Describe a training course you have taken. Has i

Describe a training course you have taken. Has it helped you? How so? Provide recommendations for improving the course

Training is a key aspect of business success.   It is the opportunity to expand employee knowledge and to work on employee weaknesses.   A structured training and development program ensures that employees have a consistent experience and background knowledge of the job.

I have worked at an ambulance company for 6 years.  When I started, I was working as an alarm dispatcher.  This company not only provided ambulance service, but they had an alarm monitoring division.  They provided monitoring services for medical buttons, fire alarms, and burglary alarms.  As a dispatcher, I would respond to the emergency alarms.  Medical alarms were especially challenging because most of the people who owned the medical buttons were elderly and most times hard of hearing.  Since we responded to medical alarms, it was required that we took emergency medical dispatch training (EMD) once a year.  Not only did we have to take this training, but we also had to take CPR training.  One would think that because you never see the person that is on the other line, you would not need to know how to perform CPR, however, knowing how to perform CPR, equipped the dispatchers with the knowledge to explain to others how to perform CPR.  The CPR training stands out in my mind.

The CPR training that I took was conducted by some of the ambulance company’s paramedics.  They were very informative.  Not only did they explain the proper procedure to perform CPR, they showed us, and let us try as well.  Chest compressions must be done hard and fast.  The paramedics played the song, “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees during training.  At first glance, it just seemed like a pun because of course if you are doing CPR you want that person to “stay alive”.  The actual reason for the song was not simply a pun.  The beat of the song it the exact rhythm that one must follow when performing chest compressions, fast and hard.

I am no longer at that ambulance company but any time I think of CPR, I think of “Staying Alive”.  The article “These Are The Reasons Why Learners Forget Your Training”, states that the biggest challenge for employers is getting their employees to remember their training” (Corporate Training, 2019).  The CPR training was unforgettable and effective.  This training prepared me for phone calls where a person was unresponsive, and the caller had to perform CPR.  I was able to explain the steps of CPR confidently and accurately, due to this training.  I have never had to perform CPR on a person, but if I ever do, I’ll be prepared.

The only thing that I would change is having a video of a life being saved by CPR, if at all possible.  Television shows it all the time, however it is not real.  We were able to perform CPR on the CPR dummies, however, a more realistic exhibit of CPR would have helped.  This was a very effective training.

References

Admin.  (2018).  These Are The Reasons Why Learners Forget Your Training.  Retrieved            from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/these-are-the-reasons-why-learners-forget-     your-training

American Red Cross Training Services.  (2019).  CPR Steps.  Retrieved from                                            https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/performing-cpr/cpr-steps