NOVEMBER 2021 / IN THIS ISSUE |
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- Monitoring the COVID Situation
- Student Minimum Competency Recommendations 2023
- Office Closed for Thanksgiving
- Register to Access On-Demand ACCREDITCON 2021 Sessions
- Registration for ACCREDITCON 2022 is Now Open!
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- Register to Attend New Webinar on Simulation
- 2022 CAAHEP Accreditation Workshops
- CAAHEP News You Can Use
- Number of Paramedic Programs
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Monitoring the COVID Situation |
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The CoAEMSP continues to monitor the fluid COVID impact on Paramedic education. Currently there is no active conversation about extending the simulation and alternative evaluation methods statement beyond December 31, 2021; however, the staff and executive committee are actively monitoring the situation.
The CoAEMSP reaffirms its support that Paramedic educational programs may employ a broader array of approaches, including simulation, in determining competency in didactic, laboratory, clinical, field experience, and capstone field internship.
Any cohort of students that begin their program before December 31, 2021, will fall under the current waiver.
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Student Minimum Competency Recommendations, Effective January 1, 2023 |
The primary goal of any Paramedic educational program is to assure that students are competent at the end of the course of study. Therefore, for many years the CoAEMSP has required programs to track and report their minimum competencies for various age groups, complaints, and skills as specified originally in the Student Patient Contact Matrix. This document was frequently referred to as Appendix G since it was entered in the Self-Study Report on the Appendix G tab. The nomenclature of Appendix G has since been retired.
The required reporting elements were updated in 2017 and were effective for cohorts beginning in July 2019. The recommended minimum numbers resulted from an extensive review of the student data, and discussion with educators and medical directors. The resulting document, the Student Minimum Competency Matrix, recommended minimum numbers for each competency specified and detailed the recommended progression of learning.
Since the release of the current version in mid-2017, programs and faculty have experienced challenges in implementation and tracking. There was also some confusion regarding what constituted The National Registry Portfolio and the CoAEMSP recommendations. To address these issues and work to simplify competency requirements, in 2020, a working group of CoAEMSP and The National Registry representatives began to examine the existing framework and modify the recommendations. One key goal was to separate the formative assessments from final competency. The result is the 2023 Student Minimum Competency Recommendations (SMC) that still provides guidance on the formative instructional process and identifies the recommendations for ‘competency.’ Meeting the minimum competency requirements established by the program will satisfy reporting for both the CoAEMSP and The National Registry. While the formative assessments are included in the overall document, it is up to the program to determine the sequencing and format of the formative process.
The recommended minimum competencies were again determined by reviewing student data, review by experienced EMS educators, Program Directors and Medical Directors, the NHTSA Scope of Practice Model, and The National Registry’s Practice Analysis. The SMC includes tables of recommendations for ages, conditions, ALS skills, capstone field internship, and BLS skills. However, the only report required for the CoAEMSP is the final Summary Tracking worksheet. Programs can choose any method to document the student experience but must report the Summary Tracking for cohorts as formatted in that spreadsheet.
The implementation date for the new SMC applies to all students enrolling in a Paramedic educational program on or after January 1, 2023. The data tracking points are not new. The updated recommendations have been provided to the vendors that offer tracking solutions who will work with clients on tracking and reporting. Programs may also choose to develop their own tracking system or use a commercial technological solution. Programs that wish to be early adopters may implement the new SMC at any time.
Note that the 2023 Student Minimum Competency Recommendations provide recommended numbers. The Program must determine their specific requirements in conjunction with their communities of interest and must be approved by the program Medical Director and endorsed by the program Advisory Committee. The Program can select numbers that are less than the recommended minimums but must be able to demonstrate that graduates are competent through various measures, including certification examination results and graduate and employer surveys. Programs can also specify required minimums that are higher than the recommendations. Whatever minimum competency numbers a program chooses, all students must attain those minimums to successfully complete the program.
Going forward, the SMC will be reviewed by the CoAEMSP and The National Registry every four (4) years, incorporating any potential changes based upon current evidence, including the NHTSA Scope of Practice Model, The National Registry’s Practice Analysis, and other pertinent information.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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Office Closed for Thanksgiving |
The CoAEMSP office will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday & Friday, November 25-26.
The staff wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
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Earn up to 15 Continuing Education Units
Register to Access On-Demand ACCREDITCON Sessions Now
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Even if you did not attend the virtual ACCREDITCON, you can still register to access all on-demand sessions now through December 31.
Registration is $350 via PayPal or check.
Plus, you can earn up to 15 CEs for these on-demand sessions.
(Guests who registered to attend the live stream can access the sessions by using the same login as for the live stream. Email jennifer@coaemsp.org if you have misplaced your login.) |
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ACCREDITCON 2022 Registration is Now Open! |
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June 1-5, 2022
Omni Louisville Hotel
ACCREDITCON is the collaborative designed to support programs, carry out its mission “to advance the quality of EMS education through accreditation” and respond to the needs of more than 700 Paramedic educational programs.
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Not your typical EMS conference, ACCREDITCON is designed to be the comprehensive collaborative that offers every necessary resource for achieving accreditation success!
Listen to experts, interact with CoAEMSP staff and board, plug into best practices, network with peers and colleagues, and get answers to pertinent questions regarding initial and continuing CAAHEP accreditation for Paramedic educational programs.
#ACCREDITCON
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Register to Attend New Webinar on Simulation |
December 2, 2021
1PM Central
With Dennis Edgerly, BS, EMT-P,
and Patricia Tritt, MA, RN
In this conversational style presentation, Pat and Dennis will discuss the technique of simulation. Effective use of simulation will be discussed both in the context of design and implementation. Topics will include placement of simulation within the curriculum, the efficacy of simulation for student evaluation, and the importance of debriefing. Simulation has become a key piece in medical education, at all levels, and has the potential to expand student opportunities far beyond what educational programs have been able to offer in the past.
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Mark Your Calendars
2022 CAAHEP Accreditation Workshops
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"Accreditation is new to me and all of you really helped relieve stress and uncertainty.”
Christopher Fuentes
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.
Using expert presentations and interactive group learning activities, the workshop will provide best practices to avoid common stumbling blocks.
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February 23-24, 2022
Virtual
10:00 am to 2:30 pm
Central Time each day
registration opens December 1
June 2, 2022
In-Person
@ACCREDITCON in Louisville, KY
8AM to 5PM Eastern Time
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July 19-20, 2022
Virtual
10AM to 2:30PM
Central Time each day
registration opens May 1
October TBD, 2022
In-Person
Date: TBD
Location: TBD
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New Program Directors:
If you are a new program director, you are required to attend a CAAHEP Accreditation Workshop hosted by CoAEMSP within 12 months of your appointment/approval. This is the only workshop that meets this requirement. [CoAEMSP Policy XVI.C.]
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CAAHEP News You Can Use
The following articles are reprinted with permission from CAAHEP
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CAAHEP Achieves Continued Recognition from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) |
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By Kathleen Megivern, JD, Executive Director
At the CHEA Board meeting on October 4, 2021, CAAHEP was awarded continued recognition for the full seven-year period with an interim report due at the halfway mark.
CHEA “accredits the accreditors,” so the process was similar to what we put our programs through! The process began with the submission of an Application Narrative (much like a self-study). CAAHEP Staff received many documents from our CoAs that helped support our narrative about how we meet each CHEA Criterion. There was the usual “back and forth” which was made easier for us because the CHEA Vice President for Recognition is Dr. Lori Schroeder, who worked for CAAHEP for several years and had a good understanding of our complicated structure.
The next step was an “Observation Visit.” Because of COVID-19, this was conducted via Zoom. Our CHEA Observer sat in on a meeting of the Recommendation Review Committee on December 21, 2020, and then the Board meeting in January 2021. She submitted her report on January 22, 2021. While the report was very positive, we needed to clarify a couple of points, much the way our programs can respond to their site-visit report.
Four CAAHEP representatives (Kathleen Megivern, Executive Director; Glen Mayhew, President; Donald Balasa, Chair, Performance Oversight Committee; and, Kathryn Kuntz, Chair, Recommendation Review Committee) appeared (again via Zoom) at the March 9, 2021, public meeting of CHEA’s Committee on Recognition (COR) to answer questions and address concerns from the COR members. Having cleared that hurdle, the positive recommendation from COR was sent to the CHEA Board for final action at their October 4, 2021, meeting.
It took a lot of work on the part of CAAHEP staff, and we owe many folks a debt of gratitude for their assistance. Special thanks go to Katie Davis who is the keeper of the report on outcomes URLs for our 2,000+ programs!
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CAAHEP Hires a New Executive Director
The CAAHEP Board is pleased to announce the selection of Gina Scarboro, DBA, MMSc, CAA, as the new Executive Director beginning January 1, 2022. Dr. Scarboro will be replacing Kathleen Megivern, JD, CAAHEP's long-standing Executive Director, who is retiring on December 31, 2021.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Scarboro.
Dr. Scarboro is currently the Dean of the College of Health Professions at South University-Savannah, Georgia. She completed her anesthesia training at Emory University, receiving a Master of Medical Science degree. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from South University, with a research emphasis in interprofessional teamwork.
Dr. Scarboro is the prior Chair for the Association of Anesthesiologist Assistant Educational Programs, past President of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA), and a current member of the Physician Assistant Committee for the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
In 2018 Dr. Scarboro received a Distinguished Alumni award from Emory University and was the commencement speaker for the MMSc in Anesthesiology program.
In addition to her educational and professional service, Dr. Scarboro continues to practice as a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant.
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2022 CAAHEP Annual Meeting to be Held in Orlando
The 2022 Annual Meeting will be held on January 22, 2022, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
With a theme of "CAAHEP's Future Direction: Defining Excellence in the New Normal," this will be a blended meeting both in-person and virtually for those under travel restrictions. The agenda includes a Hot Topic Breakfast; Introduction of the new CAAHEP Executive Director; a Washington Update with Jay Vaughn, JD, with Cooley, LLC; Recent Graduate Task Force panel on their “Project to Promote CAAHEP Professions in Underrepresented Communities”; and more. To see the full agenda and register for the 2022 Annual Meeting, please visit the CAAHEP website.
May Allied Health Programs Require their Students to be COVID-19 Vaccinated?
By Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA, CEO and Legal Counsel, American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) 2021-2022 CAAHEP President
In my role as CEO and Legal Counsel of the American Association of Medical Assistants, I have been receiving questions from program directors of CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting programs about the legality of requiring students to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition for entering or completing the program. Fully answering this question requires an analysis of both federal and state law. In this article, I will address the relevant provisions of federal law.
In its publication What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws (updated June 28, 2021), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stated that covered employers are generally permitted to require employees to be vaccinated. However, the EEOC hastened to add that covered employers—to avoid legal liability—must grant reasonable accommodations to employees who: (1) have a qualifying disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); or (2) refuse to be vaccinated because of “a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance” protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Examples of reasonable accommodations are allowing “an unvaccinated employee entering the workplace [to] wear a face mask, work at a social distance from coworkers or non-employees, work a modified shift, get periodic tests for COVID-19, be given the opportunity to telework, or finally, accept a reassignment.”
Employers are not required to grant an accommodation to employees who are not vaccinated because of a disability or a religious belief if an accommodation would place an “undue hardship” on an employer. In the case of a disability under the ADA, an accommodation is an undue hardship if it imposes “significant cost or difficulty” on an employer. A religious accommodation under Title VII is defined as an undue hardship if it places “more than minimal cost or difficulty” on an employer.
What federal laws and legal principles are applicable to schools that require their students to be vaccinated? Public and private schools are generally covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Therefore, the same reasonable accommodations principles applicable to employers are applicable to schools. In addition, in recent months several lawsuits have been filed against state universities by students claiming that their substantive due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution have been violated by their schools’ mandatory vaccination policies.
A representative case is Klaassen v. Indiana University. On May 21, 2021, Indiana University mandated that all students receive COVID-19 vaccinations before the fall 2021 semester. Religious and medical exemptions are granted to qualifying students. Exempt students must practice social distancing, wear a mask, and be tested periodically for COVID-19. Eight students sued Indiana University, asserting that their substantive due process rights of bodily integrity, autonomy, and refusal of unwanted medical treatment were being violated by the vaccination policy—even with its exemptions.
In denying the students’ motion for a preliminary injunction, the United States District Court of the Northern District of Indiana opined that the United States Constitution “preserves the power of the states, within constitutional limits, to adopt laws to provide for public health and safety.” The court cited two United States Supreme Court decisions and declared that the power of states to “compel reasonable vaccinations” is constitutional. The court concluded that “…the Fourteenth Amendment permits Indiana University to pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff.” The students appealed and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court did not overturn the District Court’s decision.
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For a current list of CoAEMSP LoR and CAAHEP Accredited programs, visit www.caahep.org. |
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The CoAEMSP does not endorse, promote, or comment on any product or vendor. This statement can also be found in the footer of our website.
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