AUGUST / IN THIS ISSUE

Program Directors Focus Group

The inaugural Program Directors Focus Group (PDFG) held its first meeting on July 27, 2023. After announcing the formation of the PDFG in February 2023, CoAEMSP received 125 applications for 24 member positions on the PDFG. A diverse group, the PDFG includes members from 23 different states from coast to coast and nearly every program sponsor type. 

During its first meeting, the group met for two hours learning more about the CoAEMSP Strategic Plan 2023-2025 and the proposed development of voluntary accreditation services for AEMT programs. Robust conversation and feedback were provided regarding voluntary AEMT accreditation, user experiences on the CoAEMSP website, and improvement opportunities of accreditation services processes. The PDFG members expressed a need for CoAEMSP to explore options to streamline processes to improve efficiency. 

Following each quarterly meeting, highlights from the CoAEMSP PDFG meeting will be posted to the PDFG page on our website found under the News & Events tab. Take a moment to review the highlights now.

Come See Us at Sessions & Booth #214

CoAEMSP will be at the NAEMSE Annual Symposium

CAAHEP President Don Balasa contributes to the national conversation about the importance of programmatic accreditation for students.

Why College Accreditation Matters 

(U.S. News & World Report, July 20, 2023)

Donald Balasa, president of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, says programmatic accreditation has value even at an institutionally accredited school.

“The role of institutional accreditors is not to look at specific programs in the school to the depth, breadth, and rigor of a programmatic or specialized accreditor,” Balasa says.

Read the article here.

The CoAEMSP team has a new member

Welcome, Sarah!

Sarah Pavlik joined the CoAEMSP in 2023 after teaching English for a year in South Korea. When she’s not at home reading, Sarah loves experimenting with new recipes, weightlifting, and trying new coffee shops. Although she currently lives in Texas, Sarah is always looking for new places to visit and explore. Sarah graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor’s in Science in Biology and a minor in Business Administration.

Sarah supports programs with the

• Self-Study Report Questionnaires
• Self-Study Report Submissions
• Sharefile access
• Survey tools via SurveyMonkey (student, program personnel, graduate, employer)

Registration Opens

in September!

October 18-19, Bloomington, Minn.

Fundamentals of Accreditation Workshop for the EMS Professions

The workshop is designed to educate participants on the CAAHEP Standards and the accreditation process, enhancing the accreditation knowledge of Paramedic program faculty.

Are you a new program director? Are you pursuing accreditation with a new Paramedic program? Then this workshop is required.

Using expert presentations and interactive group learning activities, the workshop will provide best practices to avoid common stumbling blocks.

Upcoming dates:

October 18-19, 2023, Bloomington, Minn. (registration now open)

January 3-4, 2024, via Zoom (registration opens November 1)

May 29 or 30, 2024, Oklahoma City, Okla @ACCREDITCON (registration opens September)

Information Worth Repeating

CAAHEP and CoAEMSP Plan to Launch Voluntary AEMT Accreditation January 1, 2025

Read the announcement here.

2023 CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the EMS Professions Approved

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

Read more on how this will impact your program.

CoAEMSP 2021 Annual Report - Outcomes Must Be Posted 

Program Directors and Deans of CAAHEP accredited programs and CoAEMSP LoR programs holding the LoR through 2021:

Verify your website posts the 2021 Annual Report Outcomes as reported to the CoAEMSP. These are the outcomes reported in the 2021 Annual Report submitted earlier this year, in 2023.

The outcomes must include the percentages for Retention, Written Exam, and Positive Placement.

CAAHEP Standard V.A.4. requires:

"The sponsor must maintain, and make available to the public, current and consistent summary information about student/ graduate achievement that includes the results of one or more of the outcomes assessments required in the CAAHEP Standards.”

Failure to post the most current CoAEMSP Annual Report outcomes is a non-compliance with CAAHEP Standard V.A.4 which may result in Administrative Probation. 

Congratulations!

Sylvia Gallegos, MEd, NRP, EMTP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by San Jacinto College North, Houston, Tex., earned the Master of Education degree conferred in July 2023 by Western Governors University.

Stephanie Mead, MA, NRP, CCEMTP, Lead Instructor with the Paramedic Program sponsored by Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, Nev., earned the Master of Arts degree conferred in May 2022 by The University of Nevada-Reno.

For the up to the minute list of CoAEMSP Letter of Review and CAAHEP Accredited Paramedic Programs, click here.