Rescue Diver: I have the knowledge now I want to develop the Skills...

I believe that the training & C-Card are only the beginning of the process. The C-Card says you have taken the time to learn something new but there i nothing that can indicate that you have actually developed any skill with it.
I just completed Rescue Diver on May 31st and came away from the experience a little confused.

Please understand that I mean to take nothing away from the DM Candidate.
The DM Candidate who played victim for my classmate & I was a really good sport and gave valuable feedback. The instructor asked her if she wanted to do her Rescue Scenario for her DM and while she was caught off guard she agreed.

I played the role of "Gear Mule", collecting the gear as she removed it, first from the victim and then from herself. I was surprised at how close her skill development was to the two RD Students who had just done the same thing.
I had expected she would be closer to the level the instructor demonstrated in the pool just a few days prior.

This difference I think would be that the instructor has taught the RD class a few times a year so he gets more practice.

To be perfectly honest, while I did well enough to pass the course I have some doubts that my efforts at this point would make much of a difference in saving someone's life. Yes I understand that in most situations there is nothing you can do to bring them back. I would just hate to even be reflecting back on a rescue where I botched the 5 second breathing pattern (as I towed them in & removed both our gear) to the point that I was useless in the event it was one of those rare occasions that a life would have been saved.

So I was thinking about developing the KNOWLEDGE that I now have into the SKILL that I want to have. I mean if I take the time to wear and practice switching to my Pony Bottle for the last 10 dives prior to RD Class then why wouldn'tI also practice the RD stuff?

Anyone in Northern Illinois, diving at Haigh or Pearl Lake, looking to spend an afternoon (or morning if you're one of "those" people) once a month developing the RD knowledge into skill?

I think you expected too much from a Candidate. They are, after all, Rescue Divers moving to the next level, and they are "in training".

The Rescue Evaluation done during Divemaster training is a developmental exercise. I've never once had a Candidate perform the exercise to a passable standard expected of professional level divers on the first go. We have to work with them over and over, refining their technique and process until it meets the level expected.

kyphur:

Please understand that I mean to take nothing away from the DM Candidate.
The DM Candidate who played victim for my classmate & I was a really good sport and gave valuable feedback. The instructor asked her if she wanted to do her Rescue Scenario for her DM and while she was caught off guard she agreed.

I played the role of "Gear Mule", collecting the gear as she removed it, first from the victim and then from herself. I was surprised at how close her skill development was to the two RD Students who had just done the same thing.
I had expected she would be closer to the level the instructor demonstrated in the pool just a few days prior.

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I didn't mean to put the focus on the DM Candidate but rather on the general issue of taking the knowledge we gain in training & developing it into skills.

Glad you had fun with your course and are now capable of handling or better understand an emergency. Plus kudos for wanting to practice the skills you learned. Shows you are and were not confident enough...join the club. Many whom have taken a rescue course are no where near perfect. There is never a text book rescue. You learned the basic skills that can aid you in lending assistance to someone in need.

As you are aware, what you have seen VIA the DM in training, she was also no where near professional or experienced. You also have to remember she was learning aswell. A professional, like a firefighter for example, has MANY hours doing just what you want to do, be good in the event of an emergency and they PRACTICE. on there of days, during there shifts or when ever they can. In most cases anyways. They train.

Practice and dive dive dive. The next step is to find someone that will mentor you and correct you along the way. Find someone that will be willing to do that. Make sure they have the skill set and advance rescue knowledge to guide you properly.

Safe dives

kyphur:

Anyone in Northern Illinois, diving at Haigh or Pearl Lake, looking to spend an afternoon (or morning if you're one of "those" people) once a month developing the RD knowledge into skill?

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Practice makes perfect. Run some scenarios with friends. The more unexpected and realistically portrayed, the better. Try having someone else come up with the scenario and only feeding you information as you ask for it, like in a real situation where you begin with no knowledge about the emergency. Have fun!

It sounds to me like you have it right. I felt the same way after I took Rescue, the two main things I took away from the course were that it firmly established for me what I was capable of in the water, I now have a line or benchmark if you will, thats in my head and that I reference as I evaluate a situation, and I know crossing that line is not a good idea. This doesnÃÕ only apply to rescue situations but any diving situation. And Second I know that there might one day be a situation I face were I have to decide that I cant do anything to help a victim with out causing two.

Practice is good but admittedly I seldom do so, thankfully the one time I have needed the skills when an insta buddy panicked on the surface they came rushing back to me and everything worked out.

kyphur:

To be perfectly honest, while I did well enough to pass the course I have some doubts that my efforts at this point would make much of a difference in saving someone's life. Yes I understand that in most situations there is nothing you can do to bring them back. I would just hate to even be reflecting back on a rescue where I botched the 5 second breathing pattern (as I towed them in & removed both our gear) to the point that I was useless in the event it was one of those rare occasions that a life would have been saved.

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The chances of you resuscitating a victim on land aren't great, and if it's a heart attack, even worse. Doing this while in the water is a long-shot no matter how good a job you do.

The best time to save people is before they have an accident. If you get good at spotting stress, inadequate skills, planning and equipment/assembly, you'll be able to catch a lot of things before they happen, and change an "attempted resuscitation" into an air share or even better, into nothing at all.

Aside from sudden medical events, like a heart-attack or stroke, most severe problems caused by smaller problems that were unnoticed or ignored. Catching small problems before they become big problems will prevent a ton more injuries and deaths than getting really good at something that doesn't stand much of a chance of success even if done right.

Terry

As a fire Captain, I tell my crew about drilling. "A probie practices until he gets it right, my engine company practices until we can't get it wrong. When the SHTF, we sink to the level of our practice, not rise to the level of our expectations."

My advice is practice, practice and practice. Then if you are ever involved in an actual rescue, you will perform better than if you had only done the drills to pass the class.