Concealed Non English Speaking CPR/AED Students

[mycrofft]

My issue: every Am Red Cross CPR/First Aid and/or AED class I teach, sometimes nearly half my class speaks English so poorly they require an interpreter, but they do not know they may ask for one, or do not want to request one. I have had them deny that they need one, until they fail the written test. Some of these folks also turn out to have used local friend's addresses and phone numbers.

Since, between the video and myself, they are doing good practicals and it is not our goal to fail people but to produce people who can perform, I really can't fail them; instead, I note that they did good "floor work" but need to retake the test with an interpreter. I find out their primary language, and their real contact info so we can notify them of when they can take the test.

HOWEVER, this sometimes is not possible for them due to transportation or job hours. It also means I spend extra time winkling out of them that they don't speak English that well, time I could spend on other students, or enrichment activities, and frequently keeping me an hour or more past the class cutoff time. This can put me in the way of the next class awaiting the room.

We are not allowed to target in on people and ask them if they need help on the basis of potential physical or lingual issues , I am only allowed to throw out a blanket question and hope they come to me.

Other than planning to stay late, any ideas how to make the best of this?

 

[usafmedic45]

Fail them if they are too stupid to ask for assistance because of pride or whatever you want to call it.

 

[mycrofft]

I'm told we can't, per se.

First I go over the test with them, grade it, then we try to see why they are missing the questions (missed one and it threw off the scantron, poor test taking skills, and some very poor questions almost everyone misses). Then I will re-state the questions. If they miss it the second time, then they missed it, period. I have people get fewer right than they ought to be getting by guessing.

The lying about address thing I think ought to be grounds for failure. Often they are seeking the certif for purposes of licensure or employment. It may not only be pride, but fear of losing their job, or deportation (gotta work to keep the green card and they WANT to work); they manage to fake their way through much, but these tests are persnickety.

The issue that keeps me from pencil whipping them through is that they may not have the knowledge base to tell them when to do it, when not, when to stop, when to hold em, when to fold em, etc.

 

[usafmedic45]

I'm told we can't, per se.

No, you can't single them out because of their language barrier (which I think is absolutely stupid), but at the same time, you can fail them for failing the test.

 

[mycrofft]

We are required to give them another chance.

I'm OK with that so long as they are attentive and learn and do good practicums.
I get native English speakers who I failed because they were stupid louts with an attitude who never got the mechanics right..

 

[Sasha]

I saw the name of this thread and thought it was about using an AED on a non english speaking patient with a CCW

 

[bigbaldguy]

I saw the name of this thread and thought it was about using an AED on a non english speaking patient with a CCW

I thought it was some weird sub thread about non english speaking concealed hand gun carriers who wanted to carry at work.

 

[Aidey]

I've almost always used my work address when taking alphabet soup classes. Not as a deception move, but because 9 times out of 10 the cards get and delivered, not mailed.

How much power do you have over the registration papers? Is there a section on it asking if people need any accomidations? If not can that be added? People may be more forthcoming if they feel like they arent being singled out in front of other people.

 

[mycrofft]

BigBald Guy and Sasha...

HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! THanks.

 

[mycrofft]

Aidey, no power abiout registration at all.

We actually stock study materials in Spanish, but unless they come buy their own we don't issue them, since we don't know. So far, in three clases I needed materials in Tagalog, Fijian, Spanish and Urdu.

Oh, and no matter the language, we do not get the materials to the students until they show for class...really useful then.

 

[mycrofft]

Denoument

I told them I'm going to ask or at least make a general offer of "amnesty" before the first break, and they said "sure".

Okay then...today's class, 100% English speaking. Go figure.

 

[mycrofft]

I had a trilingual student the other night

"Arabic", French, and English, in that order. I strongly suspect he was a MD before he retired, but he pased and is amenable to coming back to teach or interpret for students in his primary languages!

Awesome!

 

[rescue99]

My issue: every Am Red Cross CPR/First Aid and/or AED class I teach, sometimes nearly half my class speaks English so poorly they require an interpreter, but they do not know they may ask for one, or do not want to request one. I have had them deny that they need one, until they fail the written test. Some of these folks also turn out to have used local friend's addresses and phone numbers.

Since, between the video and myself, they are doing good practicals and it is not our goal to fail people but to produce people who can perform, I really can't fail them; instead, I note that they did good "floor work" but need to retake the test with an interpreter. I find out their primary language, and their real contact info so we can notify them of when they can take the test.

HOWEVER, this sometimes is not possible for them due to transportation or job hours. It also means I spend extra time winkling out of them that they don't speak English that well, time I could spend on other students, or enrichment activities, and frequently keeping me an hour or more past the class cutoff time. This can put me in the way of the next class awaiting the room.

We are not allowed to target in on people and ask them if they need help on the basis of potential physical or lingual issues , I am only allowed to throw out a blanket question and hope they come to me.

Other than planning to stay late, any ideas how to make the best of this?

Change over to another education provider or...RC could get Rosetta Stone for ya! Seriously though, fake adresses? What's with that? RC that desperate that they need to import illegals? Sure seems that way.