Category Archives: Archived Webinars

Getting Ready for AEMT Voluntary Accreditation

Recorded on June 13, 2024

CoAEMSP will begin accepting applications for Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) voluntary programmatic accreditation on January 1, 2025.

What can you do now to get ready for the accreditation process?

Do you need more information regarding voluntary accreditation before you can make a decision? 

Are you a Program Director who is new to accreditation and wondering where to begin?

Resources

Slides: Voluntary AEMT Accreditation: Process & Pathway
Jun-2024 Download

Conversation with American Sirens Author Kevin Hazzard on the Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics

Kevin Hazzard is a journalist, TV writer, and former paramedic who has written an essential book – American Sirens – chronicling the often overlooked and unknown origins of the paramedic profession.

The story begins in 1968 when twenty-four Black men in Pittsburgh started a revolution in emergency medicine. They were the first to show that medicine could be practiced in the back of an ambulance … and that lives could be saved by professionalizing medical transport.

They were the world’s first paramedics. And until Kevin’s book, they were largely erased from history.

Join Dr. George Hatch for an intimate conversation with Kevin Hazzard, where they discuss the importance of those early days, including the long odds and fierce opposition the early paramedics faced in the waning years of the civil rights era. And they will consider the implications of our shared history for the future of emergency medicine. This is one webinar you will not want to miss.

Implementing the 2023 CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines for the EMS Professions

Recorded on Nov. 8, 2023

Facilitators:
Michael Miller, EdD, RN, NRP, Assistant Director, CoAEMSP
Patricia Tritt, MA, RN, Technical Consultant, CoAEMSP

  • Learn the implementation schedule
  • Identify the changes to the CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines
  • Discuss best practices for implementing the revised CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines

The revised CAAHEP Standards for Paramedic programs, effective January 1, 2024, are posted here.

Resources

2023 CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines - high-level overview of modifications
Nov-2023 Download
Slides: 2023 CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines Implementation
Nov-2023 Download

Continuous Quality Review: Strategies to Improve the Educational Program

Recorded August 2, 2023

Facilitators:
Patricia Tritt, MA, RN, Technical Consultant, CoAEMSP
Lisa Collard, AS, Assistant to Executive Director, CoAEMSP

Programs should evaluate their services in a variety of ways, obtaining input from multiple sources. Assessment methods include resource assessment tools; regular surveys or evaluations from students; end-of-program evaluations from students; evaluations from students on specific clinical and field internship rotations and preceptors; comments from students, faculty, employers, and Advisory Committee members; CoAEMSP Annual Report; and use of tools such as a SWOT analysis (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). These processes are all part of quality assessment and review and provide the basis for long-range planning. This presentation will review available tools, appropriate intervals, and best practices from participants.

  • Describe various methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of their EMS educational program.
  • Identify which evaluation tools are required by CoAEMSP for program and student evaluation.
  • List the timing of the required evaluation tools.

Resources

Aug-2023 Download

Fair Practices, CAAHEP Standard V

Recorded June 28, 2023

Facilitators:
Michael Miller, EdD, RN, NRP, Assistant Director, CoAEMSP
Thomas Platt, EdD, NRP, Associate Dean for Academic Partnerships, University of Pittsburgh

Objectives:

  • Define the term fair practices.
  • Analyze the components of the CAAHEP Standards regarding fair practices.
  • Explain the importance of fair practices.

Description:
Fair practices encompass a variety of responsibilities an educational program must provide to prospective and enrolling students. Clear and accurate information allows students to make informed decisions regarding the policies and procedures, and outcomes performance of the program. Have you ever had a student seek to challenge a grade? What kind of process does your program have to guide the student through such a situation? Other than tuition, are all the costs associated with attending and successfully completing the program well-defined? Join us as we review the important components of the CAAHEP Standards regarding fair practices designed to protect students and the program.

Resources

Slides: Fair Practices, CAAHEPStandard V
Jun-2023 Download

Resource Assessment: When, Why, and How…
 & the Resource Assessment Matrix

Recorded December 7 2022

Mike Miller

Effectively educating paramedic students is challenging, requiring many different resources. Each year paramedic programs are required to complete a Resource Assessment Survey of both program personnel and students. Survey results include 10 different component areas and are to be reported using the Resource Assessment Matrix. Annually assessing resources provides program leadership, including the medical director and advisory committee, the ability to reaffirm areas of strength and develop action plans for areas in need of improvement. Sign up now to review the process for your program’s resource assessment.

Objectives:

  • Summarize the 10 component areas required in the resource assessment survey.
  • Describe the process to complete the Resource Assessment Survey and Resource Assessment Matrix.
  • Examine the importance of annual resource assessment.

Resources

Slides: Resource Assessment
Dec-2022 Download

Satellites & Alternate Locations

Mike Miller
Pat Tritt
Lisa Collard
Lynn Caruthers

Recorded on November 30, 2022

EMS education modalities continue to evolve from original single location classrooms to alternatives in delivery as technology grows. Changes may be driven by the availability of resources, workforce and agency needs, or by the desire of learners for a non-traditional learning environment. In response to these needs, programs may develop satellite locations or use alternate locations to deliver classroom and laboratory activities. Regardless of the modality, students attending Paramedic programs must receive the same educational program, and the CoAEMSP policies describe the requirements for Satellites and Alternate Locations. This session will review these requirements and considerations for implementation and provide examples of best practices managing delivery.

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will:

  • Describe the differences between a Satellite and an Alternate Location.
  • List the requirements of a Satellite and an Alternate Location.
  • Discuss considerations in developing a Satellite or Alternate Location.

Resources

Slides: Satellites & Alternate Locations
Dec-2022 Download

Student Minimum Competency Recommendations: Are you ready?

Recorded October 19, 2022

Mike Miller
Pat Tritt

The primary goal of any Paramedic education program is to assure students are competent at the end of the program of study. For many years the CoAEMSP has required programs to track and report minimum competencies for various age groups, complaints, and skills as specified originally in the Student Patient Contact Matrix. The National Registry required completion and attestation of a psychomotor portfolio. CoAEMSP and the National Registry assembled a workgroup to review and revise the Student Minimum Competency Recommendations to be utilized by programs for students enrolling on or after January 1, 2023. Join us as we explore the new recommendations, documentation, and student tracking.

Objectives:

  • Review each component of the Student Minimum Competency (SMC) recommendations.
  • Discuss implementation strategies for the SMC recommendations.
  • Illustrate SMC summary tracking requirements for CAAHEP accredited and CoAEMSP Letter of Review programs.

Resources

Student Minimum Competency Recommendations: Are you ready?
Oct-2022 Download

Preceptors – A Cornerstone to a Successful Capstone Experience


September, 2022

Kim McKenna
Rick Ellis
Jeff McDonald
Megan Corry

It is widely acknowledged that the capstone field experience represents the synthesis of all learning in a paramedic program. This phase of the program is critical to assess the paramedic student’s ability to integrate all elements of learning gained in the classroom, lab, clinical, and field experience. During the capstone field internship, the student must successfully team lead with minimal prompting and be provided accurate, honest feedback by expert field preceptors. The selection, training, and ongoing feedback between the program staff and capstone field internship preceptors is essential to assure that the student is progressing appropriately and to intervene with remediation measures when communication between program staff and preceptors indicates that the learner is not reaching entry-level practice as a paramedic.

This panel discussion explores these issues and provide guidance on how to design an effective capstone experience to maximize the student’s success at this most critical phase of their program.

  • Describe the goals of the capstone experience.
  • Determine selection criterion for capstone preceptors.
  • Outline strategies to assure the capstone preceptor(s) know their expectations.
  • Explain effective approaches capstone preceptors may use to provide feedback to students.
  • Discuss the techniques to monitor student progress during the capstone experience.
  • Identify measures to remediate learners who are struggling during the capstone experience.
  • Locate resources on the CoAEMSP website with information related to the capstone experience.