EXPIRED and an offer

No, this post isn't about a patient that arrested and you "calling it".

This is a post about my fellow EMS professionals letting their certifications expire.

Briefly I'm the education manager for an ambulance company that employees approximately 400 field employees.

Many of you reading this have spent over a hundred hours obtaining your certification. If your a paramedic you've spent hundreds of hours doing clinical time, maybe some OR time getting your tubes and countless other hours studying and perfecting your craft.

So why is it that most, approximately 95% or greater, of you do not take keeping your certification current more serious?

{this is my rant}

On a typical day I receive between 2-5 phone calls a day about a certification that has either expired or will expire in a day or two.

Here's a phone call I just received from an travel nurse that works in the local ER

Her: "I need to get in to a PALS-Renewal class as soon as I can because my agency told me that they would not renew my contract if I didn't give them a current PALS Provider card".

Me: "OK, well have you seen our class schedule on our web site? It list all the classes that we offer, the times, the prices and you can even sign up through our web site. The next PALS-Renewal class that we offer is at the end of this month".

Her: "that won't work, I need it much sooner than that".

I won't bore you with the rest of the call but after more discussion this ER nurse had let her PALS certification lapse in September 2008. WHAT! She was going on 5+ months on an expired card.

So here's the million dollar questions:

Would you be interested in a reminder service? Would you see the value in receiving a post card that said "Hey John Smith this is a friendly reminder that your CPR Card expries in {blank date} ? Would this help people NOT expire?

So there it is. Tell me what you think. Dumb idea. It'll never work. No interest etc.

Jesse