In my squad (volly) and where I work (hospital), it is pretty much a given that at least a day of that refresher is going to be working on our skills, going through scenarios, using the equipment. Not to mention the monthly training sessions which alternate between lecture and skills practice. Even our first responders have to go through it. I can't imagine going on a call and not knowing if I'm going to be able to depend on my partner. There is no reason for not knowing the basic skills, such as O2 except for laziness.

[csr]

I cannot agree with csr's statement.

You may not agree but when the OP is called in to a meeting where the subject is the membership voting to expell him or appoint someone else to his position for trying to change a good ole boys social club to a professional organization you will see that these things happen.

[snoop2468a]

Regular training sessions?

[zippyRN]

from the point of view of a rightpondian volunteer sector provider - annual revlidation exams arean integrated part of our training system

NHS techs while not revalidated as subject to fiedl based assessment and have ongoing CPD ,Paamedics depending on employer also have similar arrangements as well as the requirements of the HPC to meet.

As an RN i have to be able to demonstrate relevant skillsknowledge and experience in the areas i have practice in... so the annual revalidation from the voluntary sector plus relevent CPD activties count ( and the CPD can include assessments especially when we are talking alphabet soup courses)

[jskost]

Regular training sessions?

Our squad does 1 hour of training a month, held right before our monthly squad meetings.

[chief darkcloud]

every one fr volly to full time should be tested on a regular basis. anyone that touches a pt should have some original qualifications and should be annually tested in their knowledge and physical fitness

[snoopy911]

my volunteer squad has a test that everyone has to take before they can ride as crew chief on calls, ie a checklist where you have to know where every item is and you have to ride on at least 10 calls as a third with an ems luit. on the truck, to make sure you know your stuff. we also have drills at least once a month, sometimes we go over simple stuff like lifting properly, we also do stuff like splinting, packaging etc, especially for people that dont run a lot of calls, so everybody knows they didnt forget. we also go over a lot of stuff with people that just drive, (we have a lot of people that only are CPR certified that drive), so that they know how to do stuff to assist the EMTs like turning on oxygen and packaging patients.