At PrepMD we teach, inspire, and connect talented individuals with the
medical device industry.
The current class of PrepMD students are stepping up to the challenge to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. While preparing themselves to enter a new career as device representatives in the medical device industry, PrepMD students are taking time from their days to educate others about the risks of SCA and will be trying to raise funds needed to protect the individuals around them in the event someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Braintree, MA October 5, 2010 – On Tuesday 5th, Braintree based PrepMD LLC marked Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month by donating an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to the Special Olympics of Massachusetts. The purpose of an AED is to treat potentially life threatening heart arrhythmias through the use of an electrical shock in order to temporarily restore proper heart function in the event of an emergency.
The donation was announced at the PrepMD Graduation Ceremony following the remarks made to the PrepMD graduates by Bob Schreiver, of Attleboro MA, Chairman of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. Bob himself is a survivor of Sudden Cardiac Arrest who was saved by the use of an AED. After recounting his personal story, Bob urged the new graduates who will be working as medical device reps in the cardiac rhythm management industry, “Go out and spread the word. Educate patients and the public. You have the greatest jobs in the world.”
“We were all touched by Mr. Schriever’s story and see this donation of an AED to the Special Olympics as a way for the alumni association to show that PrepMD is so much more than a pacemaker school. This donation marks the beginning of a campaign to give back and help the fight against sudden cardiac arrest,” said Lindsay McClure of Duxbury, MA, President of the PrepMD alumni association.
“PrepMD’s kind gesture will protect many that are eager to compete,” said Bob Johnson Chairman of the Massachusetts Special Olympics who will receive the donation on behalf of the Special Olympians. The Special Olympics started in 1962 as a summer day camp for intellectually disabled children and adults by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and has expanded over the years into an international organization hosting Special Olympic Summer and Winter Games around the world.
About PrepMD
PrepMD LLC (www.prepmd.org) is a post graduate training and placement service, focused on delivering curriculum and educational support, specifically designed to prepare students for furthering careers in the medical device and healthcare industries. Currently PrepMD dedicates its educational resources to a course of study addressing the Cardiac Rhythm Management and Cardiac Electrophysiology sectors of the healthcare industry. This course of study is conducted within our training facility in Braintree, MA as well as within observational sessions conducted among major medical centers throughout the Boston, MA metroplex.
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Greg Lisi
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greg.lisi@prepmd.org
“You have the greatest job in the world…You save lives… more fathers, mothers, sisters, aunts and uncles are alive today because of the jobs you have been preparing to do.” These were the words of a sudden cardiac death survivor to a group of new graduates ready to begin their careers as medical device representatives. The survivor was Bob Schriever, President of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.
Several months prior to his speech, Bob’s personal story was shared on CNN in an effort to educate people about the importance of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and their use to prevent death from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). We referenced that story in one of our previous blogs to help raise awareness about the number one killer in the US today, SCA.
I would like to share Bob’s letter to the PrepMD graduating class, as I think the message is relevant to all of us in this important fight.
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To the PrepMD graduating class of 2010:
I want to thank you for allowing me the honor and the privilege of delivering your commencement address.
As a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest and someone with extensive knowledge of ICDs, I was both impressed and reassured by the breadth of knowledge and skill that you have obtained through your studies and practice. You may not yet realize just how important your training will prove to the lives of thousands, but as your career develops I hope you always remember the end result of this life-saving technology—people.
Innovation and ingenuity will continue to drive the health care practices of this nation and that of its citizens to new breakthroughs and best practices. You are now at the forefront of this vehicle, and your pursuit of this innovation will be your drive. Please never forget to consider the reason why this technology exists in the first place. I am able to write this letter to you today because of life-saving actions, emergency care, and medical devices; however there are hundreds of thousands of other, less-fortunate people, who perhaps might have survived with advanced treatment techniques and equipment. It now becomes your imperative to “move the needle” of SCA survival rates to new highs. This will only be accomplished through a hands-on approach that goes beyond the hospital or the office.
I ask you to please consider contributing back to your communities by training others in CPR/AED, encouraging healthy lifestyle and educating others about cardiovascular disease prevention, connecting at-risk patients to the proper medical attention, and delivering critical medical information to the populations that need it the most.
As Chairman of the Board of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, a group representing hundreds of SCA survivors and thousands of others touched by SCA, I hope that you will make an effort to connect to the patients that you serve and go above and beyond to ensure that there will be many more just like me—survivors.
I thank you again for the privilege of speaking to your class and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I have little doubt that PrepMD has prepared you for a lifetime of both professional and personal success and I look forward to seeing your impact on the world for years to come.
On PrepMD’s Facebook page we recently posted a piece from CNN.com showing a moving story about a man who survived sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to the quick use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). While the piece highlighted the benefits of an AED, one thing that surprised me during the segment was that no mention was made that Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) remains the leading cause of death in the US today. For most people in the United States this is a little known statistic. Why is that?
According to the American Heart Association approximately “294,851 emergency medical services-treated-out of hospital cardiac arrests occur in the US each year.” A fact sheet on sudden cardiac death is available from the American heart Association and some of the statistics are staggering.
Drawing attention to the need to take active measures to prevent SCD, the AHA has created what they call, the “chain of survival”.
Collectively we must all do more to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Death, ensure that there are more people trained to handle cardiac emergencies, and increase the level of screening for known risk factors. Occasionally we hear the story of the young athlete who collapses on the field of play only to die for unexplained reasons or of an individual who died suddenly of an “unknown cardiac event,” but the story of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) remains relatively under told given its significance and its impact on the lives of countless individuals. These stories (as even this blog will do) sometimes fall short of providing enough information for patients to take early action.
The Heart Rhythm Society tells us that while the risk factors are many two of the most important are mentioned below:
For more information on these risk factors and diagnostic testing you can visit the HRS website.
At PrepMD all of our students go through Basic CPR training and learn to recognize the signs of SCA as they prepare for their careers as medical device specialists. Whether they end up working for a major medical device company as device rep, a medical center as an EP technologist, or a private practice cardiology office in a pacemaker and ICD clinic, they are preparing today to work with clinicians who deliver life saving and life improving care to thousands of patients around the country. The inherent rewards of working with health care providers and patients to ensure that they have the chance to enjoy their futures to the fullest are meaningful to those fortunate enough to participate in the chain of care.
Consider learning more about what it takes to begin a career in the medical device industry by exploring our website or requesting more information through our potential students page. You can also receive updates on our current class of students and the schedule for our September class by following us on Facebook. See why Prep MD is so much more than a pacemaker school.
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