Diving First Aid for Professional Divers

The DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers course represents training specifically designed for divers who dive as part of their job duties. It is not appropriate or designed for recreational divers. Students for this course must have an affiliation with an aquarium, commercial diving company or scientific diving operation.

This program includes Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries, AEDs for Scuba Diving Injuries and First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries as well as workplace CPR and first aid, based on guidelines provided by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for a workplace CPR and first aid course.

Since first aid skills deteriorate with time, retraining in this program is required every two years following successful completion of the course — although some local protocols and regulations require more frequent retraining. In addition, divers are encouraged to practice these and other diving skills regularly. All skills performed in an emergency should be within the scope of your training and experience.
Objectives
The objective of first aid is to establish and/or maintain the life of an injured or ill person until assistance (generally, emergency medical services — EMS) arrives or becomes available at the scene.

It is equally important that the rescuer do no further harm to the injured person. Providing oxygen to an injured diver, for example, will not cause any harm as long as the scene is safe and the oxygen equipment is functioning properly. This means that you must understand the limitations of your skills and knowledge and not attempt any procedure beyond your ability and the scope of your training.

Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge and skills development = 2 days

Certification Duration
This program comes with a two-year certification.

Skills Development
Knowledge and skill development topics in this program include the following:

scene safety assessment

initial assessment

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

using an AED

choking

control of bleeding

bandaging/splinting

oxygen equipment identification

using a DAN demand valve

delivering oxygen with a nonrebreather mask

delivering oxygen as part of CPR using a bag-valve mask or an MTV-100

oxygen equipment assembly and disassembly

shock management

secondary assessment

management of wounds from hazardous marine life

pressure immobilization technique

poisonings (discussion topic)

burns (discussion topic)

emergency moves

temperature extremes (discussion topic)

medical emergencies (discussion topic)

Are you a professional diver ready to learn about diving first aid? Find a Diving First Aid for Professional Divers instructor near you.

Want to teach Diving First Aid for Professional Divers? Find out how to become qualified today.