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As far as "right to work" I don't really think Tom means "RIGHT TO WORK" which for HR types usually means "A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries or on a federal enclave may not be protected by a Right to Work law." I think Tom means that somehow the instructor is being deprived of his livelihood by not being continued as an instructor by any organization and that very well may be a valid argument if the certification is taken away arbitrarily. Where most organizations and companies run afoul in matters such as this is not uniformly enforcing or policing the supposed standards. Such discriminatory behavior usually ends up in a fat settlement. From's Tom's description, there was a great deal of concern over the instructor and perhaps that instructor was actually held to a (gasp!) higher standard than other instructors in the organization. I certainly can't speak for how IANTD enforces and implements the standards and Tom would be in a much better position to do that. Of course he is right about the fact most of the other organizations don't have such broad physical standards in print, much less in practice. It is laudable that he even tries. My concern then becomes who actually reviews all the stuff? Are they really qualified to do this? Should there be an independent medical review? Should there be a standardized exam protocol? The standard which states "Complete the instructor physical skill evaluation and have it witnessed by another diver or instructor, or complete a VO2 max test, or complete an annual physical that includes a stress test" is certainly a good start but the first option seems dubious at best (exactly the sort of good ol boy system under relentless attack on this list) and lacks any medical/scientific validity or objectivity. As for the VO2 max test, I'm not sure that is really predictive of anything, though it does reflect some degree of current fitness. As for the last option, is there a standard history and physical form IANTD uses or is it up to the individual physician? "Stress test" is a non-specific term - what protocol should be used and what MET level should be reached, what is abnormal etc. A regular vanilla stess test is not really all that great at proving absence of disease (lots of false negatives). My real point is that though the standards may sound great they really offer a false sense of security at best But why pick on IANTD and Tom? What ABOUT the other organizations? What are they doing? Do we make requirements more stringent than those for commercial airline pilots or Navy divers? Where do we draw the line? And if the instructors have to meet these requirements, what about the students? Personally and professionally, I think there ARE far too many instructors and divers who have no business diving or teaching at the level they are at and perhaps should not be diving at all, much less cave diving - but at least in this country people are apparently free to hurt or kill themselves (or others) as they wish. More stringent requirements for everybody would be a welcome change, but I can't see it happening soon. I subscribe to the argument that the organizations are not intrinsically bad, though they should be held accountable and vilified if they are not watching what goes on in their respective names. Well, some are essentially volunteer, non-profit organizations, and if you start picking on people, that isn't very popular, is it? Besides, who has the time? It is essentially caveat emptor a this point - it is crucial that aspiring divers, divers in training and newly trained divers be educated in how to recognize a pile of shit when they see it. You wouldn't ask Jabba to be your personal trainer and consumers need to exercise some common sense when choosing an instructor. Can't we all just live together in peace and harmony <g>. Geoff Kelafant
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