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 Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 27/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 16
Points: 48
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Is it just me or are assessors getting too soft or afraid to fail people? We have our own trainers but mostly use external assessors and I constantly have people pass who should never be let near a first aid kit! Most of the assessors we use are good but some worry me. Even my assessment when I renewed last year with my local ambulance service training wing was very soft - never even had to treat shock or put someone in the recovery position, just did CPR and applied a dressing. I never told them I was a trainer and assessor myself so it was not like they let me off lightly. I just wondered what everyone else thinks?
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Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 11/07/2011(UTC)
Posts: 36
Points: 108
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I also use external assessors, but when they assess they must use our assessment sheet, and they are told that if someone does not come up to scratch then they are to fail them.
One of the big problems with using any external assessor is that they must have the fear that if they fail your students then they will not be asked back to assess for you again, you need to put their mind a rest on that score and tell them that if candidates are not competent then fail them.
When I do my own refreshers I never tell that I am a trainer/assessor mainly as I want to see their natural training methods and if they know there is a trainer/assessor in their class they tend to go all false. I even had one trainer once that found out I was a trainer /assessor and when making points about something kept looking at me for confirmation.... not good.
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Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 27/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 16
Points: 48
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Yes, I've had that happen to me too!
I couldn't believe the Ambulace Service assessments for FAW, did CPR then went to do the next assessment and the assessor did not even let me get the bandage on before he said I was finished. No shock, no recovery position, nothing.
BTW - has the irony of our user names hit you too?
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 Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 27/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 436
Points: 1,308
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Had a similar experiance yast year with local ambulance service assessment was very soft with nothing apart from CPR
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 25/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 238
Points: 714
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Ive said it before but I will say it again.....
There is simply no protection for the assessor. A crap instructor gets 3 days to lick them into shape and the assessor has 10 minutes to make the big decision. Fail them and you are the baddy not the idiot who spent 3 days talking bollocks.
I have failed candidates on numerous occasions and normally will feed back to their HQ all the errors and faults found. On 2 occasions this has led to no further work for me as the assessor.
I have had comments like "my normal assessor doesnt think that is a problem" well let me tell you it is....... when the student attempts CPR on the unresponsive breathing casualty I think something is going slightly wrong, when the candidate is telling the casualty "you have a broken leg" despite it obviously not being busted there is issues, when 11 out of 12 students failed to even attempt a head tilt chin lift alarm bells really start to ring (the 1 that did had done a course before).
Standards, Standards and Standards again.
Rant over.
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 Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered, Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 02/02/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1
Points: 3
Location: United Kingdom
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Hi All,
Having used external and internal assessors I have found that internal assessors are much tougher than their external counterparts. I'm not sure why this is, but the "if I fail them then they'll not use me again" argument does "feel" right.
My biggest issue with assessors is not how hard they assess, but why do they feel the need to retrain my students? I have recently had assessors who not only stray from the assessment criteria that we give them but who also decided to try to retrain my students in the treatment of bleeding...incorrectly! How much confusion did that cause, and how much confidence did it destroy?
Come in - assess - feedback - leave
Thanks
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Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 11/07/2011(UTC)
Posts: 36
Points: 108
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@Wiccan,
Yep, a Wiccan and a Witchfinder, but you will be glad to know I am not the Witchfinder General...... I am a nice Witchfinder.
Tell me about the Assessor who wants to retrain your students, I have one that does not believe that the best way of discovering injuries on a conscious casualty is by talking to them, he wants a full top to toe survey by touch on every casualty......... well he did until I had some sharp words with him about how inappropriate that could be, and yes he does still assess for me.
Ahhh the joys of teaching bandaging, I have met some assessors who still think that a bandage should be fit to go to a fashion show......... when will they learn that a bandage needs to be practical not pretty, I want it to stop a bleed not take first prize for neatness and conformity.
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Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 27/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 16
Points: 48
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Marty B, I understand your predicament, I assess too when not training but as I said, I have had people pass who never should have. The assessor has told me they have had to prompt all the way through the bleeding - shock - recovery position scenario and the scary thing is, if they could not remember it the same day as they were told it, what about 9 months time when faced with a real casualty and no-one there to prompt them.
Scooterboy - I think you and I must have had the same assessor!
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 25/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 64
Points: 192
Location: Wishaw Scotland
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Hi all,
I am going to put the cat amongst the pigeons here!!,
I work for a company where I am the only trainer covering the whole of the UK and Ireland. We used to use internal assessors to carry out our assessments but I found they were to to soft. Alot of it was the "old pals act". We now use external assessors through a company and find they are a lot tighter and stick to the assessment paperwork closer.
On occasion they will give the students further advice but would never re-teach anything I have done
Happy to rent these guys out to the highest bidder!! :-)
Andy
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Rank: Member Groups: Registered Users, Subscribers
Joined: 27/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 16
Points: 48
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The one who tried to retrain my class was, like another member said, regarding the treatment of bleeding, she decided to get the whole class together and teach them not to remove dressings and start again if a wound was till bleeding but to keep piling them on over the first dressing. I have never had any other assessor or trainer who agreed with her, we believe that is outdated. My biggest problem is that the group see the assessor as senior to the trainer as they are assessing what they have been told and to have the assessor tell them I was wrong, leads them to question everything else I have told them.
As another member said, I know assessors only see a snapshot when we have seen 2 or three days but there is a difference between nerves and incompetence and sometimes when we are assessing, the difference is hard to see.
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