Office of Life Support Education and Training receives AHA All-Star Award

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Office of Life Support Education and Training (OLSET) is among an exclusive group of entities in the U.S. to receive the inaugural American Heart Association (AHA) All-Star Award for excellence in delivering CPR training.

"We heard about the criteria just a few weeks before the award came out, and we weren't really sure we were going to be awarded," Annette Smith, OSLET director at UTMB, said. "And then we were very surprised when we were told we were going to be a finalist."

Katherine Branch, PhD, vice president of Interprofessional Education and the Health Education Center, was pleased but not really surprised.

"Annette Smith and Julie Parrish really do the behind-the-scenes work to make sure that we are adhering to AHA guidelines across the board for all of the courses that we offer," Branch said. "They don't cut any corners. I'm not surprised we qualified for the award because we adhere to all the regulations and have for years. I think the service our team provides is not only very valuable to UTMB, but to the community at large because of the quality they maintain."

The award selection was based on data gathered from across the AHA system. Criteria included earning an 85% score in three categories: average student survey score, certification card-claim rate, and total surveys submitted.

The All-Star Award recognizes training centers that deliver superior, high-quality lifesaving training to their communities. OLSET trains about 3,500 people a year, primarily UTMB employees and students, but Smith said they would love to train more community members. The courses are open to the public.

"Medicine is constantly changing," Smith said. "American Heart looks at their guidelines and updates them every five years, so if you've not taken a CPR class in the last five years, you're probably not up on the new guidelines."

OSLET instructors have combined experience of more than 150 years.

"When health care providers come to our classes, they recognize they are getting a professional, safe learning environment," Smith said. "Participants are able to ask questions and are very open about what their weaknesses are and what the challenges are for resuscitation."

The core courses offered by OSLET include Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, Basic Life Support, Mock Codes, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.

Community members who learn CPR can be instrumental in saving the lives of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). About 73% of OHCA events happen in residences, with the remainder occurring in public settings and nursing homes. If performed immediately, CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.