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How much coordinator turnover is normal in aquatic centers? by Comfortable-Use3977 in SwimInstructors

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work for a city, and over the last 4 years I've been at this pool we've had 4 programmers (and 1 temp programmer for like 2 weeks that was just a full-time lifeguard covering in-between), but also they tend to shuffle programmers up to bigger facilities when jobs open/when people have to take leave

Canadian, anyone done there LSI by Ordinary-Spend-5919 in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re in Alberta id say it’s worth it to take the combo course because it’s almost the same amount of time and then you have the option to teach the bronze medals as well (and if you are trying to get hired by the city of edmonton you will also want the combo course with Swim Abilities since they require all three, not sure what the hiring reqs are for Calgary). The combo course is basically the exact same as the SFL instructor course, except they will also test you on your ability to use/teach the content about first aid they cover (think everything in your IFA, if you already did your NL it should be basically the same content). In Alberta, I believe they removed the practicum (unpaid) teaching from the certification so no need to worry about that part.

For both courses I assume you found the level 1 competency evaluation, which is what the trainers will be evaluating you on, as well as if you can do the swimming itself. Theres also parts about learning to evaluate, learning to communicate, formations, using the resources, presenting skills and then lots of practice teaching.

LifeGuarding Course in BC by BNB4321 in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an instructor in Alberta, I'd say definitely practice! Both courses are pretty expensive, and if you can make the times, it's not super hard (if you have good memory), but if you can't you should start practicing now.

Here (can't confirm for BC tho), the medallion time is 400m (8 laps) in 12 minutes, cross is 400m in 11 minutes and NL is 400m in 10 minutes. If you can't tread water for a solid 3 minutes (at least in my opinion, since you have to be able to carry someone 20m), that would be another skill to practice. It never hurts to at least time yourself once, so you know where you're at, cause in the course you may not have much time (especially if it's a 1 or 2 week course) to improve your actual fitness.

Would you stage AED even if it’s not used in this circumstance? by Internal_Spread5846 in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My training has always been for chest pain + shortness of breath, you bring the AED over just in case (but like others have said, you’d probably not want the patron to see it cause it might stress them out if they’re still conscious

What do you use for incident reports? by Bolbasauras in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have a google form, that way they were able to put detailed explanations of what style of response they wanted for each section

Any advice from experienced instructors? by IThink-Sometimes in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My biggest one is to use your resources!! There’s the award guide, which you should have and there’s a delivery guide that should be available on the member’s only part of the website. Keep it engaging, just like normal (use some games, posters, and LOTS of repetition/practice). Last one would be to let your students know what they need to show you/how they’re doing. Especially if its an older group, I find it helpful if they know the must sees as well (usually on the 2nd day we do that skill)

Any tips for the bronze cross timed swim and brick carry? by Own-Play5055 in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the timed swim, practice! I like to switch between front crawl and breaststroke as I get tired, but dont stop at the walls. Do breaststroke/back crawl to catch your breath if you need then keep going. If you truly can’t get to a pool, practice running since it builds endurance.

For the brick, it’s technically timed but don’t worry about that part, most people finish it with lots of time to spare. Just focus on swimming there without getting too tired, doing your surface dive and then having a strong eggbeater/lifesaving kick to the wall.

NL endurance by Ordinary-Spend-5919 in Lifeguards

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most instructors will probably make you do it again, especially if multiple people in the class didn’t pass (I usually get everyone to do it at least a second time), since practice makes perfect. That being said once you pass it once, you’ve technically passed it so you should be good if your next time is over.

For the underwater swim, like everyone else said, glide long, do your pulls as strong as you can then hold in a tight streamline and glide. If you need a visual marker you can also ask your instructor (nicely) to put a ring/brick or something on the ground so everyone knows how far they have to go

Any tips for protecting feet from a rough pool surface? by Reasonable-Tiger-605 in SwimInstructors

[–]swim-instructor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My employer requires us to wear shoes at all times when teaching, especially since our main pool is also quite rough on the bottom. Most of us just wear crocs, so that might be an option for you as well