hi-Just a quick q regarding first aid. I stumbled across some information on the SGU website explaining that if we had prior qualifications, we could "fast track." I tried emailing my counselor, but she didn't seem to know. Does anyone know what kind of levels we would need in order to do this if this is in fact possible? thanks!

as long as you know adult and peds CPR with AED you can do the fast track. and the cert has to be still valid/non expired

If we aren't CPR certified, how does the process work once we're on the island? I think I read on another thread that it takes up a weekend - is that still the case?

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SGU '12, Specialization in the Care and Feeding of Trolls.

a whole weekend?? geez I'd think it'd be a day, or a few hours at the most... what's the "fast track" all about? do you just go straight to a test and if you pass you're all set? if you're an EMT is there a super fast track option?

I have my CPR cert, where did you read all this fast track stuff?

Its not a whole weekend. During the first week of school in the evening after classes, there is a video and a guy talks for about 1.5 hours. Then on the weekend, there is a 4 hour training on the actual procedure with a dummy and an AED. It may or may not take the whole time. During this time, you will be tested on the procedural aspect of it. You also get a book to take home and "study." The following week, there is a written exam that you will pass as long as you paid any attention. Then they send you a card in the mail.

If you are already certified, they fast track you - which means you can be trained to teach everyone else how to do it - and they pay you for that.

You can also do that after the regular training too but it does make it easier if you are certified before you come. Also, that first weekend you are a little freaked about studying, so having that block of time taken up by the class puts a damper on things.

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Kongakut is right, I was one of the instructors in Grenada and everything is accurate in that statement. If you already have your BLS card, you don't have to do the course, you only need to provide a copy of it to the office. If you are an EMT, you should already have a BLS card, so just bring it down with you. You will need to have taken the BLS course fairly recently b/c you need to be current for your 2 years in Grenada, upon which they will recertify you in terms 5/6 so you will be covered in your 3/4 years of clinical rotations. The only reason I would say to wait until getting to Grenada to take the course is that it is already covered under your tuition. You get NO money back if you spend it taking BLS back home. If you're in the health-care field already, usually your place of employment will cover those costs, but some of the courses can be pricy depending on where you are from. I made a nice chunk of change teaching CPR, ACLS and PALS at my home school... i.e. most of the CPR course run anywhere between $100-200

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Were you able to make any money as CPR instructor in Grenada? would it be worth getting CPR certified before coming (mine is going to expire during the first week of class actually) in order to make a little bit of money later?

I got certified for my job at a hospital in Atlanta. I walked to the clinical skills office in the caribbean house building and they made a copy of my card and sent me on my way. My friends all spent a few hours the first saturday we were on the island taking the CPR certification.

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nah, it's not worth it, you would just barely make up the cost of the course back home by teaching CPR in Grenada (depending on how many courses you taught). The money is just a little extra, go out to a fun dinner with friends kind of thing, not a "pay the rent" extra job I made a lot of money at home, NOT in Grenada, it was more for the fun of helping out and teaching my colleagues. Here's an optimal plan: term 1, take BLS course in Grenada; term 2, take instructor course in GND and teach classes during terms 2, 4 and 5/6; look good on application later... And, since you were already certified before, depending on your experience, they may let you just do a quick "refresher" course and take the instructor portion in term 1. We were having a hard time getting instructors for the past couple of terms so it may work out for you if you show some initiative and eagerness. Go to the Office of Clinical Skills when you get there and they will direct you to the people running the course since I can't post their names here, or, shoot me off a PM and I'll let you know who to contact. Cheers!

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