or decades, aquatics directors have been debating how to overcome the “lifeguard shortage” and cost containment for staff training, while wrestling with the best way to also reduce risks. Recruitment of quality personnel has been critical, and securing pool and classroom time for training is sometimes difficult.
Now there’s an alternative to that oft-hectic springtime ritual: online lifeguard training.
Would-be lifeguards can turn to a new Internet program to complete all the knowledge components of the course, as well as view the skills for which they will be responsible. Facilities can save the expense and hassle (and disappointments) related to training lifeguards: All the coursework is done online, except for the requisite pool time, before certification is issued.
As with traditional lifeguard training courses, candidates must be at least 15 years old to participate in the program, “Lifeguarding Online,” located at www.SafetyCampus.com. That is just one of the interactive learning programs in the area of emergency care; others include First Aid, CPR, AED and Bloodborne Pathogens.
The benefits to both facilities and lifeguard candidates far outweigh any shortcomings. Benefits for facilities include cost savings, content standardization, performance documentation, freeing up instructors to focus on in-pool lifeguarding and expanding recruitment options. Benefits for prospective lifeguards include being able to study at their leisure, the ability to review portions of the program repeatedly (as opposed to hearing a classroom instructor describe it only once) and mastery learning.
The one shortcoming, depending on how you look at it, is that users take a secured final written exam online. If you are not one who believes in the honor system, you could worry about “cheating” on the exam. Of course, this can be remedied simply by requiring the user to also take the written exam (in hard-copy form) in front of an instructor. Otherwise, the user takes the test and, upon completion, the graded exam can be e-mailed directly to his or her designated facility.
The cost for an individual to complete the lifeguarding course is $89, and with group and special discounts available, it can be as low as $64. Additional costs to complete the lifeguard skills also may be assessed, based on the facility. Facilities that pay an hourly salary to lifeguard instructors now can save about eight hours of lecture time and facility rental charges. Instructors can focus more on the skills, scenarios, development and evaluation of lifeguard candidates — and minimize the need for lectures, leaving them to the online course.
Quality assurance
Before starting, students are advised of the water prerequisites for lifeguard training. They are also prompted to locate and contact a Jeff Ellis & Associates client facility site nearby to complete the required water-related skills with an instructor. This is done through access to the Ellis-secured client database. Lifeguarding Online was developed with Ellis & Associates, the lifeguard training and water safety consulting firm.
Once they begin the program, lifeguard candidates must “master” the content by completing all four sections of the course, achieving 100 percent competency on the section interactivities before they can proceed to the next section. Once all sections are complete, the user can enter the “Simulations” section. After successfully completing all 11 of the simulations, they are able to enter the secured test site to complete the final written exam.
Just like those taking the traditional course, online users have two chances to pass the exam (minimum score of 80 out of 100). When this is done, they are prompted to send their test scores to the Ellis lifeguard instructor or client facility, and to complete the required water-related lifeguard skills. This is where the final quality assurance check resides — with the instructor. Only after the user is able to complete all of the required skills is a certification card/license issued to the new lifeguard.
Another quality feature of the program is its ability to track the amount of time that users spend online and their progress (although depending on the connection speed, online times may vary significantly). Students can begin and stop at any point, and the system maintains a record of the activity, always enabling them to know where they left off.
Getting started
Prospective lifeguards either pay their fee when they decide on a course online, or will have purchased/ received their access codes in advance to signing on. This is the case with universities and aquatics facilities purchasing access codes in advance and then providing them to the users. Once a user has a code, it is entered online and the user is prompted to create his or her personal password for all future use.
The user is required to complete the four parts of the course:
• Professional Rescuer CPR: Includes one- and two-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adults, children and infants; airway obstruction procedures; resuscitation adjuncts, including AEDs, resuscitation masks, bag-valve-masks (BVMs), supplemental oxygen, and airway adjuncts. It takes approximately two hours to complete this part.
• First Aid: Includes injuries and acute illnesses for which lifeguards commonly provide care. It takes approximately two hours to complete this part.
• Lifeguarding Elements: Includes surveillance, assists and rescues, professionalism and accountability. It takes approximately two hours to complete this part.
• Simulations: 11 interactive, decision-making simulations that involve identifying a victim in trouble, water entry, approach, initiating the appropriate rescue, in-water care, extrication and out-of-water care. It takes approximately one hour to complete this part.
Conventional wisdom (or not)
National pilot studies currently are under way, comparing outcome measures of lifeguards trained in a traditional manner with those trained online. These pilot studies will form the basis for more detailed research studies to be undertaken in the future by individuals at colleges and universities.
Initial results reveal an extremely positive response among course-takers and course administrators regarding ease of use and ability to convey necessary information. Additional information is being collected relative to the users’ perceived confidence level upon completion of the online program, and following course completion. This is also being compared with traditional course-takers.
The results of the pilot studies are slated to be available later this summer.
