Central Iowa hosts Basic Life Support “Train the Trainer” session for Midwest

Learning and practicing Basic Life Saving (BLS) skills is a vital part of any hospital, especially for the front-line staff that interacts with patients each day.

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Central Iowa recently conducted a session to train those who will train the frontline staff from VA facilities around the Midwest in BLS. 

After the course, each instructor is certified to teach BLS to other staff and employees within the VA system. They will serve as instructors and subject matter experts and assist in training the front-line staff through mock codes and various learning environments.

BLS includes CPR, use of automated external defibrillator, and other life-saving skills that can be deployed in emergencies to save lives.

“This training is all about getting your front-line staff the skills and capabilities to teach their peers and act as experts in case the need arises,” said Ashley Williams, clinical nurse educator at VA Central Iowa, who organized and led the training session.

Seven future instructors from four Midwestern states-- Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas -- took part in the training.

“Training our staff and the staffs of other VA medical centers is vital whenever these skills are needed,” said Lisa Curnes, director of VA Central Iowa. “Veterans at all our facilities around the Midwest and the country deserve the best-trained and best-educated staff we can provide.”

The seven students are now qualified to hold training sessions back at their home medical centers for their staffs. Williams forecasts that the three newly certified trainers who are from Iowa, combined with the three trainers who are already certified in Central Iowa, will be able to train hundreds of staff members on the life-saving skills.

The six-hour course is about 60 percent classroom instruction and 40 percent hands-on training. Both portions are needed to become an expert in these skills and, in turn, train other employees and staff members

In addition to mastering the skills of BLS, the future trainers must also understand how CPR equipment works to avoid problems if they are teaching a class and something goes wrong. Trainers also need to know how to troubleshoot any issues.

They are also taught to anticipate what students’ common questions might be, and also how to engage students and get them to ask questions about the concepts being taught.

“I have more than 50 ICU nurses, 40 progressive care unit nurses, and about 20 critical care nurses that I will be working with,” said Leslie Williamson, a registered nurse from Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. “I have gotten very clear and informative instruction here for the more than 100 nurses I will be teaching, alongside other members of our team.”

This program has proven to be successful nation-wide in providing training to hospital staff.

Dan Kuester, Public Affairs Officer

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