BLS Instructor

[nytug]

I am a tug captain, going to school in 2 years when I can save enough money. One of the post captain plans for money is to create a side job as a BLS instructor around my hometown, as it was quite difficult to get a BLS HCP class within an hour of home.

My questions are these:

How does the TC/ Instructor relationship actually work in real life?

What does it typically cost to rent the manikins?

What is the going rate for these classes?

How buried am I going to be in paperwork?

I am not looking to make zillions of dollars, just maybe increase my income by $100 a month or so.

Thank you

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sounds like a terrific idea, especially if you have discovered that there are not enough BLS classes in your area and this is a requirement for many different types of jobs.

I urge you to contact your area American Heart Association to get more information about the process. You will have to become affiliated with a sponsoring Certified Training Center (CTC). First step is to find out which CTC you will be dealing with, and what their policies and procedures require, including what it takes to become a certified BLS Instructor. Although AHA dictates the overall structure, individual CTCs may have slightly different processes and fees. Your CTC can also help you determine the best way to obtain your manikins, materials, cards and other required equipment.

If you're serious about this endeavor, it may be worth your while to invest in your own manikins. Some training models are surprisingly inexpensive. Laerdal makes a "little Annie" that is only ~$200.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

[NedRN]

If you just want to make $100 a month extra, you are probably better off just working for someone else. Any business takes some sweat and investment, and it is difficult to get up to a threshold that will maintain a part time gig on a steady basis. Currently, many organizations that used to do BLS/ACLS/PALS are switching away from doing much of it themselves, but rather using AHA online and just doing the clinical checkoffs. Most every EMS/firehouse will now do the hands on portion so you are competing with incredible convenience just about everywhere. I recently updated my credentials, and inn my usual snoopy way, I asked the fire chief about the business model. They don't make a lot of money off of checkoffs, even when the candidates signed up through their dedicated portal rather than AHA (which I did). It is not just a mannequin you need, you also need (at least for ACLS) a rhythm generator, some sort of AED device, and lots of miscellaneous do-dads and disposables.