First Aid News

Important Update: Digital Certificate Platform Moving Forward in November

The First Aid Digital Certificate Platform will be released in November! All participant workbooks and e-participant workbooks will be sold with digital course certificates after Nov. 13, 2023. That means no more paper certificates! 

We’re incredibly excited about the convenience and efficiency this upgrade will bring. Follow this link to get ready for this change with our detailed user guide, FAQs, and step-by-step videos to help instructors as well as training center and chapter administrators use the new tool. 

Staff Spotlight: Meet Pam Twilegar, First Aid Program Manager

The October NSC First Aid Staff Spotlight shines on one of our first aid program managers, Pam Twilegar. 

Pam came to the Council a year ago all the way from Idaho. She grew up in and around the capital city of Boise and spends her free time at a cabin in the mountain town of Cascade. 

Pam has a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Idaho and a bachelor’s in elementary education from Boise State University, of blue turf fame. She has worked in a variety of roles, from fourth grade teacher to corporate trainer at Hewlett Packard to continuous improvement coach for Idaho’s largest health care system. She and her husband, Frank, have a combined family of four sons, a 9-year-old granddaughter and a 3-year-old grandson. They just adopted a 1-year-old Bernedoodle named Gus to keep their 15-year-old, diabetic, one-eared cat, Quasimodo, company. 

Pam’s favorite NSC value is Be NSC, collaborating across NSC with trust and respect to achieve NSC results. In the coming year she will lead efforts to connect with NSC instructors, chapters and training centers to better understand how the NSC First Aid team can best support each group in their work. 

First Aid Instructor Supplier Spotlight: ZOLL

Our October Supplier Spotlight shines on one of our AED manufacturers, ZOLL, and their Trainer AEDs which can give participants the hands-on training they need to properly use an AED in an emergency.  

The early initiation of CPR can more than double the rates of survival, but when combined with the use of an AED within 3 to 5 minutes, survival rates can be as high as 75%. That’s why reliable, user-friendly Trainer AEDs are such essential classroom resources. They can help participants become more comfortable with the AEDs that are most common in the workplace and in communities, giving them additional confidence to act quickly in an emergency.

Unlike other defibrillators, both the live and trainer versions of the ZOLL AED Plus guide participants to the optimal CPR rate and depth through real-time feedback that tells them to “push harder” or “push faster.” This is especially helpful when using CPR manikins that do not provide biofeedback in class. 

This Trainer AED is also available in Spanish, making this skill available to all Spanish-speaking participants. Please note that due to how much these Trainer AEDs resemble their live counterparts, Trainer AEDs and replacement pads are only available to instructors. Learn more about ZOLL’s offerings below:

● ZOLL AED Plus Trainer – English Language – 733140025
● ZOLL AED Plus Trainer – Spanish Language – 733140050
● ZOLL AED Trainer Replacement CPR D PADZ – 733170025

Share Your Save Story

Your passion for saving lives and dedication to teaching helps you make a difference to each participant that you train. Your experience putting your skills to use can do the same and can even encourage others to take the crucial step of signing up for a first aid class. 

If you have a story about you or one of your participants using first aid skills outside the classroom, we’d love to hear from you! Your save story could be featured by NSC in the future. Storytelling is a great way to help others see the value in being prepared for an emergency and be inspired to gain lifesaving skills. 

To share your story email [email protected]. Simply tell us what happened and how you used your first aid skills to save a life. If you have pictures or other media to share, we’d love to see them as well!

Make the Transition to Updated Courses

Have you made the transition yet to the latest NSC First Aid courses? If not, now is the time! NSC now offers brand-new, 8th Edition materials for two of our courses: 

● Basic Life Support for Health Care & Professional Rescuers

● Advanced First Aid and Basic Life Support for Health Care and Professional Rescuers – Just released!

These new materials incorporate the most current version of the ILCOR guidelines. Using them in your courses ensures you are teaching the latest best practices to your participants. 

NOTE: Completing a transition course does not automatically renew your instructor credentials – that is a separate transaction which occurs every two years.