For the love of blogs - episode 18
Happy New Year, one and all. Yes, I am back and eager to go, letting you know what the latest gossip is here at Castleford Training Solution. I hope you all had an absolutely fabulous Christmas and New Year, darling!!! We managed to have a lovely restful week away in Lincolnshire with the famalam and the unhinged Labrador!!! Now that seems a distant memory, and it is back to reality and back to producing more “content” that my four loyal readers want to know. Now, most people set themselves a challenge or want to change something in their life, such as Dry January or getting fit. My New Year resolves to double my readership – I know that is a bit of a tall order, but hey, I am up for the challenge. Just call me “Challenge Jen” – those of a certain age will know what I am talking about, if not search online for Anneka Rice, that is all the information I am going to give you….
Meanwhile, what has been happening, I hear you cry? Well, we have been busy delivering several Level 3 - First Response Emergency Care courses, a Level 3 - First Response Emergency Care Requalification course, a Basic/Immediate Life Support course and both Emergency First Aid at Work and a full 3-day First Aid at Work course. As well as those, we also had our new paramedic Joe deliver an Understanding ECGs Part 2 course, which was warmly received. Also, we welcome Chris, another experienced paramedic, who delivered a really interesting and interactive “What is sepsis” course via Zoom and was aimed at helping learners, including Shaun and I, to gain a better understanding of the signs and symptoms to look out for. Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection. Without quick treatment, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and in some cases, death. I have some personal experience of sepsis, as my mum contracted it some years ago and spent several weeks in the ICU fighting for her life. Thankfully, she was one of the lucky ones who managed to win the fight. So, thanks once again to Chris, and we are looking forward to your next course idea, which I understand is already being created, so watch this space or keep checking the website for further updates.
Just a bit of mood lighting for dramatic effect
One course that needs to be discussed is our very first Level 4 - First Response Emergency Care, which started a couple of days ago. Now this course has been in the planning for around eight months – yes, we like to do loads of planning ahead, and the feedback so far has been great. This course is a big step up from Frec 3, in my humble opinion, but once you start to get your head around some of the medical terminology, then you are already halfway there. Yes, there is a lot of content to get through, and it is quite wide-ranging, plus you have a lot of homework to complete. I mean, it is like being back at school. I lost count of how many “See Me” and “must try harder” were written on my workbooks!! I even tried to forge a note from my mum to explain the unhinged Labrador had eaten my homework, but as usual, I got caught!!! Just a little note to our first cohort, it will be worth all the challenging work once you get that lovely shiny Qualsafe certificate!! You may gain some grey hairs along the way, but here at CTS, we will help support you by recommending a good hair dye kit!! Seriously, Shaun and I are here to support all our learners, whether it is through taking your first step and enrolling onto an Emergency First Aid at Work, all the way through to Frec 4. We want to share in your success but also have a bit of fun along the way.
We also have yet another new member of the team, who, shall we say, is rather shy and a little quiet but somehow manages to make his presence known when in the training room. He goes by the name of Skully and has already made a great impression and been put to good use during the first morning of the Frec 4 course. Welcome aboard Skully!!
The new premises are still a work in progress, but we are getting there. The fact that we have the capability to deliver our courses on any day of the week has made an enormous difference. We know that not everyone can take the time off from their normal day job to attend a course, and we try to offer a wide range of courses both Monday to Friday, and at weekends. Plus, now that we have managed to get Google to accept that we are no longer impostors at our new address, we have made it onto their maps. There is no excuse for not finding us, plus we have the bonus of being on the edge of town and only minutes away from Greggs!!! Now, if that does not tempt you, I do not know what else I can offer.
Well, that is enough excitement for this enthralling episode. Michael Jackson is about to deliver his encore, and I am looking forward to getting home to a nice hot cup of tea and a pile of washing up!!! If only I had married Prince Charming or some nice, rich man, this would all be a distant dream, but alas, it was not to be. Here is hoping my readership has increased by 25% once this amazing instalment hits the website. Until next time……
Adios amigos!
Jen