The Core Immediate Course NZ is the minimum level of emergency resuscitation knowledge for health professionals. It covers the essential practical skills and management guidelines in a simulated team environment. It is endorsed by the RNZCGP for all GP registrars on their training programme (except those undergoing Fellowship assessment) and all GP Fellows. Required 2-yearly at a minimum.
Basic Life Support
Basic life support (BLS) is a group of noninvasive emergency procedures used to save lives until definitive medical treatment can be provided. It consists of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rescue breathing, and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Basic life support training is important for public safety professionals, first responders, and healthcare providers because it provides essential skills for recognizing victims in health emergencies early enough to save them. It also helps bystanders who are untrained in medical care recognize potential victims and take immediate action to prevent a victim from dying.
CPR is one of the most effective ways to resuscitate a patient in a medical emergency and to keep them alive longer. It involves a rescuer or bystander providing chest compressions on a patient in a supine position. The rescuer can also give rescue breaths, but this is not mandatory for BLS.
The goal of BLS is to ensure a consistent flow of blood to the heart. This can be done by a series of high-quality chest compressions that increase the pressure on the heart.
BLS training also involves assessing a patient’s condition and identifying the best way to treat them. It teaches students how to recognize an emergency, the correct order of steps in the hospital chain of survival, and the proper treatment measures to take.
In the United States, most BLS courses follow guidelines set by the American Heart Association. However, it is crucial to remember that not every instructor follows the same curriculum. Some instructors stray on tangents or talk about their own personal experiences, which might be helpful but is not what is taught in an accredited course.
Some organizations may require a specific BLS certification level, depending on the nature of the job. It is a good idea to check with your employer before signing up for any BLS course.
The New Zealand Resuscitation Council believes that all health professionals should be competent in essential (basic) life support at a minimum, regardless of their work setting. To address this, the NZRC recommends that all healthcare professionals complete a CORE Immediate course biennially, or at least triennially for senior medical officers and other higher-risk professions.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is an advanced emergency medical course that teaches students the skills and knowledge necessary to save lives in the event of a heart attack or other cardiac-related injury. This specialized training program is designed for healthcare professionals who work in emergency and critical care units, nurses working in cardiac-related emergency departments or nursing homes, and any other medical professional whose job requires them to have ACLS certification.
The American Heart Association's (AHA) Advanced Cardiac Life Support course builds on the foundation of good BLS skills and emphasizes continuous, high-quality CPR. It focuses on prevention of cardiac arrest, high-performance teams, early and continuous CPR, systems of care, recognition and intervention of cardiopulmonary arrest, immediate post-cardiac arrest care, acute dysrhythmias, stroke, and acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
There are many ACLS training courses available, including classroom, instructor-led, and blended learning formats. The AHA's Heart Code ACLS Course is a blended learning course that uses eLearning processes and then hands-on in-person skill training at an AHA Training Center. This course is recommended for healthcare professionals who want to learn the basics of ACLS but don't like attending an in-person training session.
It is based on the AHA's Emergency Cardiovascular Care Guidelines, which are updated regularly to reflect new science. These guidelines set algorithms that guide the ACLS certified person in making decisions and practicing the best procedures for saving lives.
This type of training is important for most healthcare professionals who work in emergency or critical care units. It teaches them to act quickly and accurately, which helps prevent the chance of fatal outcomes.
In addition to teaching them the basics of ACLS, these courses also teach them how to properly assess a patient's condition and determine what the next steps should be. They also learn how to use intubation to open a patient's airway and shock them using an automatic external defibrillator.
These courses also cover airway management, pharmacology, and other related topics. They are required for healthcare professionals such as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, paramedics, emergency technicians, and respiratory therapists who must have ACLS certification in order to perform their jobs.
Medic First Aid
If your workplace requires designated first aiders, this quick-fire four hour course provides the skills and knowledge they need to respond to emergency situations. The new WorkSafe guidelines (Feb 2020) recommend this level of training for those who do not need more advanced skills in first aid.
If you are a teacher, school support staff or carer this course can help you provide first aid to children under 14 years of age. Whether it is a teachers-only day or a team bonding exercise, this course will give you the skills and confidence to assist young children in an emergency situation.
For health professionals who require the New Zealand Resuscitation Council CORE Immediate certification for their job role. The course is designed to enable health professionals, including nurses, midwives, anaesthetic technicians and general practitioners in metropolitan areas, to learn resuscitation skills relevant to their job roles and professional practice.
In addition to the face-to-face training, learners are required to complete online learning and an assessment. At the end of the course, participants are awarded a CORE Immediate certificate by Resuscitation Skills and an NZRC reference book, Resuscitation – A Guide for Health Professionals.
Upon successful completion of the CORE Immediate course, learners are validated by the NZ Resuscitation Council for one year from date of issue. For their own personal use, learners may seek to extend the validity of their certificate for a further period.
The course is delivered in a series of modules over four hours, each module consisting of a combination of skill stations and scenarios. The skill stations focus on key management guidelines, while the scenarios involve practical application of the skills and knowledge taught in the course.
These scenarios are based on the actual life-threatening emergencies health professionals encounter in their work. These include the immediate management of cardiac arrest and resuscitation of adult and child collapse, injury, poisoning and drowning.
Medic First Aid is a leading provider of standardized, convenient, and comprehensive workplace CPR, AED, and First Aid Training NZ. The program conforms to the 2015 AHA Guidelines Update for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, the 2015 AHA and ARC Guidelines Update for First Aid, and other evidence-based national guidelines and standards. The program is a convenient and cost-effective option for your company to meet its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSH) requirements.
Rescue Course
Every paddleboarder should know how to rescue someone who’s in trouble on their board – as stand up paddleboards are incredibly powerful and easy to use, it’s likely that you could save someone’s life. This course will teach you the essential skills you need to do this.
Surfers are often the first responders to emergencies on beaches and waterways around the country, so completing this course will give you the skills to help your fellow surfers when they need it most. This is the best way to keep yourself and your team safe.
This 2.5 hour course will teach you the skills you need to save someone from drowning. These are the same skills you learn to rescue a diving buddy during your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver training course and the PADI Rescue Diver course.
You will be taught how to manage your own stress and anxiety before putting on the gear and stepping into the water, so you can focus on what really matters – helping others. By practicing these techniques, you will develop a more confident attitude to dive situations and be prepared to help your fellow divers if they need it.
It’s also a great course for kayakers and paddleboarders who have already completed their guiding qualification and would like to refresh their skills. This is a pre-requisite for Whitewater NZ River Rescue 2 and an ideal follow up to your River Safety Course.
These courses are available for all outdoor instructors, professional guides and anyone with a commitment to continuing to improve their rescue skills. These courses are aimed at developing a range of river rescue skills and are based on the NZRA’s standards of practice for a safe and successful guiding career.
NZRA Rescue Courses are held twice a year in the North Island and Southern regions, and comprise of two days of classroom and practical instruction, followed by skills testing and a workshop day. This is required for all guides attempting to achieve their guiding qualifications and for those who are already qualified to attend at least once every three years.
