A research study was conducted by a subcommittee of the National Association of EMS Educators' Research Committee, composed of members with expertise in EMS education and healthcare simulation. The group conducted a cross-sectional census survey of 638 Paramedic programs that were either accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or holding a Letter of Review by the CoAEMSP.

The purpose of this research was to characterize the use of simulation in initial Paramedic education programs in order to assist stakeholders' efforts to target educational initiatives and resources. This group sought to provide a snapshot of what simulation resources programs have or have access to and how they are used; faculty perceptions about simulation; whether program characteristics, resources, or faculty training influence simulation use; and if simulation resources are uniform for patients of all ages.

Learn more about the findings of the descriptive study here.

Students are required to complete a confidential survey, as one component of the Self Study Report for programs seeking either Initial Accreditation by CAAHEP or Continuing Accreditation by CAAHEP. The survey is administered electronically through SurveyMonkey.

A link for this survey is emailed to a program in the same email reminding the program that it has a self study due and the self study due date.

The link in this email allows students to access the online questionnaire. All currently enrolled students must complete the survey.

The original paper surveys are no longer accepted.

Do you have a progress report due June 1? Have you recently hosted a site visit and have a response to the site visit findings due June 1? Be sure to submit it as a single PDF document to Karen (karen@coaemsp.org) on or before June 1 to prevent a recommendation for probation or a withhold of accreditation.

The CoAEMSP staff is charged with reviewing the accreditation records of 70 programs. That means the documentation you have submitted for ONE program is multiplied by 70 for the staff! The staff person receiving the 70 programs' submissions must collate it for dissemination to the Board. This is a huge task, and we need to be sure we are as efficient and accurate as possible.

To ensure ALL of the documentation is received and reviewed, programs MUST:

Failure to submit the document as a single PDF document or eliminate all links and embedded files will delay the review of the program's accreditation record.

The CoAEMSP Board has found it necessary to take a hard stance on reports submitted after the deadline, in multiple files, or in the wrong format. When reports or responses are not submitted according to the above requirements, they will be considered as "not received" and the Board will NOT review the material.

Click HERE for tips on HOW to create a single PDF.

Programs will receive an invoice for Annual Accreditation Fees in the amount of $1,400 during the week of May 4. This invoice will come from Ruth Crump (ruth@coaemsp.org).

If you do not receive an invoice by May 8, first, check your spam folder to see if the invoice ended up there; if not, notify Ruth: ruth@coaemsp.org, so that she can email it to you immediately.

The due date for the invoice is July 1. This applies to ALL programs that either hold accreditation or the Letter of Review, or are working toward the LoR.

To avoid additional processing fees, payment is due on or before July 31.  

NOTE: An Additional Processing Fee invoice of $500 will be sent the first week in August for past due Annual Accreditation Fees. The increase in Additional Processing Fees is noted on the Fees page of our website.

If your program requires that a Purchase Order appear on the invoice, email this request immediately to ruth@coaemsp.org.

Immediately following the conclusion of the Open Hearing, the Open Hearing panel met in executive session to assess testimony and comments to determine which, if any, should be incorporated into the Standards and Guidelines.

Following consultation with the CoAEMSP Chair and senior staff, the CAAHEP Standards Committee formulated a recommendation based on the outcome of the Open Hearing. The CAAHEP Board of Directors will take action on the recommendation during its May 15 Board of Directors meeting.

Upon final approval of the Standards, the implementation timeline will be announced. Stay tuned for more information. 

The National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) is currently seeking nominations for awards presented at its Annual Educators Symposium and Trade Show to be held in Nashville, August 4-9, 2015.

NAEMSE has been providing annual awards to valued EMS educators since 2008. They provide three annual awards:

The Legends that Walk Among Us Award honors individuals who have helped shape EMS education nationally.

The Unsung Hero Award honors individuals who are not nationally known, but who make an incredible difference in the lives of those he or she teaches.

The Fallen Hero Award honors individuals who have passed away and have had an incredible impact on the EMS education community.

The applications for these awards are found here. Those considered for each award must be nominated by an individual and have letters of recommendation.

The James O. Page Scholarship is also offered annually by NAEMSE. This scholarship provides travel, accommodation, and a conference registration to a NAEMSE member who has shown active involvement in the EMS education community, financial need, commitment to EMS, and proof that attendance will benefit their community. The application for this scholarship can be found here. 

The 2015 NAEMSE Annual Symposium will be held in Nashville from August 4-9. All awardees will be recognized during the general membership session on Friday, August 7.

You may contact NAEMSE with questions: naemse@naemse.org or 412-343-4775, x23.

The Evaluating Student Competency Workshop will be the only workshop offered August 4-5 in Nashville at the Annual Symposium.

The only other time this year that BOTH the Accreditation Update AND Evaluating Student Competency Workshop will be offered is December 3-5 in Chicago.

TESTIMONIALS
from Dallas Workshops

"I needed this update! Job well done!"

"Extremely helpful! Everyone should attend!"

"A lot of ground covered effectively, and in an interesting, fun manner."

"...the group discussions were helpful and the accepting atmosphere kept everyone at ease. Great job!"

"...There have been some changes in the last few years, so the update was helpful."

"...Worth every minute and every $$."

"...Anyone who teaches or manages an EMS program should come to these courses, and keep coming back! Just outstanding!"

"...the fear of the unknown was allayed by the approachability of the team."

"I especially appreciate the intentional efforts toward clarity and reducing some of the anxiety the process of accreditation naturally brings. Also very helpful was the addressing of the underlying philosophy related to the Standards/Guidelines/Interpretations."

 Make plans now!