HOW GOOD IS ASHI MEMBERSHIP?
Membership in the American Safety and Health Institute can become a rewarding experience in many ways. For some, the sheer satisfaction of knowing that you taught a fellow citizen how to save a life in the event of an emergency is reward enough (especially when you find out that he or she remembered their training when they needed to, and found out it worked!).
For others, it can bring a lucrative opportunity to open a small business, which can be operated completely at the discretion of the member, or simply as a second income.
One of the biggest benefits of ASHI membership is the fact that every member is independent. ASHI is not a franchise. It does not assign you to a specific area; the member is completely free to conduct his/her programs wherever they can obtain the opportunity. There's no such thing as territory or "turf." The only quota to be met is to teach one class per year during the three years of your membership. Your only financial obligation to ASHI is your membership fee or purchases. Whatever you bring in from teaching your programs is yours.
Once you become an ASHI member, and become affiliated with an authorized Training Center (required to be able to certify students and issue Completion Cards), if you're comfortable with remaining in that position, that's perfectly OK! There's no obligation or pressure on you to advance, or form your own Training Center whatsoever. As long as you teach one program per year (regardless of which program or number of students) over the 3 years of your membership, your membership renewal is almost automatic.
And, if you want to eventually "go out on your own" and open your own Independent ASHI Training Center, it's easier than you think. There are NO franchise fees nor royalty payments involved; your Membership Card is all you need. You don't have to lease office space, or lease or buy a building; you can make your home your office, or even your classroom if you have the space. Or, you can take your programs to your students if you wish. You also have the freedom to teach individual students as well as groups, wherever you and your student(s) can come together; in their own home, church, social organization, or workplace.
You also have the freedom to operate your Training Center at your choice of level; either for-profit, not-for-profit, sole proprietorship, partnership, or even as a corporation. When ASHI says independent, it means exactly that. And, even if you do decide to branch out, you can still remain affiliated with your original Training Center if you and your TC Director agree. There are even opportunities available to work with other Training Centers in your area to assist them with large classes.
It doesn't have to be a huge expense on your part, either, for equipment or supplies, or any business needs. A Basic Membership authorizes you to teach 9 Basic Life Support (emergency rescue) programs, and the 10 programs in the ASHI Safety Series. There is NO requirement for you to teach all of them; you can choose which programs you wish to offer. If you want to stick to Basic First Aid, for example, that's fine; if you want to go full-tilt into CPR, Emergency Oxygen Administration, or every program you want to teach, it is your choice. And there's no requirement to forward any course records or documents to ASHI at the expense of postage or courier services, nor the pressure of time limits; you maintain your own records (or submit them to your Training Center Director). (NOTE: Completion Cards must be delivered to the student within 30 days from the date of their program.)
If you do need equipment for conducting your programs (such as manikins for CPR, etc.), you have your own choice where to purchase it. For the greatest convenience, however, the ASHI Warehouse in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, maintains a complete inventory of the materials you need, at competitive prices. Catalogs are free for the asking. You can place orders in person (if you're in the local area), by mail, by telephone, fax, or online at www.ashinstitute.org. The ASHI website has a "members area" link on the homepage, which is accessible by password only, and is as secure as secure can get (NOTE: For many areas of the ASHI website, you will need the Adobe Flash Player. If you do not have this software, you can download a free copy at www.adobe.com.
When you order by telephone, you speak personally with a Customer Service specialist who is friendly, courteous, and willing to help you in any way to operate your Training Center more smoothly. Orders are usually shipped within one business day after receipt, and can be shipped overnight if you need it right away; or, if you're close by, you can pick it up in person. All major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) are accepted, as well as personal checks or money orders. Shipping is performed by UPS in the United States, or FedEx for international deliveries (shipping charges are added to all orders less than $2500; when ordering, ask if your state sales tax will be added).
There is also a link to a substantial list of ASHI Business Partners, who can furnish a lot of the materials you may need (except Completion Cards), and some of those companies offer discounts on their products or services exclusively to ASHI members. And, the best news of all, there are marketing opportunities within ASHI to distribute the fine-quality First Aid Kits and medical supplies manufactured by St. John Ambulance Canada, and a substantial number of Automated External Defibrillators produced by manufacturers such as Defibtech, Medtronic, and WelchAllyn.
The "Members Area" of the ASHI website also contains a library of marketing and advertising flyers, forms, documents, press releases, medical information, and just about anything you need for your Training Center operation, and can be downloaded and printed as you need them. Most downloads require either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat; if you need it, you can download a copy of the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from the ASHI website absolutely free. Your membership also includes a free online subscription to ASHI's monthly newsletter, ASHI Advantage, which contains a lot of helpful information for your Training Center. You can also view this newsletter from the "members area" on the website.
Finally, there's the peace of mind in knowing that you're never alone in your capacity as an ASHI member. Your Training Center Director will always be there for you with anything you could ask for in conducting your programs. The National Office is only a phone call (or Email) away for any assistance you may need. Whenever any changes or revisions in medical or treatment guidelines occur, our Instructors and Training Centers find out well before they are implemented. And, occasionally, ASHI convenes an International Members' Conference, where instructors from all across the United States and many foreign countries converge to interface with each other on a wide variety of issues just to help each other promote ASHI-St. John and its more than 13,500 Independent Training Centers around the world. At the time of this writing, arrangements for a 2008 conference are underway (dates and location pending).
For a small investment in a quality, internationally-recognized organization (and yourself) to provide you with a second income, the opportunity to own your own business, or just the joy in knowing you taught someone how to save a life, there is one big (over 85,000 members) happy family waiting for you to join us. All you have to do is ask.