Since 1979 Terry Canfield has cared for more than 10,000 people in need! As a Paramedic/Firefighter Terry has stepped into the lives of others at a time of extreme stress and uncertainty. They have looked to him to bring calm to the chaos.  This has been the most rewarding and tortuous experience Terry can imagine.  The training, trials, and tribulations that Terry has been through have given him a unique perspective into the human struggle.

It is this perspective that has influenced Terry to develop himself as an Instructor and Instructor Trainer. Combining his schooling in psychology, human nature, and Emergency Services, Terry has shared his experiences with hundreds who may be called upon to help others.  They have appreciated his common sense approach to dealing with unanticipated events to optimize a positive outcome. 

In addition to helping responders influence the situation Terry has addressed how the situation influences the responder!  Even before there was training for Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, Terry has helped hundreds of families, friends, and fellow workers deal with sudden tragedy.  This is life in the now!  Emergencies cut through all of the artificial layers of society that we erect to shelter us from the harsh reality... That life as we know it is temporary.  In fact, there are a lot of uncertainties in life and Terry has help thousands deal with them as they "interrupted" their lives.  Businesses take on a lifelike force of their own because they are made up of living breathing individuals that bring all of their cares, concerns and quandaries into a situation that has its own set of cares, concerns and quandaries.

The health of an organization is pretty much like the health of you or me.  It could be better and it could be worse, but it is sufficient for the moment.  One thing I do when I treat a patient is to establish as quickly as possible which of three possibilities is present.  One the patient's condition is improving which is great news and only requires that I support and not hinder anything that is responsible for the improvement.  Second, the patient could be deteriorating.  If this is the case assertive action needs to be taken to turn this situation around.  And thirdly, there may be no apparent movement in either direction.  If this is the case it is temporary at best, nothing stays the same for long.

Another aspect of this is to establish the health status of the patient at the point of my intervention.  If they are in cardiac arrest, then there isn't anywhere to go but up and that needs to happen very quickly.  If they are in excellent shape then there isn't anywhere to go but down and that needs to be guarded against proactively.   These two components, a starting point, or baseline, and a direction of movement, determine all of the subsequent actions of any healthcare provider.

This same paradigm is exactly what can help an organization whether it is in existence to serve the public or to make a profit.  This is the same approach I use to help others.  A "Systems" approach is used to determine the nature of the dysfunction.  A "disease process" is identified and located.  A "treatment plan" is developed and implemented.  I use a variety of tools to do that, just as I have a variety of drugs for different ailments.  It depends on the cause and location of the illness as to the application of any treatment.  The success of that treatment can only be measured by the health of the patient.   Therefore monitoring of the health is continuous to determine the effectiveness of that treatment. 

This is an effective way to treat organs or organizations and they respond with amazing similarity!  When was the last time you, or your organization, had a check up?