Paramedic student encounters with patients during clinical placements: A multi‐institutional cohort study

Page, David; Brazelton, Tom; Kokx, Gordon; Jennings, Paul; Williams, Brett

doi:10.1002/emp2.12391

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…It is unclear what the impact of increased or decreased clinical experience may be on paramedic student performance. 20 This became a critically important consideration during the SARs-CoV2 pandemic where programs transitioned from clinical settings due to these being unavailable. 21 One suggested solution was a transition to increased simulation experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administrative and Educational Characteristics of Paramedic Programs in the United States

Ball

Powell

Collard³

et al. 2022

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Administrative and Educational Characteristics of Paramedic Programs in the United States

Ball

Powell

Collard³

et al. 2022

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…In addition, most pediatric calls require few advanced skills for the management of the patient, leading to a decline in skill mastery [ 5 – 7 ]. Lack of exposure to a pediatric patient population can be an obstacle to optimal care [ 8 , 9 ], exacerbated by the need for age- and weight-based sizing and dosing decisions [ 10 ]. In simulations of prehospital pediatric encounters, this has been shown to contribute to errors such as incorrect medication dosing [ 11 – 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EMS educators also maintain that regular cognitive and psychomotor learning opportunities be provided to paramedics for pediatric encounters [ 16 ]. Despite growing efforts to improve prehospital care for children, current training requirements and pediatric encounter exposure for EMS systems may vary across states or jurisdictions [ 9 , 17 ]. These requirements often include completion of a pediatric advanced skill course such as the American Heart Association’s Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) or the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP), in additional to maintenance of Continuing Education (CE) requirement hours.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a simulation-based curriculum for Pediatric prehospital skills: a mixed-methods needs assessment

et al. 2021

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Background The assessment and treatment of pediatric patients in the out-of-hospital environment often presents unique difficulties and stress for EMS practitioners. Objective Use a mixed-methods approach to assess the current experience of EMS practitioners caring for critically ill and injured children, and the potential role of a simulation-based curriculum to improve pediatric prehospital skills. Methods Data were obtained from three sources in a single, urban EMS system: a retrospective review of local pediatric EMS encounters over one year; survey data of EMS practitioners’ comfort with pediatric skills using a 7-point Likert scale; and qualitative data from focus groups with EMS practitioners assessing their experiences with pediatric patients and their preferred training modalities. Results 2.1% of pediatric prehospital encounters were considered “critical,” the highest acuity level. A total of 136 of approximately 858 prehospital providers responded to the quantitative survey; 34.4% of all respondents either somewhat disagree (16.4%), disagree (10.2%), or strongly disagree (7.8%) with the statement: “I feel comfortable taking care of a critically ill pediatric patient.” Forty-seven providers participated in focus groups that resulted in twelve major themes under three domains. Specific themes included challenges in medication dosing, communication, and airway management. Participants expressed a desire for more repetition and reinforcement of these skills, and they were receptive to the use of high-fidelity simulation as a training modality. Conclusions Critically ill pediatric prehospital encounters are rare. Over one third of EMS practitioners expressed a low comfort level in managing critically ill children. High-fidelity simulation may be an effective means to improve the comfort and skills of prehospital providers.

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Prehospital Airway Management Training and Education: An NAEMSP Position Statement and Resource Document

Dorsett

Panchal

Stephens

et al. 2022

Prehospital Emergency Care

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Paramedic student encounters with patients during clinical placements: A multi‐institutional cohort study

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Administrative and Educational Characteristics of Paramedic Programs in the United States

Administrative and Educational Characteristics of Paramedic Programs in the United States

Development of a simulation-based curriculum for Pediatric prehospital skills: a mixed-methods needs assessment

Prehospital Airway Management Training and Education: An NAEMSP Position Statement and Resource Document

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