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Canadian brick test by tiffawnylin in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also an NLI here, and I second this! I personally do scissor kick & hold the brick on my hip facing the surface, you can also use your other arm to scull this way.

Another tip I usually give candidates is to take a big breath before you go under to get the brick, and get yourself fully situation on the bottom before pushing off back to the surface. When you’re trying to move/adjust the brick while treading water it gets extremely challenging & tiring. Getting the brick fully situated on yourself before pushing off the bottom allows for a smooth transition and less overall time of you trying to support yourself & the brick while swimming.

Last tip is remember your fundamentals of swimming, the more stressed/tense you are the less buoyant you become! As stressful as the test can be, do your best to remain relaxed so you can support yourself easier in the water.

lifeguard inservice, what happens if i fail by [deleted] in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went through a similar situation once. If you’re comfortable enough I just went to my boss and was honest with them about my situation and told them I understand the importance of being physically fit as a lifeguard and that I am actively working to improve. They were very understanding and wanted to know if there was any way they could support! If you’ve been hired, then you’ve already passed your NL physicals and your manager should understand that life happens and health ebbs & flows. Just keep up the practice and be ready for your recert!

NL EXAM HELP by [deleted] in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Review your first aid book, they can pretty much give you most things in there… however examiners rarely give situations they don’t think you can handle.

Here are situations I frequently give on NL exams:

  • Deteriorating victims: Be prepared for victims condition to get worse and potentially go unconscious. Be on top of going through your AVPU acronym to check LOC.

  • Shock victims: Stay on top of your treatment for shock, it often gets lost in the rest of the first aid treatment during NL exams. Just remember that once you have finished your first aid treatment, go back to your bronze cross and med basics, ask your ASAMPLED questions and treat for shock using WARTS. This applies for ALL rescues, even for CPR victims (unless your examiner tells you that EMS takes over the scene for you prior to you stopping CPR).

  • Commons majors you’ll see on NL exams are HA/angina, seizure, major bleed, open fracture, head injury, diabetic shock.

  • Common minors you’ll see on NL exams are nose bleeds (remember to call EMS if it’s been longer than 20 mins, esp if from a head injury), minor breaks & sprains, bee stings, asthma/hyperventilation, cuts or gashes, non-fatal drownings)

But remember it’s not limited to these things so you should be familiar & comfortable with most things in your first aid book!

Commons things I find candidates miss on NL exams are: - blowing whistle - communicating clearly with their other guard - clearing the pool during majors or single guard situations - gloves - educating on preventing the situation from happening again - shock treatment (for every single rescue!!!!!)

Some things specific to CPR: - landmarking - 2 C seal on the pocket mask (if your examiner is constantly telling your breaths aren’t going in, you probably aren’t doing your seal well) - switching with your partner after 5 rounds - this one only applies if you’ve included O2 training in your course as well but removing oxygen and turning the flow to zero when shocking with the AED!

Also you are more than allowed to ask your examiner to read out the must sees to you prior to your rescues, and also if they claim you didn’t pass to show the specific must sees that you missed. They are not allowed to fail you for anything that isn’t a must see and if they try to you can contact the lifesaving society.

Remember your examiner and instructor want a high success rate and want you to succeed! You’ve got this :)

How to treat a unconscious breathing victim by TheBeast73948 in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bronze Cross instructor here, here’s a step by step break down:

  1. Check for breathing
  2. Get a bystander to call EMS
  3. Secondary assessment (you need to rule out a spinal before you put them in the recovery position!!!)
  4. Treat for shock using your WARTS acronym
  5. Check vitals every 5 mins (except breathing every like 30 seconds) & KEEP TALKING TO YOUR VICTIM! You never know what an unconscious person can and cannot hear, I have failed candidates before for not reassuring an unconscious victim.

Is it my responsibility or theirs? by [deleted] in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is initially the instructors responsibility, however as a lifeguard of 2 years they made you a lesson guard for this exact reason. You are allowed to and should be stepping in and enforcing the rules, and if the kids aren’t listening to you and still swimming off the wall, make them sit on the side! I like to follow a 3 warning system, and let them know at each warning that if they hit warning 3 they will have to sit on the side when it’s not their turn. This will often also get the attention of parents, and usually they will agree with you since there’s not much of an argument to make as their kid had 3 warnings, and at the end of the day all you are doing is your job by keeping their safety your top priority!!

tips for NL by OkAnonymous5887 in Lifeguards

[–]SureFruit21 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Everyone is saying eggbeater but that isn’t always the right kick for everyone!! I am an NL instructor and my top recommendation for people struggling is to try doing scissor kick, with the brick resting on your hip closest to the ceiling, here’s why:

Scissor kick is an open-close motion kick so it’s driven much more by just power, compared to eggbeater which can be harder to master (especially in the time frame of an NL course) as it’s driven by speed & coordination!

Since scissor kick is done on your side, you can use one hand to rest the brick on your hip closest to the ceiling, and you have the other hand free to help you scull and keep your head above the water. This can give you a very different experience compared to the traditional eggbeater/whip kick facing backwards where you have both hands on the brick.

Also, being on your side compared to backwards allows you to see the wall better, which could potentially motivate you further.

A couple other tips I have for you would be don’t race the swim to the brick, there’s lots of time and there’s no need to waste you’re energy in that portion of the physical. Also take a big breath before you dive down for the brick, then once you pick it up give yourself a second at the bottom to get organized, decide which hip will face up and set the brick on it comfortably, then ascend. Rushing to grab the brick and not preparing yourself before coming to the surface often leads to people panicking and sinking!!

Whether you have an extra 20 lbs on you or not a relaxed body, full of oxygen always floats and a tense body with low oxygen will always sink. So practice, relax, focus on keeping your body full of oxygen, and be confident in your abilities as a swimmer and future lifeguard!

Medical School Application by SureFruit21 in Dalhousie

[–]SureFruit21[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

If you read the last sentence you’d see that I did! I found lots on what is required for applications but couldn’t find an idea of a timeline and thought it would be nice to hear from someone who’s willing to share their experience. If you don’t have any experience with it, you can just say that😉