General Instuctor Course (GIC)

The Generic Instructor Course provides the training necessary to prepare future instructors for teaching on the respective provider courses (ILS, ALS, EPALS, EPILS, NLS, ETC). This standardised course focuses on the teaching principles of of the ERC for its provider courses.

Course structure and programme

GICs are held at centres throughout Europe, and are spreading to centres in North-Africa, the Middle East and Far East. Organised by the local Resuscitation Councils or Course Organisers with GIC permisisons, the courses are standardised, approved and certified by the ERC. This ensures standardisation, uniformity of content, teaching strategy, and formative assessment regardless of the centre. The GIC may be run in the national languages of the respective country that they are held in, or in English.

The GIC is a two-day course preceded by e-learning modules, which must be completed before the course. The on-site time is dedicated to face-to-face teaching and as much hands-on training as possible.

The course includes workshops in which the candidates learn and practice how to:

  • Teach and facilitate learning in a small group discussion
  • Teach and facilitate learning a skill with formative assessment
  • Run a cardiac arrest simulation teaching session
  • Give constructive and corrective feedback to enhance further improvement
  • Run a cardiac arrest simulation testing station for summative assessment

All workshops are preceded by demonstrations of the expected competence and by interactive discussion of the topics. Assessment of the GIC candidates is formative thoughout the course, with feedback provided by the instructor trainers. The GIC does not finish with a summative final test.

Characteristics

Target audience: ERC certified providers with Instructor Potential recommendation. Age: 18+

  • Theory: Online course on CoSy
  • Hands-on part: 2 days (minimum 14hrs excluding breaks)
  • Validity certificate: Validity is dependant on the instructor teaching a minimum of two courses per year. Please read article 10.5 of the ERC Course Rules for more information.

Learned skills

  • Understanding the nature of adult teaching and learning
  • Understanding the needs of individual learners
  • Being aware of the domains of learning
  • Teaching and running a skill station
  • Running a cardiac arrest simulation
  • Facilitating small-group learning
  • Raising the awareness of students about non-technical skills
  • Assessing the full range of outcomes on the course
  • Providing feedback that leads to improved competences

Requirements
Only candidates who have been recommended as having Instructor Potential (IP) from their ERC provider course (e.g. ILS, ALS, EPALS, EPILS, NLS, ETC) may attend a GIC. The GIC must be undertaken within 2 years of the date of the provider course from which the IP recommendation was made, and each candidate must continue to hold a valid provider certificate.