Category: Dive Safety


DAN Instructor

Filed Under: DAN Instructor, Dive Safety by jon — Leave a comment
November 9, 2011

Are you a dive leader that wants to make sure your divers are safe?   Becoming a DAN Instructor is definitely the way to go.

DAN Instructors are trained to teach programs specifically for diving related accidents.  If you’re a scuba instructor, these are great programs to complement your Rescue Diver training.   Divemasters can become DAN Instructors and offer additional training to the divers they supervise and they’ll also have more opportunities working with instructors.

The DAN Instructor Qualification Course is made up of two or more segments.   The first is the core segment that covers topics general to all DAN courses.   The additional segments are course-specific and may include:

Basic Life Support & First Aid

Oxygen First Aid for Scuba (including Advanced skills such as a bag valve mask, BVM, and a manually triggered ventillator, MTV)

Hazardous Marine Life Injuries

On-Site Neurological Exam for Divers

Dive Medicine for Divers (three levels)

…and several others.

[Note: this list has been revised to reflect DAN's new training curriculum launched in 2011.]

What does it cost?   Anywhere from $250 up to $1500, depending on classes and materials.

What are the prerequisites?    Dive Leader (Divemaster, DiveCon or higher), CPR/First Aid Instructor (or complete the Basic Life Support/First Aid module).

 

 

I’m currently offering several programs during 2012 (and one more before the end of 2011).   Consult the course schedule to the right, or click here.    Please contact me if you have any questions.

 

 

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On-Site Neurological Exam for Divers

Filed Under: Neuro by jon — Leave a comment
January 9, 2011

Many cases of Decompression Sickness (DCS) involve neurological complications.   The two DCS cases I saw during my Diver Medical Technician course on Roatan made that abundantly clear.   Often, we dive far from medical help.   Transportation to medical care can take time.  To help the physicians and medics, getting a baseline of the patients neurological symptoms is key.   Sometimes, people don’t even notice they have symptoms unless you point them out.  They might also try to deny they have symptoms.  The DAN Neuro course helps on both fronts.

Skills Development

  • Taking a History
  • Taking vital signs
  • Mental Function
    • Consciousness
    • Speech and Language
    • Orientation to Time and Place
    • Judgment
    • Short-term Memory
    • Abstract Reasoning
    • Calculations
  • Cranial Nerves
    • Eye Control
    • Facial Control
    • Facial Sensation
    • Hearing
  • Motor Function
    • Shoulders
    • Biceps
    • Triceps
    • Finger spread
    • Grip strength
    • Hip flexors
    • Quadriceps
    • Hamstrings
    • Feet
  • Sensory Function
    • Light Touch
    • Sharp Touch
  • Balance and Coordination
    • Walking
    • Finger-Nose-Finger
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DAN Courses–The Basics

Filed Under: The Basics by jon — Leave a comment
January 9, 2011

Oxygen First Aid
Learn how to provide emergency oxygen first aid. Hands-on training includes assembling an oxygen unit, using a demand-valve mask, a non-rebreater mask and an oronasal resuscitation mask with supplemental oxygen.
The PADI Distinctive specialty “Oxygen First Aid” is also included!

Advanced Oxygen First Aid
Additional training for DAN Oxygen providers. Hands-on training includes using a manually triggered ventilator (MTV-100) and a Bag Valve Mask(BVM) while providing care for a non-breathing injured diver.

Hazardous Marine Life Injuries
Learn how to provide first aid for a diver injured by hazardous marine life. Topics include envenomations, bites, irritations and poisoning. Hands-on training includes techniques for controlling bleeding, applying dressings and bandages to manage wounds and the pressure immobilzation technique.
The PADI Distinctive Specialty “Marine Life Injuries” is also included!

lionfish

Lionfish--particularly venomous and invasive

AED for Scuba
Learn to recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest and administer first aid using Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillators(AEDs). Hands-on training includes CPR review, providing care with an AED, maintaining an AED and emergency assistance planning.
The PADI Distinctive specialty “AED for Divers” is also included!

Diving Emergency Management Provider
Often times, a dive emergency is not a single event. Typically, several small problems compound to create a larger problem. Diving Emergency Management Provider integrates content from the Oxygen First Aid, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life injuries, AEDs for SCUBA and Advanced Oxygen First Aid into a single course.
All three PADI Distinctive Specialties “Oxygen First Aid”, “AED for Divers” and “Marine Life Injuries” are included!

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