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WHAT EVERY <strong>EMS</strong> EDUCATOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CECB<strong>EMS</strong> <strong>What</strong> <strong>Every</strong> <strong>EMS</strong> <strong>Educator</strong> <strong>Should</strong> <strong>Know</strong> <strong>About</strong> CECB<strong>EMS</strong> educators was convened. The result was a set of standards for distributed learning that forms the foundation of standards used currently for technology-based activities that have followed. By: Liz Sibley How Did CECB<strong>EMS</strong> Originate and <strong>What</strong> Does It Do? The Continuing Education Coordinating Board for <strong>EMS</strong> (CECB<strong>EMS</strong>) was chartered in 1992 by a group of organizations (see Table 1) that were stakeholders in the <strong>EMS</strong> community. These stakeholders believed that it was in the best interest of the <strong>EMS</strong> system and <strong>EMS</strong> providers nationwide to develop and implement policies to standardize the review and accreditation of <strong>EMS</strong> continuing education (CE) activities (Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services [CECB<strong>EMS</strong>], 1993.) CECB<strong>EMS</strong> began by accrediting individual CE activities usually held in a conventional classroom or conference setting. Beginning in 2000, CECB<strong>EMS</strong> offered organizational accreditation, giving the accredited organization the ability to review and accredit its own activities through an in-house program committee and to review and accredit the activities of other organizations. CECB<strong>EMS</strong>’ standards and review processes continually evolve to keep pace with <strong>EMS</strong> practice and the technologies for delivering continuing education. This evolution is driven by CE providers dedicated to finding creative ways to use the information super highway; CECB<strong>EMS</strong>’ member organizations, each with an agenda that includes, in one way or another, making CE result in better patient care; <strong>EMS</strong> Medical Directors and supervisors who must address educational needs indicated by quality assurance reviews quickly and efficiently, and the end users, the <strong>EMS</strong> professionals working on the street whose comments are first-hand and to the point In the late 1990’s when online activities began to appear, CECB<strong>EMS</strong> realized that distributed or distance, learning required its own set of standards the standards for traditional live activities did not apply to a distributed-learning activity. This educational format was embraced by CE providers and many in the <strong>EMS</strong> community as a way to make CE more accessible and affordable; however, there were concerns about the quality of these rapidly proliferating activities. In 2000, a panel of representatives of CECB<strong>EMS</strong>’ member organizations and other <strong>EMS</strong> CECB<strong>EMS</strong> endeavors to keep pace with technology-savvy CE providers. The Accreditation Management System (AMS), to which CE providers upload all records of course completions provides state <strong>EMS</strong> officials, NREMT, and training officers a resource for verifying course completions submitted for relicensing or recertifying and information about course content and CE providers. The AMS houses 2,087,484 course completion records at this writing. The AMS is not only a source of information but it also provides a record of a student’s course completions ensuring that <strong>EMS</strong> professionals receive appropriate credit by CE providers. The AMS also provides a valuable resource for researchers. CECB<strong>EMS</strong>’ policy is to offer mentoring to applicants , especially those new to the process of CE accreditation. Liz Sibley, Executive Director, observes, “We rarely decline an application. Usually, applicants are serious about getting accreditation and have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the principles of adult learning. Completing the required self-study is a substantial task and most applicants take pains to provide accurate, complete information. Organizations applying for accreditation are usually knowledgeable about educational design; however, they may not be sure that they meet a given standard or how to document compliance. We can usually give them the help they need or direct them to an appropriate resource, and the applicant ultimately receives accreditation.” Applications for accreditation for individual courses contain detailed information that guides the applicant through the instructional design process. How Does CECB<strong>EMS</strong> Operate? CECB<strong>EMS</strong>, a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization, is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors, one appointed from each of six member organizations and two from the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NAS<strong>EMS</strong>O ) one from the Education and Professional Standards Council and one state <strong>EMS</strong> Director. The Board creates a strategic plan, makes policy, and oversees the management of the accreditation process and the organization. Board members are not compensated except for reimbursement of travel expenses by their respective member organizations. The CECB<strong>EMS</strong> Board meets four times annually, twice face-to-face and twice by conference call. The headquarters, located in Dallas, TX, is staffed by a full-time Executive Director, a full-time Review Coordinator, and a part-time Accounting Coordinator, totaling about 2.15 full time equivilants. During the 2009-10 fiscal year, CECB<strong>EMS</strong> conducted a total of 1,173 reviews and two www.naemse.org | <strong>Educator</strong> Update | 17
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