Lifeguard TrainingP.E. 28A, the lifeguarding class at De Anza College, offers six to ten certifications. Most other programs in the area only offer four, yet they usually cost more.
  
The four-unit class includes certifications in American Red Cross Lifeguard Training and/or Shallow Water Attendant and/or Basic Water Rescue; First Aid; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for the Professional Rescuer; Automated External Defibrillation; Waterfront Lifeguard; Administering Emergency Oxygen; Epinephrine Auto Injector Administration and Bloodborne Pathogens: Preventing Disease Transmission.
We work on some skills from Red Cross Small Craft Safety as well as materials and skills developed at De Anza and other programs. There is often the opportunity for certification in Lifeguard Management outside of class time.
The Red Cross updated the program as of early 2007. Certification in Automated External Defibrillation is required for all lifeguards. The De Anza program has included this certification for years. Reaching assists and throwing assists with equipment were added back into the program. At De Anza we never stopped teaching these skills.
 
The Red Cross has this description of the program:
"What You Will Learn
American Red Cross training makes learning fun and easy.
Through classroom learning and hands-on practice, you'll learn:
· Surveillance skills to help you recognize and prevent injuries
· Rescue skills - in the water and on land
· First aid training and professional rescuer CPR - to help you prepare for any emergency
· Professional lifeguard responsibilities like interacting with the public and addressing uncooperative patrons
Certifications include:
· Lifeguarding - for lifeguards working at traditional pools
· Waterfront Lifeguarding - for lifeguards at non-surf, open-water environments such as lakes and rivers, as well as traditional pools
· Shallow Water Attendant - for lifeguards that will work only in areas with water attractions up to four feet deep
The De Anza College class fulfills the requirement for Area E for your A.A. degree, which means it also transfers to U.C. and State Universities.
What do students think about the class?
" I really enjoyed all the extra info we were given. There was never a dull moment in this class. Mary is the most thorough and encouraging instructor I have ever had."
is a comment from student evaluations.
Read more at: P.E. 28A student evaluation comments
P.E. 28A is offered Spring quarters, April to June.
Click on this link: Lifeguard Training FAQs
for lots more info including cost, prerequisites, and a link to registration steps.
 De Anza College lifeguard training graduates get jobs.
Graduates of the program who are now head lifeguards or even facility managers come back to help teach the class and recruit employees. A note from one of them:
"I
took the American Red Cross Lifeguard Training course and American Red
Cross Water Safety Instructor course just for fun. The knowledge
and skills these courses have taught me led me to pursue a career in
Aquatics as a lifeguard and swim instructor. Not only did I
enter the career field fully certified and prepared, but I also
entered it with more certifications and experience than most other
candidates.
The additional training Mary Donahue provided in the
Lifeguard Management portion of the course has helped me advance my
career from a lifeguard/swim instructor to a head lifeguard, and now I
am the Aquatics Coordinator at the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community
Center in Los Gatos.
Not only do I highly recommend these American Red Cross courses to
persons interested in pursuing a career in Aquatics, but I also highly
recommend hiring lifeguards who took their training at De Anza
College. I know that these lifeguards/swim instructors will join
my company with not only the skills and certifications necessary to
ensure a safe pool environment and teach effective swim lessons, but I
also know that they will bring professionalism and strong leadership
skills as well.
Sincerely,
Sylvia Lam
Aquatics Coordinator
Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center"
________________________________________________________
CEUs are available for almost every certification you can earn in this course after you certify.
Go to: http://www.redcrossstore.org/dp.aspx?pgid=547
________________________________________________________
|
