Important information for all instructors
Dear NRP Instructors,
We have had numerous queries from Canadian NRP Instructors regarding the roll-out of NRP 2011 in Canada, the availability of new materials, and the clinical, educational and administrative changes that would result. The NRP Committee has spent many hours reviewing materials and planning with CPS staff. I would like to update you on the mailing we sent out earlier this year.
For Canadian practitioners, the most significant changes in NRP in this cycle relate to the delivery of courses, with a move to simulation and debriefing, and promotion of teamwork. There will also be clinical changes reflected in a new NRP algorithm, largely focusing on effective mask ventilation, saturation monitoring, and blended gases for resuscitation, many of which were introduced to Canada in 2006.
1. Canadian NRP timelines.
There will be a one year transition period (from 1st October 2011 to 30th September 2012) during which both the old and new NRP materials will be accepted for registration of NRP Providers and Instructors. The Canadian NRP Textbook, Instructor Manual and Website will be available in French and English by the end of September 2011. You will be able to order the above resources from the CPS at that time. The online exam for use in Canada is under development and a date for its availability has not yet been finalized, however, there will be no paper copy of the exam available as part of the 6th edition changes
Starting in October 2011, the CPS NRP Committee, in collaboration with regional NRP Committees, will deliver 5 NRP launches, which will act as templates for further regional NRP Instructor courses. The dates and sites of these launches will be announced before the NRP Steering Committee meeting in June. By the end of 2012, all the changes should be in place.
2. What is new in NRP education?
NRP 2011 will continue to advance the principles of adult learning, using new tools, such as simulation, debriefing, video recording and teamwork training in the classroom. Face to face and small group teaching will be optimized by making pre-reading and pre-testing a prerequisite to both Provider and Instructor courses. With the exception of discussing the changes, slides and didactic lectures will no longer be necessary. Courses will be layered by skills (such as mask ventilation), integrated skills (using select performance checklists and an integrated skills assessment similar to the Megacode) and teamwork (using simulation and debriefing). Initial and renewal courses will be similar and based on the needs of learners.
3. What is new in NRP delivery?
The focus of NRP will continue to emphasize the need for effective ventilation in babies requiring resuscitation. This includes the introduction of an effective mask ventilation strategy, use of saturation monitoring and blended gases to optimize oxygen delivery, and training in the use of a laryngeal mask airway. Other changes are outlined in the NRP Textbook.
4. How will Instructor status be maintained?
The change in teaching methodology this year will require a new layer of knowledge, skills and behaviours to address the educational needs for simulation, debriefing and teamwork. This information is available in the new NRP Instructor Manual and will be augmented by materials that will be available on the CPS NRP website. NRP Instructors should own an Instructor Manual and review the materials in preparation for both Instructor and Provider courses. They should review the NRP Textbook and starting in July, 2012 take the online exam prior to attending an Instructor Update. Following this update, they would be expected to co-teach a new NRP course, which they should debrief with a fellow NRP Instructor. All these steps are reflected in the steps required for an NRP Provider to register which include pre-reading, pre-testing, a face-to-face course and debriefing.
The Instructor DVD is a useful resource, but its purchase and review will not be a prerequisite to registration as an instructor in Canada (as it is in the USA) – it is, however, an expectation that each Canadian Instructor purchase an NRP Instructor Manual and use it as the source document for their practice.
The CPS is changing the re-registration of NRP Instructors to every 3 years (rather than every 2 years). This will provide the CPS and regional programs with an opportunity to schedule Instructor Updates on new evidence or changes to resuscitation practices to align more closely with the cycle of changes which occur in NRP every 6 years.
5. What is the process for these changes?
The Canadian NRP Steering Committee has representation from all provinces in Canada as well as professional liaisons from medicine, nursing, respiratory therapy and midwifery. The Executive of the NRP Steering Committee is an interprofessional team of expert educators and clinicians with significant NRP experience. The Executive and the Education Subcommittee of the NRP Steering Committee reviewed the NRP materials and formulated the plan for transition. This plan has been presented to the NRP Steering Committee. Your NRP Steering Committee representatives are listed at the CPS NRP website. Please contact them if you have any questions or concerns, or contact me directly. There will be many questions – we can use the NRP mailing list to clarify them for all instructors in advance of and during the changes.
Khalid Aziz, Chair, CPS NRP Steering Committee
Last updated:
May 2 2011
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