July 2023 Instructor Newsletter

Atlas Updates, new guidance coming on virtual Heartcode BLS skills sessions, Heartsaver 2025 feedback, and secondary alignments.

Atlas Updates

For me to write that the migration to Atlas did not go smoothly would be a gross understatement.  Not everything is working correctly and many of the fixes have to come directly from the AHA.  I have a video meeting set up for this upcoming week with our AHA Account Rep Kathy Graves. If you have any questions or concerns please send them to me so I can include them in our meeting.

What we need from you right now – please log into Atlas and check that your account information in accurate.

Many of you have NOT logged in yet. On our end we can see that you have not.  This may be a problem moving forward if you have not logged in and confirmed your information in Atlas.  Please log in to Atlas no later than July 15, 2023.  I might not be be able to process rosters or transfer eCards easily after 7/15 if you have not logged in and verified your account.

There is an AHA Job Aid to help you verify your account.

Atlas Class Management Tool

If you want to post your classes on the AHA Class Connector you will post them through the AHA Class Management Tool.

When you enter your class, you’ll need to pick or create a location for class.  At the moment we have shut off creating locations.  This was done because we can now see every location an instructor may have entered in the past – and there were many locations set up that did not meet AHA posting guidelines.  We have deactivated (since we can’t delete) all that did not meet the guidelines.  If your class location is not listed – please email Gail with the location information and we’ll enter it for you.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Class Management is OPTIONAL.  If you only do workplace or private group classes you do not need to use the Class Management Tool.

The Class Management tool has features to streamline issuing eCards.  At the moment it is not working well.  We’ve decided to hold off using it for issuing eCards until it is working reliably for a few instructors who are trialing this out.

Heartsaver 2025 is in the planning stages

We found out this week that the Heartsaver Team has already begun work on the new Heartsaver 2025 Training Materials.

If you have noticed bloopers and mistakes in the current materials please email them to me.  We will be forwarding this information to the Heartsaver Team so they can be corrected in the new 2025 materials.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed the narrator discussing using a child-sized pocket mask in the Child CPR AED portion of the course – when pocket masks only come in 2 sizes – adult/child and infant.

One change has already been implemented – found out this week that the Heartsaver USB navigation has been updated and is easier to use.

Virtual training may be here to stay

In this past week’s ECC Beat the AHA seems to be reversing some of their position on provider training.  In May they announced that virtual training for BLS, ACLS, PALS, PEARS, and Instructor Training would no longer be allowed after August 31st.

In the ECC Beat this past week the AHA announced they are working on new guidance for allowing the continuation of Virtual Heartcode BLS Skills Sessions.

We will forward all updates as soon as we have them.

However – if you are teaching virtually or are thinking about offering virtual courses – please check in with Gail. The AHA did a webinar and published guidance on remote instruction, and technically you must have permission from the TC to do so.  We have to keep track of who is doing virtual instruction. So if you’re not sure if we know or not – please email us so that we have a detailed list of who is doing what.

Secondary Alignments

One of the new features of Atlas is that instructors can have more than one alignment.

Under the Instructor Network, instructors could have 1 primary and 1 secondary alignment.  Under Atlas an instructor can have multiple alignments, and even temporary alignments.

If you’re wondering…. why would you need more than alignment – if you are teaching for someone else, a local organization, a hospital, a contract assignment – they may want to issue the eCards for the class you teach through their Training Center.  Hence you need to align with them.  Most secondary alignments are for an unspecified amount of time. With Atlas an instructor can have a temporary alignment for a specific time period that will automatically unalign the instructor when it lapses (good if you’re doing specific temp or contract work for someone).

Because we are your Primary Alignment, Coastal CPR & First Aid is ultimately responsible for any classes that you teach – even if they are for someone else.

Therefore we need to document every alignment each of our instructors has.

If you have a secondary or temporary alignment with another Training Center or Training Site you must notify us of same. Please email Gail at gail@coastalcpr.com of any other alignments that you have.  Please do this by July 15, 2023.