firemedic

Yup, all the the above seems to be universal. My partner would never let me go to the bedroom to go to sleep unless I fell asleep in the recliner first. After that, then I was allowed to go to bed.

Like it or not, the first step toward licensure is education, and if we as medics ever want the respect that we deserve by many (not all!) health care providers, we are going to have to be licensed. I may not necessarily agree with that, but I do think the minimum educational requirement for a medic should be an associate's degree.

I checked into ASHI, and confirmed that their programs are accepted by the AHA. They do allow an instructor quite a bit of freedom in teaching, and you are more or less an independent contractor through them, although they do like for you to use their training materials. I am an ACLS instructor through AHA, and primarily teach ACLS through a hospital, but for all the other programs, they appear to be a good resource.

Even if you aren't in the ditches anymore doesn't mean you don't still have it. Instructors should stay on top of new trends and training by reading journals, etc., but don't ever discount what an instructor can bring to the class.