Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T09:13:31.075Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Administrative and Educational Characteristics of Paramedic Programs in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2022

Matthew T. Ball Open the ORCID record for Matthew T. Ball [Opens in a new window] ,
Jonathan R. Powell ,
Lisa Collard ,
Doug K. York  and
Ashish R. Panchal
Matthew T. Ball*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MichiganUSA
Jonathan R. Powell
Affiliation:
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, OhioUSA Division of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus, OhioUSA
Lisa Collard
Affiliation:
Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions, Rowlett, TexasUSA
Doug K. York
Affiliation:
Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions, Rowlett, TexasUSA
Ashish R. Panchal
Affiliation:
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, OhioUSA Division of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus, OhioUSA Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OhioUSA
*
Correspondence: Matthew Ball, MD Department of Emergency Medicine Henry Ford Hospital 2799 W Grand Blvd Detroit, Michigan48202USA E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Paramedics are a vital component of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce and the United States health care system. The continued provision of high-quality care demands constantly improving education at accredited institutions. To date, only limited characteristics of paramedic education in the United States have been documented and studied in the literature. The objective of this study was to describe the educational infrastructure of accredited paramedic programs in the United States in 2018.

Methods:

This is a retrospective, cross-sectional evaluation of the 2018 paramedic program annual report from The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP; Rowlett, Texas USA). The dataset includes detailed program metrics. Additionally, questions concerning program characteristics, demographics, and resources were asked as part of the evaluation. Resource availability was assessed via the Resource Assessment Matrix (RAM) with a benchmark of 80%. Included in the analysis are all paramedic programs with students enrolled. Descriptive statistics were calculated (median, [interquartile range/IQR]).

Results:

A total of 677 programs submitted data (100% response rate). Of these, 626 met inclusion criteria, totaling 17,422 students. Program annual enrollment varied greatly from one to 362 with most programs having small sizes (18 students [IQR 12-30]). Program duration was 12 months [IQR 12-16] with total hours of instruction being approximately 1,174 [IQR 1069-1304], 19% of which were dedicated to clinical experience. Full-time faculty sizes were small (two faculty members [IQR 1-3]) with most programs (80%) having annual operating budgets below USD$500,000. For programs with an annual budget below USD$100,000 (34% of programs), annual enrollment was approximately 14 students [IQR 9-21]. Degrees conferred by programs included certificates (90%), associate degrees (55%), and bachelor’s degree (2%). Simulation access was assessed with nearly all (100%) programs reporting simple task trainers and 84% of programs investing in advanced simulation manikins. Seventy-eight percent of programs met the RAM benchmark.

Conclusion:

Most paramedic educational programs in the United States have small annual enrollments with low numbers of dedicated faculty and confer certificates and associate degrees. Nearly one-quarter of paramedic educational programs are not adequately resourced. This study is limited by self-reported data to the national accreditation agency. Future work is needed to identify program characteristics that are associated with high performance.

Keywords

Emergency Medical Servicesmedical educationparamedic education
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 152 - 156
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

National Association of State EMS Officials. National EMS Scope of Practice Model 2019 (Report No. DOT HS 812-666). Washington, DC USA: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2019.Google Scholar
About the CoAEMSP. Rowlett, Texas USA: Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions; 2021. https://coaemsp.org/about-the-coaemsp. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards (Report No. DOT HS 811 077A). Washington, DC USA: US Department of Transportation; 2009.Google Scholar
Snyder, K. Ambulance services face national paramedic shortage. Toledo Blade. 2019. https://www.toledoblade.com/local/police-fire/2019/03/28/ambulance-services-face-national-shortage-of-paramedics/stories/20190321121. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar
McKenna, KD, Carhart, E, Bercher, D, Spain, A, Todaro, J, Freel, J. Simulation use in paramedic education research (SUPER): a descriptive study. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2015;19(3):432–440.10.3109/10903127.2014.995845CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Margolis, GS, Romero, GA, Fernandez, AR, Studnek, JR. Strategies of high-performing paramedic educational programs. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2009;13(4):505–511.10.1080/10903120902993396CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hou, X, Rego, J. Review article: paramedic education opportunities and challenges in Australia. Emergency Medicine Australasia. 2012;25(2):114–119.10.1111/1742-6723.12034CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickison, P, Hostler, D, Platt, TE, Wang, HE. Program accreditation effect on paramedic credentialing examination success rate. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2006;10(2):224–228.10.1080/10903120500541126CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodriguez, S, Crowe, RP, Cash, RE, Broussard, A, Panchal, AR. Graduates from accredited paramedic programs have higher pass rates on a national certification examination. J Allied Health. 2018;47(4):250–254.Google ScholarPubMed
CoAEMSP History. Rowlett, Texas USA: Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions; 2021. https://coaemsp.org/coaemsp-history. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar
Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in the Emergency Medical Services Professions. Clearwater, Florida USA: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; 2015. https://www.caahep.org/CAAHEP/media/CAAHEP-Documents/EMSPStandards2015.pdf. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar
Resource Assessment Matrix. Rowlett, Texas USA: Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions; April 2021. https://coaemsp.org/?mdocs-file=5740. Accessed October 5, 2021.Google Scholar
Pointer, J. Experience and mentoring requirements in new/inexperienced paramedics. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2001;5(4):379–383.10.1080/10903120190939544CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salzman, J, Page, D, Kaye, K, Stetham, N. Paramedic student adherence to the national standard curriculum recommendations. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2007;11(4):448–452.10.1080/10903120701536701CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubble, MW, Richards, ME. Paramedic student performance: comparison of online with on-campus lecture delivery methods. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2006;21(4):261–267.10.1017/S1049023X00003800CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruple, JA, Frazer, GH, Bake, W. Commonalities of the EMS education workforce (2004) in the United States. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2006;10(2):229–238.10.1080/10903120500541316CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernandez, AR, Studnek, JR, Cone, DC. The association between Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) exam score, length of EMT-B certification, and success on the National paramedic certification exam. Acad Emerg Med. 2009;16(9):881–886.10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00504.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Emergency Medical Services Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems Approach (Report No. DOT HS 809 042). Washington, DC USA: US Department of Transportation; 2000.Google Scholar
Pollak, AN, Edgerly, D, McKenna, KD, Vitberg, DA. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured. Eleventh edition. Burlington, Massachusetts USA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2017.Google Scholar
Page, D, Brazelton, T, Kokx, G, Jennings, P, Williams, B. Paramedic students encounters with patients during clinical placements: a multi-institutional cohort study. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2021;2(2):e12391.Google ScholarPubMed
Amato, V. EMS Education in the Age of COVID-19. EMS World. 2020. https://www.emsworld.com/article/1225057/ems-education-age-covid-19. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar
Mitchell, J. Moving forward with EMS education during coronavirus. JEMS. 2020. https://www.jems.com/training/moving-forward-with-ems-education-during-coronavirus/. Accessed March 19, 2021.Google Scholar