Certified Instructor

This week my hospital sent me to Baltimore to become a Crisis Prevention and Intervention instructor. The course was for 4 days in a decent hotel in the middle of a ghetto. I used map quest to get directions which turned out to be a bad idea, I almost ended up in New York. Now nothing against New York, it is just my hospital spent a lot of money for me to be there and I think they will become slightly peeved if I didn’t show. When I finally arrived I walked into a very familiar setting. The hotel security was arguing with the front desk about whose’ job was what.

After the hotel manager and security director broke up the argument I got my room key and went back to my vehicle to get my bags. The reason I didn’t bring them in the first place because I wasn’t sure if map quest gave me the right hotel. So as I dodge drunks asking for money I got to my room, locked the door, and hid my valuables in my safe.

The next day it was time to head down for free chow which was great and then over to the conference room for registration. While we started introducing ourselves the conference next door was roaring throughout the area. There was a diversity conference going on and all the speakers were comedians. The only thing that separated us and them was a thin patrician covered in carpet. This went on for 3 of the 4 days and my ears hurt from listening to our instructors scream.

Now I do not know if any of you have taken CPI most in hospitals have, but there is a part in the training where you have to get physical. They not only teach different holds, but ways to escort adults and kids. Well after that the people there just for basic certifications took their tests and left. Now it was time for us not only learn how to teach the moves, we had to know how to do it in real time. Well I have been doing security for a while and in the past taken the CPI course, but for everyone else in the instructor course this will be there first time. They paired me up with 2 six foot 8 three hundred pound guys. They threw my butt around for 2 days and at the end my back and ankles hurt like hell. I was bounced off walls, tossed to the ground, and stepped on a few times. One of the instructors was this tiny little nimble thing and when people said, “That doesn’t work” she would show them. She smacked a couple guys in their happy zone and dropped the big guys who thought they were invincible.

The last day we had to teach a portion in front of everyone. I speak in front of people all the time and deal with high stress situations daily, but I was still nervous. Not only did we have to teach we had to take a long test. When it came time for me to teach I shocked everyone. I am younger than 23 years old and was the youngest in my class so for me to know me stuff shocked and impressed the class and the instructors. I passed the teaching portion and all that was left was this test.

When it came time to take it all the information came rushing back into my head. The test was extremely easy and after that I got my instructor pin, teaching binder, and a first class kit.I look forward to teaching my first class when I get back. I have my own style and I hope I don’t bore the class to death. After I teach my first class I will surely write about and post it for all to read.

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