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Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs

for the Emergency Medical Services Professions
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Accreditation Workshop,
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DECEMBER 1 & 2
Accreditation Workshop, Dallas
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News from the CoAEMSP
A COMMITTEE ON ACCREDITATION OF CAAHEP

FEBRUARY 2016 
'MedBots' Provide Options for Distance Education
A mobile virtual presence device is a tablet device on a five to six foot vertical pole with a wheeled mobility device at its base.

How many of you know what a mobile virtual presence device is? Of those who said yes, how many first heard of them from an episode of The Big Bang Theory? Well, get ready to put your geek on because we are about to look at how these devices might be used for prehospital education and maybe even more.



Using the webcam of the iPad, the user can see what is in front of them as they roll the device around. Someone looking at the device can see and interact with the user on the screen. Think of it as a robot stick figure. The user can be anywhere in the world as long as both users have a Wi-Fi connection.

They were first used in the business world for people to attend meetings without having to actually be at the meeting. They were also used at education institutions for long distance learning.

David Gurchiek, PhD, is a former paramedic and current department chairman for Montana State University's nursing, health and public safety programs in Billings, Montana.

"We currently have online and hybrid training programs that include online and lab skills days at the university," explains Gurchiek. "As far as I can tell, no one else is using these devices for paramedic training." Gurchiek says. "In the traditional smart classroom used for distance learning, the cameras in the room don't move. With these devices, the students can move the device and look at who is talking or face someone they want to talk to. We are calling them MedBots."

Double Robotics uses an iPad Air 2 mounted on a pole attached to a set of wheels. The pole can be extended or retracted to put the iPad at different heights. The devices have dual cameras, one looking forward and one looking down. The camera pointed down is to assist in moving.

What Gurchiek realized, the lab students could see patient simulators lying on the floor with the camera pointed downward. The student user can control the MedBot from another iPad or a computer.   Read more...
Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Template Revised
The CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines require every Paramedic program to have an advisory committee. The advisory committee must meet at least once a year and review the goal(s), outcomes for the classes, and make recommendations to the program. In addition, the advisory committee meeting should include a review of minimum competency requirements, including team leads, achievement of goals, analysis of goals, action plans and results of action, and review the annual report. Advisory committee meetings must have minutes reflecting the attendees and meaningful discussion and actions during the meeting.

To support programs and assist with the advisory committee meeting minutes, a template was created and is available HERE.

The meeting minutes must reflect who was present, who was absent, and which community of interest each member represents. The communities of interest include, but are not limited to, students, graduates, faculty, sponsor administration, hospital/clinic representatives, physicians, employers, police and fire services, key governmental officials, and the public.

Response to Findings Letter & Progress Reports Due March 1
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Staff Contact: Karen Franks, [email protected] or 214-703-8445, x111
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Do you have a progress report due March 1? Have you recently hosted a site visit and have a response to the site visit findings due December 1? If yes, be sure to submit it no later than March 1 to prevent a recommendation for probation or withhold of accreditation.

Programs Seeking Initial Accreditation: If the Program's response to the Site Visit Findings Letter is received after the March 1 date, then the Program's review will be postponed to the August 2016 meeting. In addition, if no response is received by March 1, the Program's Letter of Review status may be revoked.

Programs Seeking Continuing Accreditation
If the Program's response to the Site Visit Findings Letter is received after the March 1 due date, then the Program's response will be considered as "not received". The CoAEMSP Board will review the Program as scheduled; however, it will not consider the past due response and it may lead to a recommendation of probation.

Programs Maintaining Accreditation
If the Program's Progress Report is received after the March 1 due date, then the Program's response will be considered as "not received". The CoAEMSP Board will review the Program as scheduled; however, it will not consider the past due Progress Report and it may lead to a recommendation of probation.

Please Note!
The Response to the Findings Letter or the Progress Report must be submitted as a single PDF document to [email protected]. No exceptions!
 
CAAHEP Fee Increase is Five Months Away
CAAHEP has continually publicized the 2016 fee increase ever since the Board approved the fee changes in November 2015. Now, there are only five months left until the change in CAAHEP's institutional fees take effect.

Beginning July 1, 2016
, the fee will be raised from $450 to $550. This is the first increase in over 15 years! This is the fee paid by every institution that sponsors one or more CAAHEP-accredited programs.

Any educational institution or CAAHEP accredited program with questions on the new institutional fee should contact the CAAHEP office for assistance.
Summer Accreditation Workshop to be Held in Louisville

JUNE 16 & 17

This updated accreditation workshops will focus on the new 2015 CAAHEP Standards and the new Self Study Report templates. This workshop is a must for new program directors as well as seasoned program directors!

Because all programs will be transitioning to the new Selt Study Reports (SSRs), and more than 200 programs will be going through the accreditation process for the first time, these workshops will serve as an invaluable resource.


CAAHEP Accreditation Actions for Paramedic Programs
Each profession in the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) system has a Committee on Accreditation (CoA) that consists of experts in the profession that are responsible for reviewing programs and making appropriate recommendations for accreditation to CAAHEP. CAAHEP reviews recommendations received from its CoAs in each profession, assures due process was followed, and takes final action on an accreditation status. For Paramedic programs, the CoA is the Committee on Accreditation on Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP).

CAAHEP took the following actions at its January 21, 2016, meeting. Actions are identified by action taken, and date of the next comprehensive evaluation. In some cases, the degree is also specified. Where available, links to the programs' websites are provided.

The following Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic programs were found to be in compliance with the CAAHEP accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2021. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.

Polk State College, Winter Haven, FL
The following Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the CAAHEP accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA).  The programs were granted continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2021.

Blinn College, Bryan, TX
SUNY Cobleskill, Cobleskill, NY
The following Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic programs were found to be in compliance with the CAAHEP accreditation Standards and Guidelines and were granted initial accreditation for a period not to exceed five (5) years. These actions require no progress report and were approved on the consent agenda.

The following Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic programs were found to be in substantial compliance with the CAAHEP accreditation Standards and Guidelines, with one or more Standards requiring a progress report to be submitted to the appropriate Committee on Accreditation (CoA).  The programs were granted initial accreditation for a period not to exceed five (5) years.

Kilgore College, Longview, TX
The following program had a transfer of sponsorship approved, with a status of continuing accreditation, with the next comprehensive evaluation to occur no later than 2018.

El Centro College, Dallas, TX 
By the Numbers

Share Your Feedback and Suggestions
Is there something you would like us to cover in a future eUpdate? Let us know!

Sincerely,
Jennifer S. Anderson Warwick, MA
CoAEMSP