MURFREESBORO — Middle
Tennessee State University has been recognized by the state of Tennessee’s
Emergency Medical Services Board for its efforts to help train emergency
medical personnel on new statewide licensure standards.
Randy White, instructor coordinator of the EMS program at
MTSU, worked with MTSU’s University College to create online instructional
videos to help emergency medical technicians currently classified as EMT-IV to
make the transition to Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, or AEMT, status.
The state EMS Board, which oversees EMS standards across the
state, presented MTSU and White with a proclamation recognizing the effort to
help Tennessee’s EMTs comply with national standards.
Achieving “advanced” EMT status requires a technician to
complete an eight-hour course divided into four hours of online work and four
hours of practical lab and evaluation. The latter is where White’s videos,
practice scenarios and compliance checklist come into play.
David Foster, marketing director of MTSU’s University
College, filmed White demonstrating the proper skills in giving patients
naloxone, a narcotic reversal drug, as well as nitrous oxide.
White also is shown in a video using the proper techniques
for pediatric intraosseous infusion, an
injection method used when traditional IV techniques are not possible.
“EMTs take the test and get a certificate for the online
skills,” White said, “then they present it to an instructor coordinator for the
state, who will review and then assess their practical lab skills.
“That’s the good part about the video. (EMTs) can go in and
view what the skill looks like. Then they can practice the correct technique on
their own. We made the videos so that they will know what to do and how to do
it.”
White, who helped craft the transition curriculum for the
state, said the eight-hour course is not mandatory, but those who don’t
complete it cannot use the skills in the field and would receive a lower classification
of EMT.
“The use of videos
in continuing education training is extremely cost-effective in dollars and
time while it allows the user to view it multiple times as they perfect their
skills,” Foster said. “Randy is an excellent instructor, and this medium allows
him to extend his reach far beyond the local area.”
The videos can been
seen at www.youtube.com/mtsuanytime.
To sign up for the AEMT transition course, visit http://health.state.tn.us/ems/ and click
on the “AEMT Transition” link at the top. For more information on the course,
call 615-741-2213.
The EMS Board is part of the Tennessee Department of
Health’s EMS Division, which oversees a statewide EMS system comprising
thousands of paramedics and EMTs, who work for 210 ambulance services that
operate 1,300 ambulances across Tennessee. More than a million patients are
transported each year, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
For more information about MTSU’s EMT training offerings,
visit http://www.mtsu.edu/universitycollege/training/emt.php.
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