Good IDC for getting PADI OWSI?

[BarryNL]

So I plan to go all the way up the ladder to PADI Course Director for when I open my dive shop, just so I can offer a full range of classes without having a crapload of employees to start, and I actually can only go up to Assistant Instructor with my instructor I go through now. He's independent, not affiliated with any dive shop, and he said "no" when I asked him if there were any IDCs in the area such as the dive shops that he would recommend taking the OWSI course through. So my question is, where can I take the OWSI course and get a good education? I'll probably be an Assistant Instructor when I take it, not a DM, so will the course be shorter/cheaper or will it be a better idea to go straight from DM to OWSI? Thanks for your input guys!

I think your first task is to decide what kind of dive shop you're going to open - who are you intending to cater to? There doesn't seem to be much point in going all the way to Course Director if your core market is going to be vacationing divers - PADI's most commonly awarded qualification is 'Scuba Diver' - that's right, not even Open Water Diver! You can run a perfectly good dive centre for holidaymakers with only an OWSI card.

I'd also second what others have said here, which is to get some experience rather than just rushing through the levels - it's no coincidence that the dive instructors with the best reputations are those who also have a lot of experience outside their training while those who rush through the levels tend to be only able to provide training which is adequate but no more. Personally, I'd say you should have a couple of hundred dives in a wide range of locations and conditions before considering moving up to pro status; your teaching ability will be far better for it.

 

[tekdver]

Hello Tim,
My name is Rick Rowett. I am the General Manager at Dolphin Scuba Center in Sacramento. I am a PADI Course Director. If you would like to call me I can give you all the details on doing the Instructor path.I have flexible schedules and competitive prices and a 100% pass record plus I actively teach classes from open water through Trimix and Rebreathers. I have the experience to help prepare you for your diving career.

 

[24940]

Hello Tim,
My name is Rick Rowett. I am the General Manager at Dolphin Scuba Center in Sacramento. I am a PADI Course Director. If you would like to call me I can give you all the details on doing the Instructor path.I have flexible schedules and competitive prices and a 100% pass record plus I actively teach classes from open water through Trimix and Rebreathers. I have the experience to help prepare you for your diving career.

100% pass rate? I have a real problem with that. Not everyone can be a good instructor. It's not a skill that can just be bought, it takes skill, experience and a genuine aptitude for teaching. Crap, 100%? Can you certify my goat?

Passing a course is one thing, getting employed is another. Do you have any numbers on graduate placement available? Thanks.

 

[BarryNL]

I have flexible schedules and competitive prices and a 100% pass record

Hmm, on that basis GUE must be hopeless because they don't come near a 100% pass record...

 

[Thalassamania]

Hello Tim,
My name is Rick Rowett. I am the General Manager at Dolphin Scuba Center in Sacramento. I am a PADI Course Director. If you would like to call me I can give you all the details on doing the Instructor path.I have flexible schedules and competitive prices and a 100% pass record plus I actively teach classes from open water through Trimix and Rebreathers. I have the experience to help prepare you for your diving career.

I guess you must be a much better instructor than the rest of us who have had to actually fail a candidate once in a great while.

 

[scubadale]

Can you certify my goat?

That would be the coveted Goat Diver Specialty. Upon completion it is celebrated with a bar-b-q.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

PADI's most commonly awarded qualification is 'Scuba Diver' - that's right, not even Open Water Diver!

I would be interested to know where your statistics are for that claim. I have worked for years in the resort setting, and Scuba Diver is mostly used for students who can't pass the full class. In my experience, only the bad apples are selling Scuba Diver. There are really only a small percentage of bad apples, and so it would seem to me only a small percentage of Scuba Divers. As stated here over and over, not many could actually fail OW the way it's been dumbed down.

 

[stimpy4242]

I just want to know where I can go to medical school with degrees in computer science...didn't he say medical school doesn't care what your undergrads are in? Just curious...

 

[emttim]

I just want to know where I can go to medical school with degrees in computer science...didn't he say medical school doesn't care what your undergrads are in? Just curious...

I'm done with this thread but I'll answer your question so you have the information, since you were curious.

U.S. medical schools, based on everything I've researched and read, simply do not care what your degree is in. There are certain classes that must be taken, most schools require these to be completed within 5 years of application, that consist of 1 year of physics w/lab, 1 year of general chemistry w/lab, 1 year of organic chemistry w/lab, and 1 year of general biology w/lab. Some schools require either 1 semester/quarter of math or a full year; typically you can meet this requirement with calculus and/or statistics. Some schools require some of the math (if required) to be calculus or statistics. Harvard requires one full year of calculus.

The reason there's the common misconception that you have to have a science degree to apply to medical school is because all of the aforementioned classes count toward most types of science degrees so it's more convenient to major in science. Although in more recent years, it seems like medical schools are trying to emphasize "diversity" so they may actually have a very small preference towards non-science degrees such as psychology, business, history, etc. Although they care a lot more about your numbers (GPA & MCAT score) than what you majored in.

Pretty much anyone who already has a bachelor degree can apply to medical school as long as they've completed the pre-requisites of that medical school within the timeframe that they require; sometimes it's 5 years and other times there's no time limit (at least not mentioned in writing, there's a lot of requirements they refuse to acknowledge).

My sources since this entire post isn't credible without them:

AAMC-approved list of U.S. medical schools - you can go to each medical school's web site, go under admissions, then find something that says admissions criteria, pre-requisites, application process, etc. to find requirements such as classes and college units in order to apply

UC Davis Handout on Medical School Preparation - Lots of good information here, provides a general overview

Student Doctor Network - Another web site with a good amount of excellent information, however, I will offer the warning that the forums are a source of a great deal of possibly (or obviously) inaccurate information and immature rants by the 18-23 demographic.

OldPreMeds.org - Yet another informative web site, this one is geared towards non-traditional (not straight from college to med school) and/or older applicants and almost virtually absent of the inflammatory rants and inaccurate information that can plague the SDN forums

Hope that answers your question.

 

[stimpy4242]

You are completely right medical school does not require a science degree...i think everyone knows that. My point was, and i guess I should have expressed my sarcasm better, was that all the things you mentioned as prerequisites are the typical biology, chemistry, and those other pre med degrees. That was my point...those are a lot of courses to get into medical school. Reputable medical school have them as PRErequisites, not within 5 years or indefinitely...