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· NEMSA offers online education
· Online education allows medics across globe to earn required credits via internet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 3, 2010
Over the past few years the National EMS Academy (NEMSA), a division of Acadian Ambulance Service, has made great strides in improving the quality of computer based training (CBT). This has resulted in improved patient care provided by their medics. NEMSA has received accolades for the quality of these CBT courses from numerous EMS agencies across the country. NEMSA Online Education staff continues to raise the bar in instructional design and production. “Our success lies heavily in two key members of our team, Chris Mixon and Zack Guidry, who are truly experts in their fields,” said Richard Belle, NEMSA continuing education manager.
As a result of this success, NEMSA Director Gifford Saravia approved the organization of NEMSA Online Education. NEMSA Online Education is an online learning management system that will enable medics across the globe to access high quality EMS continuing education via an internet connection. In addition to the CBT courses, which are interactive but not considered live training, there will be live interactive classes over the internet.
This addition of virtual instructor led training (VILT) allows medics to obtain all of their required continuing education credits from any location via internet connection. The new delivery method of EMS continuing education has been determined to be live education by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Service (CECBEMS) and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians due to the instructor and students’ real time interaction both visually and through a live audio feed in a virtual classroom environment.
“Since the introduction of CBT, Acadian Ambulance has been able to provide education to our medics online, saving approximately $400,000 annually in unscheduled overtime costs,” says Acadian CEO & Chairman Richard Zuschlag. “This savings is directly due to the ability to deliver mandatory compliance training in addition to continuing education. This will provide other EMS agencies with a win-win solution to delivering education to their medics.”
NEMSA Online Education will launch their first VILT session on August 1st, christening a new CECBEMS accreditation category for VILT education.
“CECBEMS is committed to promoting the evolution and growth of continuing education standards, and assuring optimal learning experiences,” says E. Jackson Allison, Jr., MD, MPH, FACEP, CECBEMS Chair. “NEMSA has used an evolving technology to meet the needs of the EMS professional. The VILT format assures that interactive training is available globally. VILT activity numbers will include the designation F5 to help EMS professionals identify this new format.”
To learn more about NEMSA Online Education and how your organization can benefit from online education visit www.onlineNEMSA.com or email Amos Batiste at amos.batiste@acadian.com.