CoAEMSP News | April 2025 | | |
Why I am a Believer in Accreditation
By Megan Corry, EdD, NRP
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For more than two decades, I have had the pleasure of being a paramedic educator at City College of San Francisco, serving as program director since 2003. Then, and now, our mission is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors necessary to provide advanced emergency medical care in the pre-hospital setting.
Early in my career, I had a sense that a good educator could know intuitively if an aspect of our program was working. You could just “feel it.”
Of course, that’s a fallacy. Until you measure every aspect of the program against standards that are objective and fair, you cannot measure quality, let alone improve it.
That’s exactly what accreditation provides: a well-developed system of standards that ensure high quality education that results in a reliable, consistent, and competent workforce. That, in turn, can enhance healthcare outcomes.
Read the full article here.
| | High Marks for Fundamentals of Accreditation Workshop | | |
Feedback from the most recent CoAEMSP Fundamentals of Accreditation Workshop (February 2025) was resoundingly positive.
We had 72 attendees, of whom 43 (60%) responded to an evaluation survey. Nearly every respondent (98%) would recommend the workshop to a colleague.
High Marks
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Participant Comments
Keep it up! These workshops are a perfect introduction to the accreditation process.
I feel much more confident about what is and is not required for accreditation, and I am able to begin implementing positive change in our program's processes.
Great opportunity to learn from and work with the people who are directly involved in the accreditation process.
I loved interacting with others from around the U.S… I learned the CoAEMSP is not out to get me or the program, and that it is okay to make mistakes, learn from them, correct them, and move forward. This eased my anxiety about an upcoming site visit. Thank you for answering all the questions and letting us learn from one another.
Mark your calendars for upcoming Fundamentals of Accreditation Workshops!
May 28-29 – Anaheim, CA
@ACCREDITCON
Hyatt Regency Orange County
Register here
September 30-October 1 – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport
Registration opens on June 15, 2025
| | Evaluating a Program’s Strengths and Weaknesses | |
The accreditation process is designed to be outcome-based and emphasizes the competence of graduates. Programs often focus primarily on graduates passing the certifying exam, which is important for their careers. However, competency extends beyond passing the exam. Any exam provides only a snapshot in time. EMS students should be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills through creative instructional methodologies, resources, and activities beyond the textbook.
Regular assessment of students and educational processes is crucial for identifying program strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement to enhance the educational experience and the development of competency.
Continue reading here.
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First Program in North Carolina to Receive LoR in Advance of State Requirement
CoAEMSP Issues Second LoR for Voluntary AEMT Accreditation to Forsyth Technical Community College
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Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, NC, is the second Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) education program in the country to receive its Letter of Review (LoR) from CoAEMSP, just after Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC, which was the first.
The LoR signifies that the program is in the process of seeking accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the only nationally recognized accreditation organization for AEMT and paramedic education.
Beginning June 30, 2025, North Carolina will require all AEMT education programs in the state to be in the process of becoming accredited. Forsyth Tech is the first AEMT education program in North Carolina to receive its LoR. As an existing CAAHEP-accredited paramedic program, it completed the abridged application process and self-study report.
“This is a big step forward for our EMS program,” said Michael Belcher, EMS program director. “The Letter of Review validates the quality of our curriculum, our instructors, and the experience we’re providing to students. It also gives our students and their future employers even more confidence in the quality of the education they receive here. Our EMS team is proud to be leading the way in North Carolina and investing in top-tier training, simulation, and instruction to prepare the next generation of EMS professionals for success.”
“We are thrilled to see the momentum building for voluntary accreditation of AEMT education programs,” said Dr. George Hatch, executive director of CoAEMSP. “We know that accreditation establishes standards for high-quality education and results in a reliable and competent workforce. And we believe that the entire field of EMS will be strengthened as more AEMT education programs pursue voluntary accreditation. Congratulations to the team at Forsyth Tech for being first in the state.”
Visit the CoAEMSP website for more information on voluntary AEMT accreditation.
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Now with AEMT!
By the Numbers
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We are working diligently with all programs to streamline payment processes and ensure Annual Accreditation Fees are processed on time. As an ongoing proactive effort for this year’s Annual Accreditation Fee cycle, we encourage electronic payment/ACH. This will establish your program to send electronic payments for all future invoices, avoid the costs of sending paper checks, and eliminate the incurrence of Additional Processing Fees (APF), which removes important instructional funds for educating AEMTs and paramedics when needed more than ever!
As a reminder, credit cards are now accepted!
Please contact Michelle Esquivel (michelle@coaemsp.org) for assistance establishing an ACH transaction with CoAEMSP.
You can contact Michelle with any questions regarding conversion to ACH or our other payment options. OUR goal is to eliminate APFs. Please help us help your program retain all the important educational funds where they are needed most.
On May 7, program directors will receive the annual fee for 2025-2026.
Visit the CoAEMSP Fees page here.
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Michael Belcher, MS, NRP, program director of the AEMT and paramedic programs sponsored by Forsyth Technical Community College, King, NC, earned the Master of Science in Emergency Services Management degree conferred by Columbia Southern University on August 27, 2024.
Daniel Solomon, MBA, NRP, EMSI, program director of the paramedic program sponsored by Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH, earned the Master of Business Administration degree conferred by Capella University on March 31, 2025.
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Jennifer Reese, program director of the paramedic program sponsored by ECPI University, Virginia Beach, VA, passed away on March 10, 2025. Jennifer served as program director from October 2022 through her passing. Jen's passion for Fire and EMS began at an early age, sparked by visits to the Colonial Heights firehouse with her father, a dedicated volunteer. Obituary
Neil Jones, program director of the paramedic program sponsored by Impulse Training Academy, Monroeville, PA, passed away on September 9, 2024. He had served as program director from August 2021 until his passing. Neil graduated as valedictorian from his high school, where he was also a swim team captain. Obituary
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The History of EMS Week
In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS professionals and the important work they do in our nation's communities. National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's frontline. EMS Week is presented by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in partnership with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT). Together, NAEMT and ACEP lead annual EMS Week activities.
| | These organizations are working to ensure that the important contributions of EMS professionals in safeguarding the health, safety, and well-being of their communities are fully celebrated and recognized. | | | | |
