What is a "Referral"
?
Referral is the process in which a
student diver that has completed part of his training at a local
dive center can complete training at a different location with a
different instructor, often to change a vacation into a diving
adventure.
Guidelines
for the Referring Instructor
It's
important to consider that as a student diver you may know very
little about PADI Standards, training methods or procedures. You are
in the hands of two experts at either end of the referral process:
your Instructor and the Instructor completing the balance of your
training.
By following a few simple
guidelines, your Instructor can help you feel comfortable with the
process and confident that both your Instructor and the receiving
Instructor are working together to help you meet your goal of
earning PADI certification.
Your
Instructor should:
1. Explain to you that only
successfully completed Knowledge Development, Confined Water Dives
and Open Water Dives may be credited in a referral.
2. Keep your PADI
Open Water Diver Course Record and Referral Form located on the back
of the Student Record File (or in the blue PADI Diver's Log and
Training Record--Product No. 70047) up-to-date. Before sending a
copy of it to you to take to the next instructor, your Instructor
should double check to be sure there are no missing signatures,
dates, etc.
3. Emphasize to you that the
referral is only valid for a maximum of 12 months from the date of
the last training session and that the balance of the course should
be completed as soon as possible.
4. Discuss with you what to expect
upon referral, including that:
·
an extra cost will be involved
·
there will be a preassessment
·
if a medical release was required, you will need to bring a copy
·
only the instructor completing the open water training can complete
the PIC envelope and be the certifying instructor. (He might show
you a PIC envelope so you can recognize it.)
·
a photo will be needed for the PIC envelope
·
only a PADI Instructor may complete your open water dives for PADI
certification.
Additionally, your Instructor
should give you your contact information and make you aware that he
can contact PADI to verify whether an instructor is current and
authorized to conduct the balance of his training.
5. Your Instructor may help you
choose where you wants to finish your training by going through the
list of PADI Dive Centers/Resorts in your destination area.
6. Your Instructor may help you
ensure everything will be prepared at the other end by contacting
the selected dive center and verify that the dive center will accept
referred students, has a feasible dive schedule and a PADI
Instructor available.
Your
Instructor may also ask if the referring Instructor would like to
receive any additional documentation (for example, a copy of the
Open Water Diver Course Final Exam) and address costs, equipment
availability and other concerns.
7. Your Instructor will establish a
link with the dive center for future collaboration and will give
them your contact information and an invitation to call you in the
event of a question or problem.
Your
Instructor should
follow up by asking you to visit his Dive Center after you complete
your dives. This will give him a chance to congratulate you, help
out in the event a problem exists, and most important, to foster
good customer service.
Guidelines
for the Receiving Instructor
As a Teaching
status PADI Instructor, whom can I accept?
Any student diver with
documentation (signed by the original instructor) verifying which
segments of his training have been successfully completed within the
past 12 months and that he is medically fit to dive.
What
steps do I need to follow?
That depends on the type of
referral:
1. PADI to PADI -
When the student's previous training was part of a PADI Open Water
or Scuba Diver course conducted by a PADI Instructor and will result
in a PADI certification after he successfully completes the balance
of his training with you.
2. Non-PADI to PADI - When the
student's previous training was part of a course conducted by an
instructor from an organization other than PADI and will result in a
PADI certification after he successfully completes the open water
dives conducted by you.
The necessary steps of the referral
process will vary in either of these scenarios as outlined below,
but all will consist of:
· Verification and
Documentation
· Preassessment
· Training
· Certification
There is also another type of
referral, "Universal" or "Global" Referrals -
When the student's previous
training was part of a course conducted by an instructor from an
organization other than PADI and will result in a certification by
the original instructor's organization after he successfully
completes the open water dives conducted by you.
PADI to PADI Referrals
Verification and
Documentation Verification -
In PADI-to-PADI Referrals, the
diver may be referred after successfully completing any Knowledge
Development session, Confined Water Dive or Open Water Dive.
The Receiving
Instructor
must verify what segments the student has successfully completed. It
is important to note that when a student is referred between Open
Water Dives, the receiving instructor must insure that all Dive
Flexible Skills are successfully completed before certification.
This can be done by reviewing his referral documentation. This could
be a copy of the PADI Open Water Diver Course Record and Referral
Form located on the back of the Student Record File or in the blue
PADI Diver's Log and Training Record (Product No. 70047). Note: If
one instructor completes all five Knowledge Development, or all five
Confined Water Dives and the Watermanship Assessment (at least a 200
metre/yard swim or 300 metre/yard mask, snorkel, and fin swim and a
10 minute tread/float) only one signature is necessary for each
section. This is noted on the form.
Referrals are only valid within 12
months of the last completed training segment. To extend the
referral another 12 months, the original or another instructor at
the same dive center/resort must complete one of the following with
the student diver, based on the instructor's judgment on what would
be most appropriate for the situation:
1. A new course segment
2. A previous course segment
3. A PADI Scuba Review
It's the
referring instructor's responsibility to make sure the diver is
referral-ready: prepared for the next training session.
Referral
Card
Another form of
referral documentation is the Referral Card. It's a recognition card
that verifies that the student has completed all course work leading
up to the open water dives including all confined water dives and
knowledge development for the PADI Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver
Courses (including all required watermanship and knowledge
assessments).
Student divers with Referral Cards
can also be referred between Dive Three and Four with documentation
from the instructor conducting Dive Three. The card is only valid
for 12 months from the date printed on the card.
Referred
10 or 11 Year Old Student Divers
If the referred student is 10 or 11
years old, the Receiving Instructor will also need a copy of the
Youth Diving: Responsibility and Risks Acknowledgement form (Product
No. 00602) that was completed and signed by a parent in addition to
the referral document. If not, the receiving Instructor will need to
review the Youth Diving: Responsibility and Risks video or flip
chart and complete a new form with the parent and child.
Documentation
Next, have the
student complete a PADI Medical Statement, Standard Safe Diving
Practices Statement of Understanding, and Liability Release
(Certificate of Understanding) and Assumption of Risk Agreement. If
you use the PADI Student Record File, all of these documents are
printed there.
Preassessment
As
the receiving instructor, you must verify that the student has
adequate knowledge and skills to safely and effectively participate
in open water training. Remediate as necessary, before conducting
any of the training dives.
Because PADI Standards and
Procedures ensure consistency in how the student was trained and
evaluated, the receiving instructor is allowed some latitude in
choosing how to conduct this preassessment. However, it is important
to remember that you are accepting responsibility for ensuring that
the student is fully prepared to continue on to open water training.
Training
After completing
these steps, you can then conduct the Open Water Dives as outlined
in the PADI Open Water Diver Course Instructor Guide. Note: Because
Dive Flexible Skills may be conducted during any open water dive,
you must verify that the student has successfully completed all
skills.
Certification
As the instructor
completing the open water dives, only you can certify the student.
You must submit a PADI Positive Identification Card (PIC) envelope
to PADI for processing and retain the completed PADI Open Water
Diver Referral Record. |