SEPTEMBER / IN THIS ISSUE, edition 1

The value of accreditation

How CAAHEP Accreditation Helped Me

By Alexander J. Irizarry NRP, NREMT-B, TP-C.

SGT, Medical Operations NCOD Co. 436^th CA Battalion 

After two-and-a-half years of paramedic education, I was able to complete the final step in gaining national certification as a Paramedic by taking the National Registry Paramedic Psychomotor Exam. While this length of education was a little longer than most students, my schooling was interrupted due to military service and activation as a US Army Reservist (USAR). Serving my country resulted in a few unanticipated gaps during my education and meant rejoining a different paramedic class after returning from a tour. Despite these obstacles, my education and certification were complete, and I was excited to continue my career as a Certified Paramedic. 

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Published Research

Medical Directors, Facilities, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accredited Paramedic Programs

The CoAEMSP and the National Registry collaborated on research published in the article "Medical Directors, Facilities, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accreditation Paramedic Programs," which was recently published by Prehospital Emergency Care Journal. Read more

Initial paramedic education must have sufficient rigor and appropriate resources to prepare graduates to provide lifesaving prehospital care. Despite required national paramedic accreditation, there is substantial variability in paramedic pass rates that may be related to program infrastructure and clinical support. The objective of the research was to evaluate U.S. paramedic program resources and identify common deficiencies that may affect program completion.

Advisory Committee:

Public Members and Their Role

"Must I have a public member on my Advisory Committee? They can't contribute; they don't know anything about education or being a(n) [fill in the profession]." 

I often hear this question as a staff member with two CAAHEP Committees on Accreditation: anesthesiologist assistants and EMS professions. 

Yes, you must have a public member on your Advisory Committee. Yes, they can and do contribute. They do not need to know about education or your profession. 

Read more here about what constitutes a public member and where can you find a public member.

Congratulations!

Joanne Piccininni, EdD, MBA, NRP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Bergen Community College, Paramus, NJ, earned the Doctor of Education degree conferred on April 19, 2023, by the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.

Christopher Schierer, EdD, NRP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Myrtle Beach, SC, earned the Doctor of Education degree conferred on May 29, 2022, by A.T. Still University.

Kimberly Whitten-Chung, EdD, NRP, CHSE, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Pikes Peak State College, Colorado Springs, Colo., earned the Doctor of Education degree conferred on August 13, 2023, by Waldon University.

Information Worth Repeating

Looking for Clinical Coordination Tools?

A new section on clinical coordination has been added to the Resource Library > Clinical Coordinator. Two of the documents are resources for faculty who manage clinical and field internship coordination and provide an overview of best practices:

• Clinical Coordination Best Practices
• Field Internship Best Practices.

These documents provide a guide to assist a program in developing its own process for efficiently and effectively overseeing the activities involved; they do not prescribe how a program conducts oversight of these activities.

Programs may use these documents as a template to make edits and changes reflecting their specific logistics and requirements.

Similarly, samples have been developed by an experienced clinical and field internship coordinator to augment their clinical and field internship manuals and serve as a quick reference for students to emphasize important points and proactively address frequently asked questions:

• Clinical Phase Quick Guide for Students
• Field Internship Quick Guide for Students

These tools are shared with programs as potentially useful tools and may be edited to your specific program requirements; these tools are not required by CoAEMSP.

Do you have a best practice tool you would like to share? Please email to pat@coaemsp.org.