SMG Recert and New WALES Position

I recently got my first day off since the end of the fiscal year. I actually got four days off, because WALES is closed both Good Friday and Easter Monday and I had a number of cancellations. Spent that time in Guelph. It synced up fairly nicely with my Safe Management Instructor recertification, which was on Wednesday, and allowed me to get a ride from my fellow Safe Management Instructor who lives near my mother. So collectively, I spent almost a week in Guelph.

I kicked butt at recertification. I always get anxiety, but I've only gotten stronger as the years go by. There are three components that you are graded on: a randomly assigned presentation on the prevention aspect of the course, which is given in advance, a written test, and three physical intervention techniques which are assigned day-of.

I lucked out. I got the Aggression Escalation Continuum for my presentation, which is a tool used to evaluate a person's mental state and their likelihood to aggress by looking at verbal, physical and gross motor cues. It also gives advice for staff responses depending on where the person is at. It is a very memorable part of the course content, and because someone else was assigned it as well, I got to co-facilitate it!

Instead of the standard written test, we got a new addition, which seemed intimidating but was fine. For the physical intervention bit, I got Standing Basics, Safety Position A, Safety Position B (all basically part of the same technique), Cross Arm Wrist Grab, and The Worm.

Safety positions are about as basic as things get. I had a bit more content to cover because they fall into three categories, but it's simple stuff. Cross arm wrist grab is easy because it follows the standard wrist grab and there are very few differences between them. The Worm is a hair pull release which I have actually used a number of times. It was probably the most complex to teach of the ones I was given, but it worked out fine.

I was the first to present for the prevention portion and the first to present for the physical component, so that caused a little anxiety.

We had the same instructor that we had last year, which was nice.

One of the Community Facilitators where I work got a job at the main office. She was covering a maternity leave, and this means that she will be leaving her position four months early. That means that, for the next four months, I will take on the role of full-time facilitator. I will not possibly be able to hold onto all my Direct Support Contracts, which means that I am dropping three of them. I was already planning on dropping two even without this change in position. Still, it's a difficult thing to address since I've been working with these people for four years.

I start my full-time position next Monday.