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Archive for the ‘Red Cross Training’ Category

in Moscow on business when your boss tells you he wants you in Kiev by Monday. Quick, what do you do? In the U.S., you’d log on to some travel search engine and find the best flight. The train wouldn’t even register as an option. But here in the Former Soviet Union (F.S.U.), the train is usually the first (and often the only) consideration for long-distance travel. Let’s take a closer look at both options.

Most major cities in Russia and Ukraine have airports, and most major airlines serve them. In-country air travel is modern and – as expected – relatively inexpensive. Thankfully, even on purely Russian airlines such as Aeroflot, announcements are made in both Russian and English. Equally convenient, all important airport signs are also written in English. The main difference between Western air travel and Russian is the peripheral infrastructure. Don’t expect Starbucks. Instead, be thankful if there’s a café at all. Bring your own toilet paper (a rule that actually applies to any mode of travel throughout the F.S.U.), and brace yourself for barbaric bathroom conditions.

Step through the gate and civilization returns. Nowadays, passengers on Russian airlines are better fed than their American counterparts who are lucky if they get a packet of pretzels tossed their way. The various Slavic airlines which serve the F.S.U. are reminiscent of the variety of Western budget airlines like Southwest: Professional, reliable, and no-frills. They have comparable safety records, as well. Though you’ll probably do most of your long-distance travel in the F.S.U. with the airlines, you shouldn’t rule out train travel.

Buying a train ticket is easy enough, even if you speak no Russian. At the ticket counter, say the name of your destination as you hand the lady a slip of paper with the travel date written on it. Just make sure you use the European system: Day then month. It’s easy, and tickets are cheap. You can cross nearly the entire expanse of Ukraine – the largest country in mainland Europe – for a whopping ten dollars.

But it won’t be in style. A ten dollar ticket buys you passage via a barracks-style wagon called ‘plaskart’. I don’t know what the word means, but can only assume it’s Russian for “suffering.” Winter or summer, it’s always too hot and too crowded. Although the communal spirit of traveling ‘plaskart’ style can be appealing – imagine sharing beer and dried fish with complete strangers – the communal noise and odors quickly take their toll. Traveling in the great cattle wagon of the Russian train system is best experienced vicariously.

That was the ten dollar ticket. For $15 or so, you can go first class. Called ‘kupe’ (pronounced ‘koo-PEH’), this is a private, four-person sleeping car. Your own bed, your own luggage compartment. There’s even a lady who comes to bring you tea. Some trains have an even more exclusive option: Written C.B., it’s pronounced ‘Ess-Veh’ and stands for ‘Super Wagon.’ A spot in one of these two-person rooms will cost about $35. But no matter how comfortable your personal compartment is, there’s no hiding from the noise of the train itself. My girlfriend finds the constant clattering relaxing, but as I try to sleep, it sounds like it’s Hammer & Anvil Day at the metal works next door. My advice: Bring ear-plugs.

Still, traveling by train across the great Motherland is an amazing experience. Make your way to the restaurant car, sit at a table by the window, and enjoy a surprisingly tasty dinner as you watch the countryside roll by. Neither words nor photos can express the marvel of passing the unending fields of sunflowers in the south of Ukraine. Is there that much yellow in all the world?

Depending on the time of year you travel, you’ll ask similar questions of other colors. Imagine, for days on end, passing nothing but snow covered fields in Siberia. You’ll think someone painted all the windows white. Or take a ride through the forests east of the Carpathians at the height of autumn. Trees are ablaze with red and orange. In summer, you might see only green fields and blue skies. Traveling by train across the F.S.U. is a visceral experience, not to be simply dismissed for the ease and comfort of air travel.

So let time be the deciding factor. If you’re in a hurry, head to the airport. But if your schedule permits, considering crossing the land of Eastern Europe by train. You might lose a day or two, but you’ll gain a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We at the American Health Care Academy take pride in offering to you professional online CPR certification classes. All of our instructors are certified, provide exceptional services, and are always accessible to every client. Likewise, our online CPR classes offer an alternative training venue for those who have a hectic schedule. High quality instruction is provided using the strictest of guidelines, the highest standards, and are up-to-date with the latest regulations including the ECC 2005 standards.

The classes offered by the American Health Care Academy are acknowledged and accepted by nursing homes, hospitals, schools, government organizations, and countless other institutions or organizations that require First Aid and CPR/AED certifications.

Our certified instructors are professionals in the field. They have extensive knowledge of the methods and techniques of CPR/AED and First Aid, both through rigorous training as well as real life situations. They come from all walks of life and work in a host of health or public service careers. They are also trained through the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. Curriculums are based on the guidelines of these two organizations. Collectively, the abundance of wisdom and practical applications provided by these instructors cannot be found anywhere else on the internet!

The most amazing fact about our instruction process lies in the ability to study at your own pace. Depending upon the chosen course, full instruction may last from one to three hours. Students can choose to complete training all at once, or they may log in and out as often as they wish for up to sixty days. All instructional materials are made available to the students during this time period. The instructors are also available during this time to offer any clarifications or to answer any questions.

The American Health Care Academy can be found at their website: www.cpraedcourse.com

Child Chokes on Carrot and Dies – Does your Au Pair know CPR?

Tragedy struck a Long Island day school Wednesday, March 16, 2009, when police say a two-year-old girl died after choking on a piece of raw carrot.

According to the Carousel Day School in Hicksville, New York,  the girl began to choke after eating a piece of carrot.  Daycare employees tried to perform CPR on her, before rushing the toddler to Nassau University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 4:25 p.m.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics one child in the U.S. dies from choking on food every 5 days!

Is your au pair certified in CPR?  Did your agency train your au pair to adequately handle such an emergency if your child started to choke on food?  If your au pair does not have the CPR Certification or the necessary skills required to dislodge food from a child’s throat, it may mean the difference of life or death for your child.

We took a look at the 12 au pair agencies and we found health and safety information on all their sites that confirm all au pairs do receive some training in first aid and CPR. The U.S. Department of State requires that some form of basic training must be provided during the 4-5 day au pair orientation. 

We found that only one of the agencies provides the full CPR Core training that results in a CPR Certification!

Let’s take a look at what the agencies claim they provide (not all agencies are listed here as most of them only had one or two sentences regarding the “training” given to the au pairs before they are released to your home):

Au Pair In America

In terms of CPR training, Au Pair in America states their “Orientation includes seminars by American Red Cross (trained) instructors who provide hands-on demonstrations in infant/child CPR and safety.”  How much training is not stated and the au pairs do not receive a CPR Certification.

However, APIA will pay for an Infant/Child CPR and First Aid Certification for standard au pairs and Child/Adult CPR Certification for Educare au pairs.  The way it works is, your au pair finds a Red Cross training in your town, pays for it (or you do), completes and passes the course, receiving her Certification and APIA will reimburse you.  CPR training costs about $200 and it is well worth the money.

APIA is the only au pair agency that will reimburse your au pair for this training.

Au Pair Care

Au Pair Care has an Au Pair Academy where the au pairs receive “Hands-on American Heart Association CPR & First Aid training.”  They do not provide the CPR Core training that results in a CPR Certificate for the standard or educare au pairs.  They do provide CPR Certification for the au pairs enrolled in the Infant Specialized Program.

Au Pair Care’s Infant Specialized Program Training:

Au Pair Care is the only au pair agency that provides the CPR Core Certification Training,  but only in their Infant Program.

The training “utilizes a hands-on approach to train au pairs in infant safety and caregiving and infant stimulation and development.” AuPairCare Infant Specialized au pairs attend a certification course in infant CPR and First Aid by the American Heart Association. 

A spokesperson at Au Pair Care told us they could not guarantee all au pairs will pass the course (approximately 8+ hours training and a formal test), but she did said they have had “great success” with this program and the CPR Certification Training.

“Au pairs also receive instruction from AuPairCare trainers certified in Infant Massage with the Liddle KidzTM Foundation, and instruction from trainers certified in Infant Sign language by Baby Fingers, a leading Infant Sign Language learning organization.”

The Infant Specialized Care Program is a wonderful place to start if you have an infant and are considering au pair childcare – we highly recommend that if you have a child under the age of 22 months, call AuPairCare first!

InterExchange Au Pair

This program provide a “full day on child health and safety with an American Red Cross licensed instructor focusing on:”

First Aid, CPR, and Rescue Breathing

Accident Prevention Awareness

Car, Fire, Toy, Indoor and Outdoor Safety

Basic Child Healthcare

Cultural Care

Upon arrival to the U.S., Cultural Care au pairs “attend an exclusive, four-day training program focused on child development and safety. Our unique Au Pair Training School offers instruction from dedicated and experienced educators in a classroom setting. Small class sizes allow teachers to give au pairs one-to-one attention.”

“What do Cultural Care au pairs learn at the Au Pair Training School?  The Cultural Care Au Pair staff developed the curriculum for the four-day program in collaboration with The Children’s Foundation in Washington, D.C.”

Topics covered include:

Health and Safety in the Home

Child Nutrition

Common Childhood Illnesses

Safety and Emergency Education

Effective Communication

Au Pairs as Role Models

Ages & Stages: Birth to Teenage Years

Age-appropriate Materials and Activities

Building Self-esteem in Children

Behavior Management

We strongly recommend that your au pair complete a CPR and First Aid Certification course so you can have peace of mind knowing, if your child chokes on a piece of carrot, your au pair will jump into action and save the day!

You can find local training courses by visiting the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/