October Newsletter v2
Welcome to the October edition of our newsletter! As we enter Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a perfect time to focus on staying secure in the digital world. We also have some exciting articles lined up for you this month, covering the latest updates and important developments in EMS.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s a time for both fun and safety. We hope you enjoy this month’s content, which includes helpful tips, upcoming events, and industry insights.
Stay tuned for all the details, and have a fantastic and safe October!
In this Edition:
BEMS Announcements
Burnout Survey
Utah Newborn Safe Haven Law – What You Should Know
New AEMT & Paramedic Examinations
Recertification Fees Remain the Same in 2024
National Recertification Registry Window is Open
Information for Utah Licensed Providers who are State Only Users with NREMT
ED Overcrowding Is Not Just an American Problem
BEMS Announcements
As part of the new EMS Instructor endorsement guidelines, we want to emphasize the change from tracking patient hours to requiring documented patient contacts. This shift ensures that instructors maintain active, hands-on experience in patient care.
To comply with the new requirements, instructors seeking to teach EMR, EMT, AEMT, or paramedic courses must now provide documentation of a minimum of 25 patient contacts within the prior year. This documentation must meet the following criteria:
- Agency Letterhead: The documentation must be provided on department or agency letterhead.
- Signature Requirement: It must be signed by the appropriate authority from the licensed or designated agency or emergency health care facility.
Additionally, all instructors seeking endorsement must submit a letter of recommendation that meets the following requirements:
- The letter must address both the instructor’s EMS skills and teaching abilities.
- It must be from a licensed or designated agency, on official department or agency letterhead, and signed by an authorized individual.
Both the patient contact documentation and the letter of recommendation are necessary for endorsement applications. Please ensure that you collect and submit the correct letters with your application to meet the updated standards.
For any questions or further assistance, feel free to reach out.
The following documents will be released shortly:
1. AEMT Student Minimum Competency Manual
2. Course Coordinator Manual
3. BEMS Affective Behavior Assessment Form
4. BEMS Supplementary form for Affective Behavior Assessments
Survey: Burnout rate among EMS providers
Have you experienced burnout while working in EMS? Are you considering a career change? This survey is part of a follow-up study to improve the work life of EMS personnel. Please take a few minutes to complete this 16-question survey. No identifying information will be collected, and your responses will remain confidential. Thank you for your participation!
Utah Newborn Safe Haven Law: What You Should Know
- Did you know Utah has a law allowing parents to safely and anonymously surrender their newborns at any hospital?
- It’s designed to protect infants and provide a safe option for parents in difficult situations. Wondering why this matters or what to do if you encounter it?
- Learn more about this important law and how you can help.
THE NEW AEMT & PARAMEDIC EXAMINATIONS
Click or tap on any one of the links below, and you will be directed to a single page with important information on AEMT and Paramedic certification.
IMPORTANT TIMELINES AND INFORMATION
Key information about the timing of the new examinations and the associated fees.
ABOUT THE EXAMINATIONS
Information about the content, types of items, Clinical Judgment Domain Sample Packet, AEMT items, and Paramedic items.
CANDIDATE PATHWAYS
Specific information about various candidate pathways related to current cognitive examinations, psychomotor examinations and the new AEMT and Paramedic certification examinations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The most commonly asked questions about the examination requirements and other related information.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Important dates for future presentations at key EMS meetings.
Recertification Fees Remain the Same in 2024
National Recertification Registry Window is Open
The National Registry is excited to announce that the Recertification window is now open for all EMTs, AEMTs and Paramedics who are due to recertify by March 31, 2025! You are receiving this email to ensure you are up to date with important information pertaining to this Recertification window.
We are pleased to inform you that we’ve made significant updates to the Recertification Application process that will benefit the clinicians you oversee and make your approval process more efficient.
Here are the key improvements:
- Streamlined Application: We’ve simplified the process by removing unnecessary steps, allowing clinicians to complete their applications faster.
- Reduced ConED Questions: We’ve reduced the number of questions related to continuing education (ConED), speeding up the application submission.
- Automagic Course Assignment: The CAPCE Import tool now automatically assigns courses to the NCCP domains, minimizing manual input for clinicians.
- Submission Assurance: In most cases, if a clinician forgets to submit their application, it will be submitted automatically once all sections of the application have been completed. You can focus on your role without worrying about incomplete submissions.
All these changes are designed to enhance your experience. To see an overview of these features, please watch this short video:
You can start benefiting from these updates right now by logging into your account.
Information for All Utah Licensed Providers who are State Only Users with NREMT
Regardless if you have tested with NREMT or not, every licensed provider in the State of Utah has an account with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). National Registry expirations date will always fall on March 31st of what ever year is your second year from receiving your NREMT. All licensed providers are required to recertify with the National Registry every two years. A provider’s state license may not expire the same time as your National Registry, so it is up to each individual provider to know when their expiration date is with the National Registry. If you are a state only user, and you allow the National Registry to expire, you will have to follow the recertification process outline by the National Registry. This means you will at a minimum be required to take the written test, along with the psychomotor exam depending on your level of licensure. If you do not recertify with National Registry, and your state licensure expires will not be renewed.
You can find more information here to read the Lapsed EMS License Hot Sheet.
EMS Articles
ED Overcrowding Is Not Just an American Problem
By: Larry Beresford
Emergency department overcrowding, manifested by filled ER bays, overflowing waiting rooms, patients boarding in the department for days because there’s no available bed that can take them, other patients treated in bathrooms or in the back of ambulances, or else parked on gurneys pushed against the wall in ER hallways, is widely reported in the US. However, it is a public health concern in many countries, even though they have very different healthcare systems and funding mechanisms.
In many of these cases, you’ll find ambulance crews juggling ambulance diversion or emergency department closures, biding their time leaning against the wall or else ramping outside the ER, parked in the hospital’s driveway or parking lot because they can’t hand over the patient they are trying to deliver so they can move on to their next emergency out on the streets.
Rural NC EMS System Adapts as Hurricane Helene Overwhelmed Resources
Garry Pomerleau shares his first-hand account of working through a major disaster.
By: Garry Pomerleau
September 26, 2024, started like most days in the mountains of North Carolina. There were warnings of Hurricane Helene being stronger than anticipated.
I was at home in North Cove, a small community north of Marion, running errands with my wife. I started to see significant water accumulation in the hours leading up to the actual arrival of Helene.
While we prepared for a weather event, and many conversations were had about Hurricane Frances in 2004 that caused significant damage to the area, we never imagined the ensuring carnage that was going to strike Western North Carolina.
As day broke, the winds and rain and trees falling continued with minimal 911 calls until 8 a.m. That’s when the announcement was made the 911 center was offline due to phone lines and internet connectivity being cut.
We were now receiving calls from 911 call center that was being routed and processed by another center 300 miles away from the county. We listened to calls for service where we couldn’t get to the victim because of road conditions and inaccessibility. By 10 a.m., we had to just shut down and wait for the storm to pass.