Creating and managing realistic patient simulations is not an easy task. EMS educators have a lot on their plate -- from designing the scenario to training facilitators to choosing the equipment to avoiding training scars. What are best practices? We asked simulation gurus Brittany Prater, Director of Alabama EMS Region One and Robby May, ALS Education Specialist at Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue. Listen as Rob, Maia and Hilary ask about the tricks of the trade and learn how to make your simulations prepare students for the real world.

On July 1, 2024, the NREMT will transition from the current psychomotor examinations to the new AEMT Certification Examination and new Paramedic Certification Examination. According to the NREMT, this will "bring Paramedic and AEMT examinations in line with most other health-based professions, which have made similar updates in recent years, and matches the best research and science that’s currently available." 

How, where, when and why should we be training our EMS clinicians to take care of tiny humans? Look no further for the answers, as we have subject matter expert Stephanie Ashford, Division Chief of Clinical Practice at the Saint Charles County (MO) Ambulance District. Stephanie has proven advice on how to successfully integrate pediatric readiness and skills training for your agency. Tiny humans are sometimes terrifying (smaller parts, requires math, etc.), and Stephanie's experience teaches us how to implement Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice as well as other mantras such as "Pause, Prescribe, Replay" so that we are basing our training on proven research.

How involved in education is the medical director for your paramedic program? If you answered, "Not very much," you are not alone. Join us as we interview research authors Michael Kaduce and Jonathan Powell, who recently published a paper in Prehospital Emergency Care titled: Medical Directors, Facilities, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accredited Paramedic Programs.

How do you know that your teaching is effective? We asked Tom Grawey, D.O., who is Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin, EMS Medical Director for Gateway Technical College, and Assistant Medical Director, Milwaukee County OEM. 

Could your next work partner be… Australian? If some folks in California have their way, the answer is yes. Working to solve the ongoing staffing shortage, a group of innovative EMS leaders in California and Australia are thinking differently: bringing well-trained EMS clinicians from Australia to join the U.S. ranks. How do they do it? Hosts Rob Lawrence and Hilary Gates interview the impressive cast of characters. We discuss the logistics, the education, the paperwork, and of course, the accents.

You've heard the term "bystander," but probably not "upstander." What is it? Hosts Rob Lawrence, Maia Dorsett and Hilary Gates are joined by University of Pittsburgh's Rickquel Tripp, MD, MPH, CDR, USNR: Vice Chair of Diversity, Inclusion & Health Equity, Department of Emergency Medicine; Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; EMS Medical Director, Penn Hills, SouthEast Regional, Lower Valley and Foxwall; Emergency Department Attending Physician. Dr. Tripp teaches us about implicit bias and how an upstander will not stand quietly by but will instead engage in support of a person or group who may be being bullied or attacked. How should we teach this in our EMS systems? How do we create a safe space and a culture that celebrates this behavior? Bias is often motivated by fear, anxiety or the unknown.

Is this going to be on the test? Educators having been cringing at this question as long as tests have existed because of a perceived time-lapse between research-driven advances in best practice and incorporation into high stakes testing - but these days are numbered. In this episode of the EMS Educator podcast, we host EMS Education experts and members of the National Registry research team, Chris Gage (current NREMT research fellow), Dr. Ash Panchal (NREMT Research director) and Dr. Kim McKenna (paramedic educator and NREMT Board member) to discuss their publication of the Consensus Standard for Evidence Integration into EMS Education and High Stakes Testing which describes the strategy for incorporating research evidence into EMS education and the NREMT certification exam. We discuss why this work was necessary, the process by which the strategy was developed, and why the future is bright for evidence implementation in EMS education and clinical practice.

Want to know more about the NREMT’s National EMS ID? NREMT initiated this project in early 2020 to help us gain insights into the EMS workforce, attrition, quality of education, provider credentialing and provision of quality patient care. The ID will enable NREMT to follow learners from pre-matriculation to retirement In this episode, Hilary Gates and Rob Lawrence explore the ID's current use, purpose, and future possibilities, including ways that EMS agencies, educators, leaders and clinicians can benefit from the EMS ID.

It’s a hot topic right now: how should EMS utilize ultrasound as a part of out-of-hospital medicine? We asked the pros: three physicians who have set up programs, trained clinicians and analyzed data. Join hosts Rob Lawrence, Hilary Gates and Maia Dorsett as we dive into lessons learned about the logistics, training and quality improvement around ultrasound in EMS.

What training did you receive when you became a field preceptor? Many in EMS would reply, "Not much." In this episode, hosts Rob Lawrence, Maia Dorsett and Hilary Gates welcome educators Ginger Locke and Ashley Liebig from Austin, TX. Ginger and Ashley share their ideas about this topic after recently teaching a comprehensive preceptor training course. They found training preceptors can shape positive department culture, create a safe space for feedback, and help everyone find a sense of belonging.

In 2020, the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) reported a 179% increase in course completions compared to the two prior years, as well as a 185% increase in online distributive learning. Live/in person education represented just 1% of CAPCE-accredited refresher completions in 2020. What does this say about the future of EMS education? How does this trend away from live courses toward online education affect student retention, skills and evidence-based education? Is this the "new normal"?

This year has brought many changes in the care provision landscape for obstetric patients. As with many aspects of care, access to maternity care is inequitable by geographic location. Legislative changes in the last year have exacerbated these geographic inequities and EMS is called upon to help meet the needs of patients in these challenging circumstances. In one state, Tennessee, EMS is seeing extraordinarily long transports and due to legislative changes, physicians are facing potential prosecution for treating patients. Join us as we discuss protocol and just-in-time educational needs, psychosocial aspects of care and collaborative efforts between EMS and OB in this arena.

It's Recert season! The NREMT has permanently removed limits on distributive education for recertification. What does “distributive education” mean and how does this change impact clinicians and educators alike? Join us as we discuss how to use education to cultivate curiosity in our learners, support lifelong learning and improve equity. Some educational delivery models are better suited than others to meet learning objectives: what are they? How can we use our own agency's data to enhance education? Hear from educational experts Megan Corry, EdD, EMTP, CHSE, Paramedic Program Director at the City College of San Francisco and Casey Patrick, MD, FAEMS, Medical Director at ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare & Asst. Medical Director of MCHD EMS in Houston.

On Aug. 17, 2022, the NREMT Board rescinded a resolution that would have done away with graduation from a nationally accredited paramedic program as a requirement for eligibility for national certification. Why? What led to the decision? What prompted the resolution in the first place? Join NREMT Executive Director Bill Seifarth, NREMT Board Chair Kevin Mackey and NREMT Board Member Maia Dorsett as they discuss the process and answer burning questions about this dramatic period of events.

Learn how to create effective, meaningful learning experiences for students in your EMS classroom. Hear from fellow educators about creative ways to implement FOAMed. Benji McCollum, NRP, RN, Paramedic Program Director at Midlands Technical College describes teach-back presentations, using SMEs, and teaching hands-on skills in a virtual environment. Maia Dorsett, MD, PhD, Prodigy EMS's Medical Director touts an evidence-based medicine curriculum that teaches research but always in the context of clinical care. Tune in to learn more about activating and engaging lifelong learners.

EMS should use lights and sirens selectively, the same as any clinical intervention for our patients. On Feb. 14, 2022, leaders of many EMS associations published a statement calling for decrease in use of red lights and sirens for EMS responses and transports. Data from NHTSA and Dr. Doug Kupas's seminal paper on the use of red lights and sirens in EMS that fewer than 7% of patients transported to the hospital with lights and sirens received a life-saving intervention upon arrival in the ED.

Prodigy EMS is proud to welcome our new medical director, Maia Dorsett, MD, PhD. Maia chats with Rob and Hilary about her educational philosophies, especially around cultivating lifelong learning, creating psychological safety in the classroom, just culture and systems thinking. Check out the PEC position paper Maia co-authored on going beyond skills training in EMS, and follow her on Twitter @maiadorsett.

A more diverse EMS workforce provides more equitable care, so how can we help EMS look more like the population it serves? We must examine our policies and their impact on who we are hiring and retaining. Hear from guests Katie O’Connor, EMS Educator and simulation expert in LA County and Washington D.C.’s GWU, Sahaj Khalsa, Santa Fe (NM) Community College's EMS Program Director and Prodigy's Medical Director Dr. Maia Dorsett. Our guests discuss how Social Determinants of Health can affect employee success and how our seemingly well-thought out requirements may actually harm our diversity efforts.

How can EMS educators and leaders help prevent bias in patient care? One way is to make the unconscious conscious. We welcome guests Katie O’Connor, EMS Educator and simulation expert in LA County and Washington D.C.’s GWU, and Sahaj Khalsa, Santa Fe (NM) Community College's EMS Program Director. Prodigy's Medical Director Dr. Maia Dorsett also weighs in. Our guests discuss the importance of definitions, why words matter and the prevalence of bias in simulation (racial, age, gender, etc.). They give tips on how to normalize the discussion, destigmatize bias and not always use white male manikins.

EMS brings innovation, nimbleness and much-needed value to the healthcare community with MIH/CP programs of various shapes and sizes. So how can EMS organizations best prepare community paramedics for this expanded role? Rob and Hilary interview two originators of successful MIH/CP programs: Anne Jensen of San Diego FR and Adam Heinz of REMSA (Reno, NV). Our discussion explores training, partnerships, resource management, funding, the Triple Aim, time scales, SDOH, and how to start up. Because CPs "don't do easy." Reach Anne at ajensen@sandiego.gov and Adam at aheinz@remsa-cf.com

EMS research should go hand-in-hand with our clinical training. It requires collaboration, context and curiosity. How can educators best support research? Satisfy student curiosity by encouraging them to research what interests them. From who says prayers for patients to paramedics using marijuana to which suctions sucks better, conducting research and learning about our profession makes us all better.

How do we improve the dismal 10% survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest? Who better to ask than 4-time SCA survivor and retired fire chief Wayne Kewitsch alongside emergency physician and Resuscitation Scientist Johanna Moore? Johanna focuses her cutting-edge research on perfusion and found that raising the head of the patient improves neurological outcomes. Wayne is now the Executive Director of MnFIRE, which focuses on firefighter health and wellness. Take a listen as Rob and Hilary dig into the power of education, changing culture, tech advances, and pigs.

Since 1970, the NREMT has been laying out the standards for minimum competency for the nation's EMS providers. Join us for an interview with Chief Certification Officer Mark Terry, where we pull back the curtain on the workings of the NREMT. In 48 states, with more than 425,000 registered, NREMT made bold but necessary changes during the covid pandemic, including the recertification of a record number of providers.

In 1998, Ray Fowler & Paul Pepe created the Gathering of Eagles. What has Ray learned over 22 years of educating docs & EMS providers? Rob Lawrence & Hilary Gates get soundbites from the guru himself--you'll hear about Ectochrome, head-up CPR, interleaving, flip phones and Richard Feynman. The 2021 Gathering of Eagles conference is now available online! For the first time ever, you can watch the entire conference online at your own pace, powered by Prodigy EMS.

The pandemic ushered in a plethora of pivots in EMS education. How did educators Tom Bouthillet, Paul Pepe and Peter Antevy put together 30 hours of free online education? What does the future of EMS education hold? Is it mostly online? Should we go back to in-person courses? Join hosts Hilary Gates and Rob Lawrence as they discuss with Tom and Peter EMS education models, quality control, culture hurdles and British tacos.

EMS’s use of ketamine for behavioral emergencies continues to rile up the media & elected officials. Why? How should EMS educate the public & our providers to ensure the best care for our patients? Here we interview data gurus Drs. Remle Crowe & Brent Myers, who published extensive findings on ketamine use by EMS. For more on this topic, check out Dr. Jeff Jarvis’s episode on the EMS Lighthouse Project.The EMS Educator podcast has relevant, high-quality discussions around best practices in EMS education: interviews with experts in EMS, education, simulation, medical direction & leadership. Find more at www.prodigyems.com. Follow @ProdigyEMS on Twitter, FB, YouTube & IG.

At New Orleans EMS, Medical Directors Emily Nichols & Meg Marino created the Diversity & Inclusion Council to improve access & promote diversity in EMS. How did they do it? The EMS Educator podcast has relevant, high-quality discussions around best practices in EMS education: Find more at www.prodigyems.com. Follow @ProdigyEMS on Twitter, FB, YouTube & IG.