Suspended courses: what to do?
Following the closure of aquatic centres and Lifesaving courses’ winter session being suspended, many questions and concerns have been brought to our attention. Here is the Lifesaving Society’s guideline.
Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross
When it comes to Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross courses, if the instructor has continuously evaluated all course items, they may report results for successful candidates to the Lifesaving Society. For a candidate who has not yet passed all items or who has been unsuccessful, the instructor shall indicate the final result as not available (N/A). Candidates whose results are not available will be required to take additional courses to obtain their certificate upon resumption of activities, as directed by Public Health. The instructor must be able to justify the status of the candidates (success or N/A) based on evaluation notes they have collected during the session. As usual, these evaluation notes must be retained by the instructor and made available to the Lifesaving Society upon request.
Due to the current context, upon resumption of activities, the course instructor or an external evaluator will be able to perform the final evaluation of all items for the candidates.
In case the session had just started for a Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross course, we strongly encourage you to start over from the beginning. You may also consider the option of an intensive course.
National Lifeguard
For National Lifeguard courses with only the examination remaining, please contact the Lifesaving Society to schedule an appointment to assess eligibility for candidate certification.
Prerequisites
The National Lifeguard Instructor must be able to justify the status of the candidates (success or N/A) based on evaluation notes they have collected during the session. All items must have been evaluated including supervision situations.
For National Lifeguard courses where candidates have not been evaluated on all items or if the course has not been fully covered, we invite you to complete the training upon resumption of activities, as directed by public health guidelines.
Should you have any questions on the matter or to make an appointment for an eligibility assessment, please contact the Lifesaving Society at the following address: alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.
Lifesaving Instructor
For Lifesaving Instructor courses, please contact the Lifesaving Society to make an appointment to assess eligibility for candidate certification.
Prerequisites
The Lifesaving instructor trainer must be able to justify the candidates status (success or N/A) based on evaluation notes they have collected during the session. All items must have been evaluated by the Lifesaving instructor trainer.
For Lifesaving Instructor courses where candidates have not been evaluated on all items or if the course has not been fully covered, we invite you to complete the training upon resumption of activities, as directed by public health guidelines.
Should you have any questions on the matter or to make an appointment for an eligibility assessment, please contact the Lifesaving Society at the following address: alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.
Current Trainings
A trainee who has not been able to complete their training should consider the following options:
- Complete the training in the same course when activities resume as directed by public health;
- Complete the training as soon as possible in another course.
If a trainee is required to complete their training in another course, they must ensure that evaluation documents are forwarded to their new instructor and that both instructors' documents are submitted to the Lifesaving Society.
Types of questions/answers
Q: What if one of the candidates cannot attend the end of the course or the examination when activities resume, and not all items have been assessed?
A: If the candidate is enrolled in a Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross course, you may consider offering them to take a challenge or to repeat the course in another session. You can consult the Challenge guide available on the Instructor's Dashboard.
If the candidate is enrolled in a National Lifeguard course, you may consider applying to transfer the exam for that candidate. The ideal option for the candidate remains to take the exam with their group at their usual facility, so please try to schedule the exam on a date when all candidates are available.
Q: I am a Lifesaving instructor and I am having difficulty planning the course for when activities resume. What are the resources available to me?
A: You can contact the Lifesaving Society’s mentors so they can assist you with your planning. The list of mentors is available in the Leadership section of the Instructor's Dashboard and in the Alert magazine.
Q: In my Bronze Cross course, 8 of the 10 candidates had achieved all the items. Can the Lifesaving Society issue a certificate to the 8 participants and put the remaining two participants’ results as N/A?
A: Yes, participants who have successfully completed all items will be certified in the Lifesaving Society database. Upon return to normal course of operations, they will receive their certificate in the mail. Other participants will be able to complete their training when activities resume at the pool with another group or in a group tailored to them.
Q: I am a training candidate to become a National Lifeguard Instructor, I still have to attend two classes and the exam to pass my course, but when activities resume I will not be available, can I pass my course?
A: The National Lifeguard Instructor Trainee must participate in all training and examination. However, if the trainee is unable to complete the session, they may complete their training in another National Lifeguard Course. The student must ensure that evaluation documents are sent to the new instructor and that both instructors' documents are submitted to the Lifesaving Society.
Q: Will I be charged a certification fee if I report a result not available (N/A) for a candidate?
A: No, there will be no certification fee charged for the candidate with a not available (N/A) result. The fee is billed when the exam is retaken, regardless of whether or not the items are passed.
Q: I am a National Lifeguard Instructor or Instructor Trainer, when I return to normal operations, I will no longer be able to complete, finalize my courses or even have the final exam tests done, what can the affiliation do in these cases?
A: The affiliation may designate another instructor or trainer to complete the training and conduct the exams.
Should you have any questions about the suspended courses, please do not hesitate to contact the Lifesaving Society at alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.