March 31, April 28, May 26

and June 30

To support program directors in navigating accreditation as an everyday activity, the CoAEMSP staff is introducing monthly “Virtual Office Hours,” an open time when program directors, deans, medical directors, and lead instructors can drop into a Zoom call with staff without scheduling a meeting.

To do so, simply click the Zoom link below. You can ask questions or seek guidance about accreditation or any other challenges--we are here to support you!

Nuanced or confidential questions should be addressed with the appropriate staff person outside "Virtual Office Hours."

"Virtual Office Hours" are limited to the first 100 to join, which will allow two-way communication.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88440358727

If you have not visited the Resource Library, you must!

The Resource Library is a central repository for all the tools developed for programs, including the required documents necessary to complete and submit to the CoAEMSP.

The Resource Library also includes articles, webinars, and explanations of terminology and requirements that everyone associated with the accreditation process will find indispensable in seeking or maintaining accreditation. Check it out today!

Staff Contact: Dr. George W Hatch, Jr, george@coaemsp.org

The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP) has a vacancy for one public member position on its Board of Directors. The CoAEMSP is a Texas 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation and Committee on Accreditation member of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP),

Public members of the CoAEMSP serve three-year terms, with eligibility for a maximum of three consecutive terms of service. Public members will begin serving on September 6, 2021. There is no honorarium for this Board position, although all customary travel expenses associated with the position are reimbursed.

The public member cannot be: 1) An employee, member of the governing board, owner, or shareholder of, or consultant to the sponsor of a Paramedic program that holds a CoAEMSP Letter of Review (LoR) or is accredited by CAAHEP or one that is in any stage of the LoR/accreditation process for Paramedic; 2) A member of any trade association or membership organization related to, affiliated with, or associated with the CoAEMSP or Paramedic; or 3) A spouse, parent, child, or sibling of an individual identified in (1) or (2) above; or 4) an individual who would be qualified in any other named EMS community of interest (i.e. students, graduates, faculty, sponsor administration, hospital/clinic representatives, physicians, employers, police and fire services, or key governmental officials).

Interested parties should complete and return the application found here, along with a current CV, to Dr. George W. Hatch, Jr., Executive Director, at george@coaemsp.org. Nominations must be received no later than May 1, 2021.

Registration will open on September 1

These virtual workshops are held via Zoom and are designed to educate participants on the 2015 CAAHEP Standards and the accreditation process, enhancing the accreditation knowledge of Paramedic program faculty. Through the use of expert presentations and interactive group learning activities, the workshop will provide best practices to avoid common stumbling blocks.

As a virtual event, ACCREDITCON 2021 will provide more flexibility and extended access to sessions for participants.

ACCREDITCON is designed to support programs, carry out its mission “to advance the quality of EMS education through accreditation” and respond to the needs of over 700 Paramedic educational programs.

Nearly 500 guests attended the inaugural ACCREDITCON collaborative, and the majority said they would return! ACCREDITCON:

Speakers, sessions, and more information will be announced as it becomes available. Visit the ACCREDITCON website for updates.

Staff Contacts: Lisa Collard, lisa@coaemsp.org, or

Lynn Caruthers, lynn@coaemsp.org

If you are completing one of the following documents, be sure to use the handy Step-by-Step Instructions created for each document to help you avoid having it rejected!

For a successful submission, we suggest the following:

For programs completing a Progress Report or the Response to the Site Visit Findings Letter: you will find a banner at the top of the document emailed to you identifying the Step-by-Step Instructions. Select these instructions and a separate file will open. Print these instructions to facilitate completion of the document in the correct format.

Because Advisory Committees are standard practice in every academic setting, tips for managing, engaging, and optimizing the Advisory Committee have been compiled to assist you.

The purpose is to obtain input from the program's communities of interest and seek their guidance. Specifically, in the CAAHEP Standards, the Advisory Committee is: "to assist program and sponsor personnel in formulating and periodically revising appropriate goals and learning domains, monitoring needs and expectations, and ensuring program responsiveness to change, and to review and endorse the program required minimum numbers of patient contacts."

The Advisory Committee meetings should provide an opportunity for meaningful dialog and not merely for the Program to provide an update on their activities. The Advisory Committee is charged with ensuring Program responsiveness to change. Advice is central to the Advisory Committee process.

The CoAEMSP Board provides predictable, consistent, and deliberate communications with its sponsors about the work of the Board. The Board provides official updates via the Board highlights to each of its 14 sponsors within 30 days of each Board meeting.

These highlights are shared directly with each of the sponsors’ CEOs following the 30-day moratorium after a Board meeting as well as posted here for review by anyone, including students, graduates, faculty, Paramedic educational program sponsors, administration, hospital/clinic representatives, employers, police and/or fire services with a role.

Staff Contact: Sybil Land, sybil@coaemsp.org

On May 5, 2021, the Program Director of record with the CoAEMSP will receive the invoice for the annual accreditation fee for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The invoice will be due July 1, 2021.

Programs are strongly encouraged to pay invoices via Automated Clearing House (ACH) or the View and Pay Invoice option that will appear in the email with the invoice. ACH payments are electronic payments that transfer funds directly from a checking account to the payee. Instead of writing out and mailing a paper check, the money moves automatically.

Doing so saves time, streamlines the process, reduces data entry errors, and eliminates additional processing fees.

The CoAEMSP will also accept checks mailed using a traceable carrier such as UPS, USPS, or FedEx. Credit cards are not accepted. In the future, payments will only be accepted via ACH or View and Pay.

When site visitors inquire how you document the progression of student learning, what exactly are they asking for? Is it okay if you just 'check all the boxes'? Not at all!

Your site visitors will want you to demonstrate how your program is communicating to faculty, communicating to the Medical Director, and monitoring student progression in attaining competencies in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.

Get ready by watching the webinar Assessing and Documenting the Progression of Learning, and accessing the accompanying slides.

For a current list of LoR and accredited programs, visit www.caahep.org.

Tracey Franklin, MA, NRP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Somerset Community College, Somerset, KY, earned the Master of Arts degree from Liberty University, conferred on December 18, 2020.

Billy Petite, MEd, EMTP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Henry County Fire Department, McDonough, GA, earned the Master of Education degree from Liberty University, conferred on December 18, 2020.

Michael Simon, MBA, NRP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program sponsored by Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH, earned a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University, conferred on February 12, 2021.