On May 1, 2020, the CoAEMSP Board of Directors approved Policy XVII – Interpretations of CAAHEP Standards. This policy allows various stakeholder groups the opportunity to provide input regarding proposed language for the CoAEMSP Interpretations of the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines through an open public comment period. The public comment period will last 45 days, and all comments will be reviewed during the next scheduled CoAEMSP Board of Directors meeting.

The CoAEMSP Interpretations of the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines is a companion document that contains interpretations of the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines which are adopted by the CoAEMSP through policies. The CoAEMSP developed interpretations for several CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines during its July 2020 Board of Directors meeting and encourages all Paramedic educational programs and interested parties to carefully read the proposed interpretation for each of the specified CAAHEP Standards listed below and submit comments using the provided Survey Monkey link. The CoAEMSP will give careful consideration to the comments received for each interpretation. Please Note: All comments are for the interpretation of the CAAHEP Standard not the CAAHEP Standard itself.

The public comment period for the interpretations of the CAAHEP Standards specified below will end October 15, 2020 and all comments will be reviewed during the November 2020 CoAEMSP Board of Directors Meeting.

Provide comments to the interpretations for the following CAAHEP Standards here.

The CoAEMSP Policy and Procedures document and the CoAEMSP Interpretations of the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines are located here.

Thank you for your interest in Paramedic educational program accreditation.

This virtual workshop held via Zoom is designed to educate attendees 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.

The following will be addressed:

The recent webinar, an interactive conversation between Chief Paul Berlin, Chair of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors and Dr. George Hatch, Executive Director, and the attendees is available. Additionally, there are 20 more valuable and informative webinars. Access the webinar here.

Speaker: Patricia Tritt

Moderator: Jennifer Anderson Warwick

Site visits can appear to be a mystery and the Program Director wonders “What will they be looking for?” The answer is fairly simple, and the self-study and site visit process is actually an open book test. The CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines and the CoAEMSP Interpretation documents provide the “test items" and the Executive Analysis raises potential problems the Program has the opportunity to address prior to the site visit. When the Program adopts the “accreditation is an everyday activity" philosophy, the necessary evidence is compiled throughout the accreditation cycle. This presentation will explore the most frequently occurring citations and review the keys to avoid succumbing to these pitfalls.

Speakers: Patricia Tritt and Lisa Collard

Moderator: Jennifer Anderson Warwick

To meet the needs of students and stakeholders, accredited programs may develop alternate locations to deliver components of the course or, at times, the entire program. The distinctions and delivery modes can be confusing but are important in program operation and assessment. CAAHEP has recently revised the definition of a satellite which clarifies the structure.

Join Pat and Lisa as they articulate the distinction between satellites and alternate locations and walk you through the steps to gain approval for satellites and alternate locations.

As you know from the update we sent earlier, Gordy Kokx is stepping down from his role as CoAEMSP Associate Director due to health issues.

We invite you to read all the wonderful and inspiring messages written to and about Gordy from colleagues, and add your own message if you haven't already done so!

Staff Contact: Lynn Caruthers, lynn@coaemsp.org

REFER TO THESE IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO AVOID UNNECESSARY FEES AND DELAYS!

Remember to let the CoAEMSP know of personnel changes, additions of new key personnel (i.e. Lead Instructors, Associate Medical Directors, or Assistant Medical Directors) AND basic office contact information updates for current personnel. CoAEMSP policy requires programs to notify the CoAEMSP of these changes/additions updates within 15 calendar days, even for an Interim appointment (i.e. Interim President, Interim Dean).

The only accepted method of changing personnel information is through the applicable CoAEMSP personnel forms provided on the PERSONNEL webpage here.

To update office contact information ONLY on an existing key individual you must submit a completed Change in Office Contact Information form found here (also posted on the PERSONNEL webpage.)

To expedite the process of making a change in personnel, email ALL of the required documentation at one time, EXCEPT the official transcript, (required only for the Program Director and Lead Instructor) which MUST come directly to the CoAEMSP from the awarding institution to validate the individual’s highest degree. If an official transcript is already on file with the CoAEMSP, a new transcript is NOT required unless the individual has earned a higher degree. Submissions with incomplete documentation will NOT be accepted.

All forms posted on the CoAEMSP website must be downloaded to the user’s computer as a blank document; they are not web-based, so cannot be filled out online. Once the blank document has been saved, it can be opened and completed as directed. Provide OFFICE Contact information only on the respective Position Contact Form.

The CoAEMSP does not accept forms completed by hand. All personnel documents must be typed and legible.

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.

Read highlights from the most recent Board of Directors Meeting here.

A program activity interactive map is now available on our website here.

Zoom in on a particular state, hover over one of the pins, and click to get the name of the school, location, program status, and type of award(s) granted.

The search option can also be used to find a program by address, longitude and latitude, city, state, or zip code. In addition, an alphabetical list of all programs is also included.

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

Jeremiah Underwood, MHS, NC-P, CCEMTP, Program Director of the Paramedic Program at Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC, earned the Masters of Health Science degree conferred on August 4, 2020, by Western Carolina University. Congratulations!