EMT Policy and Procedure

Emergency Medical Technician Training Policy and Procedure Manual

Policy and Procedure Manual

Version: 1.00 Review Date(s): 09/17

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Table of Contents: Section 1 – Program Infrastructure and Pre-Course Concerns

1.01

Organizational Chart

4

1.02

Roles and Responsibilities of Program Staff

5

1.03

Student Qualifications

7

1.04

Course Registration

7

Section 2 – Course Mechanics and Procedure

2.01

Course Staffing

8

2.02

Documentation of Student Attendance

8

2.03

Documentation of Staff Attendance

8

2.04

Student Examinations

8

2.05

Student Remediation

9

2.06

Student Retesting

10

2.07

Student Counselling

10

2.08

Student Grievances and Disputes

11

2.09

Student Files Maintenance

12

2.10

Progress Evaluations and At-Risk for Failure Notification

13

Section 3 – Post-Course Procedures 3.01

Course Evaluation Forms

15

3.02

Transition of Records and Course Closure

15

3.03

Records Storage

15

3.04

Billing and EMT Training Fund Billing

16

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Section 4 – EMT Program Staff

4.01

EMT Instructor Qualifications

17

4.02

EMT Instructor Aide Qualifications

17

4.03

EMT Instructor Aide Endorsement for Instructorship

17

4.04

EMT Instructor / Aide Ongoing Compliance

18

4.05

EMT Program Quality Assurance

19

4.06

Exam Item Validation

21

4.07

Program Medical Advisor

22

Section 5 – Records Management

5.01

Training Records Retention Policy

23

5.02

Training Records Access Policy

23

APPENDIX A: Administrative Forms

24

I.

Remediation / Progress Report / Counseling Form

25 26

II.

EMT Course QA – Mid Term QA Form

III.

EMT Course QA – FINAL QA

27

IV.

Medical Advisor Course Evaluation

29

V.

EMT Lead Instructor Monitoring Form

30

VI.

EMT Instructor Monitoring Form

31

VII.

EMT Student Folder QA Form

32

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1.01

Organizational Chart for EMT Training

Date: 09/26/17

Programs Director John Mateus The Programs Director is responsible for program content, policy creation, regulatory compliance and staff training and administration.

Program Medical Advisor Nicole Maguire DO The Program Medical Advisor provides medical oversight and advice to the program including staff selection, protocol review, and critique of educational content.

Programs Coordinator Mary Rongo The Programs Coordinator is responsible for staffing programs with instructors and coordinating administrative and logistic support for programs in the form of hospital time, equipment, and supplies.

EMT Lead Instructors Warren Kolendriski

EMT Lead Instructors Lorrie Graves

EMT Lead Instructors John Dorn

EMT Lead Instructors Russell Stuart

EMT Lead Instructors function as managers and supervisors of their individual programs. They are responsible for the day-to-day teaching of didactic and psychomotor content in their individual classes.

EMT Instructors See current Sign-in Sheet EMT Instructors deliver didactic and psychomotor content to students during lectures and skills sessions. They are responsible for activities within their small groups during psychomotor training. See current Sign-in Sheet EMT Instructor Aides are going through the process to become certified EMT Instructors. They participate in didactic and psychomotor content delivery under the direct supervision of an EMT Instructor EMT Instructor Aides

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1.02

Roles and Responsibilities of Program Staff

Date: 09/26/17

Programs Director The Programs Director serves as the primary agent for the design and overall operation of the EMT Training Program. The duties of the Program Director include, but are not limited to: 1. Providing oversight to assure that the program content and instructional program complies with the standards and guidelines set forth in the program curriculum and NJAC 8:40a 2. Providing oversight to assist with the recruitment, selection and orientation of instructional staff; 3. Providing technical advice and assistance to the program coordinator and faculty; 4. Providing oversight to assure the quality of the educational and instructional experience; 5. Providing oversight to assure that the program is operated in compliance with NJAC 8:40a 6. Establishing and supervising a student application process; 7. Critiquing and evaluating the administration and results of all program examinations 8. Serving as the primary contact person with the Department of Health, Office of EMS Programs Coordinator The Programs Coordinator serves as the individual in charge of logistics and training operations for the EMT Training Program. The duties of the Programs Coordinator include, but are not limited to: 1. Providing oversight to assure that the program content and instructional program complies with the standards and guidelines set forth in the program curriculum and NJAC 8:40a 2. Providing oversight to assist with the recruitment, selection and orientation of the program medical advisor and instructional staff 3. Providing technical assistance and guidance to the program medical advisor, instructional staff and students 4. Providing oversight to assure the quality of the educational experience and of the instructional staff 5. Identifying facilities and services where students can fulfill clinical and/or field experience requirements 6. Providing oversight to the student application process 7. Scheduling programs in accordance with the guidelines established by the program curriculum 8. Scheduling instructional staff and ensuring that lecturers possess the appropriate skills and knowledge required for presenting specific sessions as outlined in the program outline 9. Preparing, maintaining, procuring and inventorying all teaching materials and instructional aids 10. Critiquing and evaluating the administration and results of all written and practical skills evaluations (in cooperation with the program director) 11. Maintaining all program evaluations, student records, files and program examination results 12. Serving as student/faculty liaison 13. Maintaining responsibility for quality assurance 9. Serving as the training agency student/faculty liaison 10. Assuming the primary role in quality assurance

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14. Attending all EMT program coordinator meetings or training sessions as required by the Department. If the program coordinator is unable to attend, a representative shall be designated to attend. Program Medical Advisor The Programs Medical Director is the physician advisor to the EMT program and serves to advise the Programs Director, Programs Coordinator, and EMT Instructors/Aides of the most current practices in emergency medicine. The Program Medical Advisor’s responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1. Serving as a program medical advisor regarding the program content, procedures and protocols 2. Consulting and/or advising the instructional staff in the preparation and presentation of the program 3. Assisting in recruiting physicians to present materials in class, settling questions of medical protocol and acting as a liaison between the program and the medical community 4. Serving as a resource to review the quality of care rendered by the EMT during the clinical and field experiences of the EMT training program 5. Assisting in the review of all written and/or practical skills examinations EMT Lead Instructor The EMT Lead Instructor is the individual in charge of the day-to-day instructional activity at an individual EMT program site. The EMT Lead Instructor’s responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1. Physically monitoring class sessions to assure program continuity and ensuring that each student has the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills necessary to function as an EMT in the absence of the program coordinator 2. Teaching program lessons, as defined by the 2009 National EMS Standards 3. Attending all mandatory Department workshops relating to the implementation of the program curriculum 4. Assuming the responsibilities of the program coordinator in his or her absence. EMT Instructor The EMT Instructor is the person conducting EMT didactic or psychomotor training activities. The EMT Instructor’s responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1. Assisting the Lead EMT Instructor in the demonstration and practice designed to develop and evaluate student skill competencies 2. Assisting the Lead EMT Instructor in conducting the program sessions 3. Assisting in the development of EMT Instructor Aides EMT Instructor Aide The EMT Instructor Aide is an individual serving an apprenticeship to become an approved EMT Instructor. The EMT Instructor Aide’s responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1. Assisting EMT Instructors in the demonstration and practice designed to develop student skill competencies 2. Deliver didactic content under supervision of the EMT Instructor

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1.03

Student Qualifications

Date: 09/26/17

Student qualifications for attending EMT Initial training shall be as follows: 1. Age 16 or older by the first day of the EMT training program 2. Completion of a Professional level CPR course as approved by the Department of Health, Office of EMS. Students shall not be admitted into the program unless they meet the student qualifications above.

1.04

Course Registrations

Date: 09/26/17

Students shall be permitted to register for courses in any of the following methods: 1. Online registration via the Less Stress Instructional Services website 2. Faxed registration forms sent to 908-634-1011 3. In-person registrations at the Less Stress Instructional Services office At the completion of Session 1 attendance data shall be communicated by the EMT Lead Instructor to the office to register all students actually attending Session 1 into the NJEMS.us system.

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2.01

Course Staffing

Date: 09/26/17

EMT Instructors shall be scheduled for psychomotor skills sessions at a ratio of 1 instructor to 6 students, or 1 instructor to 10 students when an EMT Instructor Aide is present. The scheduling of human resources (EMT Instructors, EMT Instructor Aides, Guest Lecturers) shall be the responsibility of the Programs Coordinator. Staff shall be assigned into Training Center Manager software and instructors shall be automatically sent email confirmations of the dates, times, and locations of the training session they are expected to teach. Instructors scheduled in Training Center Manager shall be sent a text message the day before class reminding them of the course, location, and start time of the session they are scheduled for. When the Programs Coordinator cannot manage to staff a program with the appropriate staff necessary to meet the requirements of NJAC 8:40a for the number of students anticipated in the session, the Programs Coordinator shall notify the Programs Director of the staffing shortage. The Programs Director and Programs Coordinator shall, in the absence of appropriate staff, help staff the program or reschedule the session to a date and time where staff can be obtained. Student attendance shall be documented by having the student sign the STUDENT ROSTER every session the course meets. It shall be the student’s responsibility to sign the roster upon arrival at the course site. When students miss a session the EMT Lead Instructor shall require that they attend a make-up session. When the make-up session is completed, the EMT Lead Instructor shall collect the signed make-up sheet from the student. On the original course roster the EMT Lead Instructor should write “MAKEUP SHEET IN FOLDER” where the student’s signature would otherwise have been if the student had attended that session. The EMT Lead Instructor should then file the make-up sheet in the student’s folder. Under no circumstances should the student be given credit if they did not sign the student roster for that session. Where students are more than 15 minutes late they shall not be permitted to get credit for that session. Documentation of Student Attendance

2.02

Date: 09/26/17

2.03

Documentation of Staff Attendance

Date: 09/26/17

Staff attendance (EMT Lead Instructors, EMT Instructors, and EMT Instructor Aides) shall be documented on an EMT Program Staff Roster. EMT Lead Instructors should have an EMT Program Staff Roster for every session of the program, including sessions where they are the only staff member. Signed EMT Program Staff Rosters are the only acceptable means of documenting staff hours for the purposes of EMT Instructor certification and renewal.

2.04

Student Examinations

Date: 09/26/17

EMT course written examinations shall be administered using the current approved written exam for the course module in question. Written examinations shall be proctored by a Less Stress Instructional

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Services staff member at all times that students are working on the examination. Passing score for all EMT Module exams is 70% or higher. Passing score on the EMT exiting exam is 75% or higher.

EMT course psychomotor examinations shall be administered by EMT Instructors using the current approved scenarios and skills sheets. Where a ‘patient’ is necessary for the examination a student or manikin shall serve in that role. Under no circumstances shall the evaluating instructor serve as patient during an evaluation. Forms documenting student skills and written evaluations shall be completely filled out including Student Name, Date of examination, EMS ID number, and signature. Where instructors evaluated skills the Instructor shall print his/her name, EMS ID number, print the date of the examination, and sign the form.

2.05

Student Remediation

Date: 09/26/17

In situations where students do not successfully complete a written or psychomotor evaluation the EMT Lead Instructor should conduct a remediation of examination involved. Below are examples of

remediation activities: Written examinations: -

Reviewing written exam questions with student - Having student do the module pretest provided by LSIS and requiring an 80% before retesting - Having student complete workbook for modules covered in examination before retesting Psychomotor examinations: - Reviewing the skills error(s) committed by the student - Having the student practice the skill multiple times with peers or instructors - Having the student review skills videos provided by LSIS in the course intranet Remediation activities should be documented on a REMEDIATION/PROGRESS REPORT FORM (Appendix A). Where remediation has been conducted the left side of the form should be completed. Where the student is observed to have a circumstances that may negatively affect his/her academic performance the PROGRESS REPORT form on the right of the form should also be filled out. Circumstances that may negatively affect academic performance include but are not limited to: - Absenteeism - Tardiness - Difficulty with written exams - Difficulty with psychomotor exams Students with academic performance issues should be counselled on their circumstances and offered constructive feedback on improving academic performance. Recommendations for improving academic performance can include but are not limited to: - Additional attendance at other LSIS EMT or EMT refresher programs - Working with a knowledgeable mentor at their agency

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- Utilizing supplemental content from publishers - Prioritizing EMT course over other competing activities

Instructors providing remediation and progress report counseling shall sign and date the remediation form. Students receiving remediation or progress report counseling shall also sign and date the remediation form.

2.06

Student Retesting

Date: 09/29/17

Students who do not successfully complete an examination (written or psychomotor) and who have received remediation shall be eligible for retesting. Under no circumstances should a student who does not receive remediation be permitted to retest a written or psychomotor examination. When the psychomotor evaluation is scenario-based, the retesting of that skill shall be done with an alternate scenario that is different than the scenario the student originally tested on. Under no circumstances shall a student be tested on the same scenario twice. Psychomotor examinations shall be administered by a different EMT Instructor than the one that tested the student at the first attempt. Under no circumstances shall an EMT Instructor evaluate the same student on the same skill twice. When written evaluation is retested, a RETEST version that is different than the original exam shall be administered. Under no circumstances shall a student be tested utilizing the same written exam twice. When students display circumstances that negatively affect academic performance, violate course rules, or create a negative learning environment for other students the EMT Lead Instructor should conduct student counseling. Student Counselling shall involve notification of the student of the problematic circumstance and making recommendations to remedy the circumstance. Circumstances that might warrant counseling include but are not limited to: - Excessive absenteeism - Excessive tardiness - Academic underperformance (written or psychomotor) - Unacceptable affect with patients, peers, or staff - Chronic lack of participation - Sleeping in class - Problematic use of mobile device during class hours Example: Student Smith has been noted to be sleeping in class for a third time. The first occurrence the EMT Lead instructor discreetly tapped him on the shoulder as he walked by. On the second occurrence the EMT Lead instructor called for a break and spoke to him privately about his nodding off. On his third occurrence two other students were giggling at the fact that Student Smith was asleep in class. The EMT Lead instructor decided it was appropriate to have a counseling session with Student Smith about sleeping in class. Student Counseling Date: 09/29/17

2.07

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When an EMT Lead Instructor has decided to provide student counseling he should use the REMEDIATION / PROGRESS REPORT form (APPENDIX A) utilizing the right side of the form. Fields identifying academic performance, attendance, and punctuality should be completed even if they are within acceptable parameters. Specifics about the counseling session can be entered in the Additional Notes / Counseling / Recommendations field. Instructors providing counseling shall sign and date the form. Students receiving counseling shall also sign and date the form.

2.08

Student Grievances and Disputes

Date: 09/29/17

Less Stress Instructional Services is committed to providing high quality and student-focused instruction in emergency care. Occasionally students may have disputes with instructors regarding the way a program is conducted, an evaluation is performed, and/or how course completion is determined. The purpose of this policy is to insure that students are afforded due process and that any decisions made by an EMT Lead Instructor are reviewed by peers and administrators when questioned by a student. Decisions made by EMT Lead Instructors should be consistent with company policy and with the decision that another reasonable EMT instructor would make. The following policy must be followed when such a circumstance occurs: 1. The student should discuss the problem with the EMT Lead Instructor. The Lead instructor should consider the problem and insure that all actions related to the problem were consistent with LSIS policy (for example, if a student is disputing a written exam score the lead instructor should check that the correct exam and answer key were used). In cases where procedures were followed appropriately the student should be referred to step 2 below. 2. The student should be encouraged to write to the Programs Director explaining the nature of the dispute. The complaint should include the following: a. The student involved in the dispute b. The exact nature of the dispute c. The instructor(s) involved in the dispute, if any d. The course policy or academic standard violated The Programs Director, the EMT Lead Instructor, and one additional faculty member will review the dispute and discuss it with the student so as to establish a resolution. 3. Students shall receive a response in writing from the Programs Director within 10 days of any academic dispute filed. Discrimination Disputes: LSIS is committed to providing high quality and student-focused education to all participants regardless of race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or other specific traits. It is LSIS’ policy that all students be given equal access to our services and be evaluated equally. Where a student feels they have been discriminated against for some specific reason, the instructor should:

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a. Inform the student of LSIS’ policy b. Document the event in an incident report and forward it to the LSIS office as soon as possible. Where the dispute involves an evaluation or activity the written exam or skills sheet should also be included in the incident report c. Refer the student to the LSIS office for additional review by the Programs Director

2.09

Student Files Maintenance

Date: 09/29/17

Student files shall be maintained throughout Emergency Medical Technician training so as to include documentation of all pre-requisites, skills practice sessions, evaluations, counseling events, and other program activities. It is the responsibility of the LSIS Office Staff to create student folders for individuals attending EMT training prior to the start of the program. LSIS Office Staff will file information submitted prior to course start (such as prerequisite information such as CPR cards) in those folders. At start of the course it becomes the responsibility of the EMT Lead Instructor to maintain Student Files. EMT Lead Instructors shall place all documents related to student activity into the folders as a record of student performance. Student files shall be maintained in a locked area or box so as to guarantee only authorized parties are able to access student records. A Mid-Course Quality Assurance Audit of every EMT program shall be conducted on or around MOD 5 of the program (Session 5.01). It is the responsibility of the Programs Director or Programs Coordinator to review Course and Student Files during a Mid-Term Quality Assurance audit. It shall be the responsibility of the EMT Lead Instructor to correct deficiencies in the student folders when any are discovered during the Mid-Term Audit. Please see the EMT COURSE QA - Mid-Term QA Form (APPENSIX A)for details about this process. This form shall be completed and attached to the course records and every student folder shall have a Student Folder QA Form (APPENDIX A) completed in the Mid-Term QA spots and placed in the Student Files. At the end of the course the Student Files shall be subjected to a final audit by the EMT Lead Instructor to insure completion. Discrepancies found during the final audit shall be referred to the responsible part (student or instructor) and resolved as quickly as possible. Within 7 days of course completion all course records, including student files, shall be sent to the LSIS Office for a post-course final audit by the Programs Director or Programs Coordinator (see Policy 3.02).

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A complete student record shall have the following components: Pre-Requisites Skills Sheets Evaluation Sheets

Other

Copy of CPR card (no letters)

1.14 Skills Sheet 2.02 Skills Sheet 2.03 Skills Sheet 2.04 Skills Sheet 3.05 Skills Sheet 3.12 Skills Sheet 3.13 Skills Sheet 3.14 Skills Sheet 4.06 Skills Sheet 4.15 Skills Sheet 4.18 Skills Sheet 4.19 Skills Sheet 5.02-5.05 Skills Sheet 5.06 Skills Sheet 6.09 Skills Sheet 7.06 Skills Sheet 8.08 Skills Sheet Exiting Exam Skills Sheet

MOD 1 exam MOD 2 exam MOD 3 exam MOD 4 exam MOD 5 exam MOD 6 exam MOD 7 exam MOD 8 exam

Affective Evaluation Sheet Hospital Time Sheet Vitals Signs Sheet Counseling / Progress Report forms where applicable

Date of Birth Documented

Mid-Term Progress Report

EMT Student Folder QA Form

ICS Online certificate HazMat Online certificate NIMS Online certificate Developmental Disabilities online certificate

Exiting exam

* Where students required retesting of a skill or written evaluation a second skills sheet and remediation form should be stapled to the original skill sheet or written exam Student files shall be maintained for a period of no less than seven years. Information contained in the student folders is subject to Training Records Access Policy 5.02.

2.10

Progress Reports and At-Risk-For-Failure Notices Date: 09/29/17

Students in LSIS EMT courses shall receive feedback from EMT Lead Instructors about their academic performance throughout the program. All students will receive feedback on their performance at the following times: 1. Remediation – When a student received remediation after an unsuccessful skills or written examination the EMT Lead Instructor shall complete a Remediation / Progress Report form. The EMT Lead Instructor shall complete all items on the Remediation (left) side of the form. When the student has a noteworthy pattern of behavior (chronic absenteeism, tardiness, multiple unsuccessful exams) the EMT Lead Instructor shall complete the Progress Report (right) side of the form also. When the student is at risk for failing the program, the AT RISK FOR FAILING box shall be check and areas where the student is underperforming shall be specified on the form. 2. Mid-Term – All students shall receive Mid-Term progress reports at or about the start of Module 5 of the program regardless of their performance. The Progress Reports shall be documented on the Remediation / Progress Report form utilizing only the Progress Report (right) side of the form. When the student is at risk for failing the program, the AT RISK FOR FAILING box shall be check and areas where the student is underperforming shall be specified on the form.

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Wherever possible EMT Lead Instructors should give students recommendations on improving course performance such as inviting them to attend other LSIS programs that might be going on, encouraging/requiring them to do online self-exams, or simply asking them to dedicate more time to preparing for course examinations. EMT Lead Instructors should seek the assistance of the Programs Director and Programs Coordinator for advice on specific cases. This form should be signed by both student and instructor and filed in their student folder. A copy of the form should be given to the student.

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3.01

Course Evaluation Forms

Date: 09/29/17

On the last session (46) of EMT class, the EMT Lead Instructor shall request all EMT students complete an online Course Evaluation Form. This form shall permit student students to submit anonymous feedback directly to the LSIS Office about their EMT training. This data includes feedback about course length, skills sessions, training equipment, their EMT Lead Instructor and other staff members. The EMT Course Evaluation is located at: http://www.lessstress.com/emtcourseeval.htm Data from the course evaluations shall be reviewed by the Programs Director. The data can be reported out for all EMT courses, for one specific course site, or for one specific EMT Lead Instructor. Following the last session of EMT training (46) EMT Lead instructors shall provide the students with the phone number (973-427-9692) and email ( office@lessstress.com ) of the LSIS office as the main point of contact for further student needs. EMT Lead Instructors shall perform the final course audit and submit course records to the LSIS office within 7 days. LSIS Office staff, supervised by the Programs Coordinator, shall be responsible for post-course activities including but not limited to:  Receiving outstanding documents such as Hospital Time Sheets, Vital Signs Sheets, etc.  Coordinating retests as necessary  Marking students COMPLETE in the www.NJEMS.us system A final audit of the student folder shall be conducted by the Programs Coordinator and/or Programs Director. A Final Audit Form shall be included in the folder to document this process. All students shall have fully complete records in their folder and a completed Final Audit form before their Emergency Medical Technician training is considered Complete. Students whose Emergency Medical Technician training is considered Complete shall be marked Complete in the www.NJEMS.us online system so as to make them test-eligible. All outstanding items must be completed and the online record updated within 30 days of the last scheduled session of EMT Training. Transition of Records and Course Closure

3.02

Date: 09/29/17

3.03

Records Storage

Date: 09/29/17

Course records shall be stored at the Less Stress Instructional Services office file room. This file room shall be locked so as to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to it. EMT training course records shall be retained for a period of no less than seven years. After seven years records shall be destroyed in a manner that protects identification of private student information.

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3.04

Billing and EMT Training Fund Billing

Date: 09/29/17

Students registering for Emergency Medical Technician training are generally required to pre-pay tuition monies for the program prior to class start. Payment is accepted via major credit card, check, cash, or PAYPAL prior to start of the program. LSIS will accept a limited number of EMT Training Fund students into Emergency Medical Technician courses, and only from agencies already consuming other services from Less Stress Instructional Services. When students are accepted into the program using EMT Training Fund as their payment method the student shall not be required to pay any additional monies for tuition. The EMT Training Fund student will be expected to acquire or purchase the current manual/materials required for the training program. The student will be required to bring his EMT Training Fund form, signed in ink by the designee of the Training Fund Eligible Agency, to the first day of class. Photocopies of the Training Fund Form shall not be accepted. Refunds: Students can withdraw from the course in writing and request refund in full of all tuition payments any time prior to Session 2 of the program. This policy is to accommodate the student who commits monies to the program but realizes upon attending the first session that it is not in his/her best interest to continue. After the second session the student is deemed fully committed to the course and no refunds will be issued to students. Once received course materials such as student manuals are not refundable under any circumstances. Academic Performance Drops: Students who are unsuccessful at maintaining the required scores in written and psychomotor evaluations and are dropped from the EMT program shall be permitted to attend another EMT program starting within 12 months of the conclusion of their original EMT training program at no cost. Students shall be expected to bring previously purchased course materials or purchase new course materials if the materials were updated since their last attendance. A student shall receive this additional no-cost seat at an EMT course only once. Should the student be dropped from the program due to academic performance a second time the student shall be required to pay tuition for the third attempt at Emergency Medical Technician training. EMT Training Fund Billing: The Programs Coordinator and Programs Director shall be responsible for billing the EMT Training Fund according to specifications in the Emergency Medical Training Fund P. L. 1992, c143 as amended and all related rules and regulations. EMT Training Fund billing shall be conducted utilizing current forms (currently EMS-53) and on the following schedule: Student Completing Through Session 12 $187.50 Student Completing Through Session 23 $375.00 Student Completing Through Session 36 $562.50 Student Completing Through Session 46 $750.00 Under no circumstance shall a student be billed to the EMT Training Fund unless a properly completed EMT Training Fund Form as specified above has been received. The EMS-53 form and copies of the EMT Training Fund forms shall be sent to the Office of EMS for processing. Copies of the EMS-53 and the original EMT Training Fund billing forms shall be filed with each course record.

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4.01

EMT Instructor Qualifications

Date: 09/29/17

EMT Instructors affiliated with Less Stress Instructional Services shall be required to possess the following credentials:  Current EMT(i) certification from the NJ Department of Health  Current Professional-Level CPR qualification (Instructor-level preferred)  Current endorsement from the LSIS Programs Coordinator (see policy 4.05 for specifics on maintaining endorsement at LSIS)

4.02

EMT Instructor Aide Qualifications

Date: 09/29/17

EMT Instructor Aides affiliated with Less Stress Instructional Services shall be required to possess the following on file with the LSIS Office:  Current EMT certification with the NJ Department of Health  Current Professional-Level CPR qualification  Current resume on-file documenting previous EMT experience  Satisfactory affiliation with LSIS (see policy 4.05 for specifics on maintaining affiliation at LSIS) EMT Instructor Aides assist in courses under the supervision of EMT Instructors in an apprenticeship process to qualify for EMT Instructor certification. This process requires that EMT Instructor Aides complete EMT Instructor screening, complete several required items, and be endorsed by the Training Center for certification. EMT Instructor Aides seeking to obtain endorsement for EMT Instructor Screening shall be required to:  Obtain no less than 60 hours of teaching time at LSIS EMT Training Programs  Complete all activities on the EMT Instructor Aide Development form  Successfully complete an LSIS Aide Workshop EMT Instructor Aides successfully completing EMT Instructor Screening and seeking to obtain endorsement for certification shall be required to:  Obtain an additional 60 hours of teaching time at LSIS EMT Training Programs  Complete the NAEMSE Level 1 Instructor Course  Successfully complete the NJ OEMS micro-teaching session 4.03 EMT Instructor Aide Endorsement for Instructorship Date: 09/29/17

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4.04 EMT Instructor/Aide Ongoing Compliance

Date: 09/29/17

To insure that instructional staff is complaint with NJAC 8:40a and policies 4.01 and 4.02, the Programs Coordinator shall yearly (in or about September) audit all instructor files (physical folders and digital instructor folders in Training Center Manager software) to ascertain the following: All EMT Instructors:  have on file current EMT(I) certification cards; confirmation of instructor status on

www.NJEMS.us shall not serve as a substitute for an EMT(I) card  have on file current Professional-Level CPR certification card  have completed EMT Instructor Inservicing in the current calendar year  have received an EMT Instructor monitoring in the current calendar year  has completed EMT Instructor competencies in the current calendar year

All EMT Lead Instructors:

 As EMT Instructor above plus  Have received an EMT Lead Instructor Monitoring in the current calendar year  Have completed the EMT Lead Instructor inservicing in the current calendar year

All EMT Instructor Aides:

 have on file current EMT certification cards; confirmation of provider status on www.NJEMS.us shall not serve as a substitute for an EMT(I) card  have on file current Professional-Level CPR certification card  have completed EMT Instructor Inservicing in the current calendar year  have been monitored in the current calendar year  has completed EMT Instructor competencies in the current calendar year  has a copy of the EMT Instructor Aide Development form on file for the current calendar year Where EMT Instructors or EMT Instructor Aides have incomplete files the Programs Coordinator shall:  Request missing documents be submitted  Schedule the instructor for missing competencies or monitoring Where EMT Instructors or aides remain out of compliance with 8:40a or policies 4.01 and 4.02, the Programs Coordinator shall suspend teaching activities for that staff member until they can establish compliance with those requirements.

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4.05 EMT Program Quality Assurance

Date: 09/29/17

Less Stress Instructional Services has adopted a comprehensive Quality Assurance program to guarantee that EMT students have a high-quality and high-satisfaction educational experience. Quality Assurance efforts shall consist of three phases:  Program Review  Instructional Staff Compliance and Education  Solicitation and review of EMT Training Course student feedback Program Review: The Programs Director will on a yearly basis (on or about September) review EMT program structure and delivery including but not limited to:  Course schedule and structure  EMT Training Policy and Procedures To perform the above, the Programs Director will review documentation, solicit the opinion of instructional staff via meeting or online collaboration, and evaluate products and services on the market. Modifications to program content, policy and procedure, equipment and supplies, or program resources shall be made to continuously improve the program. Instructional Staff Compliance and Education: Instructional Staff shall be inserviced to insure compliance with NJAC 8:40a and adherence to the policies and procedures of the EMT Training Program. Staff shall be required to undergo: EMT Instructors:  Yearly review of documentation by LSIS Office Staff  Yearly competencies  Written examination analysis and modification  Psychomotor Skills analysis and modification  Review of equipment and supply needs  Evaluation of current textbook utilized  Evaluation of supplemental content provided to student (self-exams, videos, etc)

 Yearly inservicing on topics of current relevancy to EMT instructors  Yearly instructor monitoring by the Programs Director/Coordinator EMT Lead Instructors:  As EMT Instructor plus  Yearly inservicing on topics of current relevancy to EMT Lead instructors  Yearly Lead Instructor monitoring by the Programs Director/Coordinator

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EMT Instructors Aide:

 As EMT Instructor plus  Yearly update of EMT Instructor Aide Development record

Where EMT Instructors or aides remain out of compliance with 8:40a or policies 4.01 and 4.02, the Programs Coordinator shall be suspended from teaching activities for that staff member until they can establish compliance with those requirements. Course monitoring shall be performed by the Programs Director or Programs Coordinator and can involve witnesses a lecture, psychomotor skills practice, or skills examination. Instructors shall be graded according to the current EMT Instructor Monitoring form. Instructors whose monitoring sessions are not successful should receive feedback about their performance and be monitored again at a future date. If an instructor cannot monitor successfully after two attempts shall function as an EMT-Instructor Aide until they can monitor successfully. All monitoring forms shall be filed in the instructor’s folder All EMT students are requested complete an EMT Training Course Evaluation online at the end of their EMT program. This course evaluation is anonymous and provides the EMT student to provide feedback about various aspects of the course including:  The Lead Instructor’s performance  The instructional staff’s performance (including feedback about specific staff members)  The length of the course and time utilization  Consistency of content from instructor to instructor  Psychomotor skills evaluation difficulty  Written evaluation difficulty  Quality and availability of equipment  Quality and relevance of support materials Within 10 days of the end of an EMT course, the Programs Director will compile and analyze course evaluations. Individual reports for each site will be sent to the EMT Lead Instructor who conducted the program. Data analysis shall include:  Review of aggregate scores and comments of all EMT programs conducted and/or scanned into Training Center Manager software for filing. Solicitation and review of EMT Training Course student feedback

 Review of scores and comments of one specific EMT program site  Review of scores and comments of one specific EMT Lead Instructor  Review of student impression of psychomotor skills evaluations  Review of student impression of written evaluations  Review of student impression of equipment availability  Review of student impression of support materials quality and relevance

Responses to course evaluation items shall range from positive responses (Ex. Very Good, Good), neutral responses (Ex. Appropriate), and poor responses (Ex. Poor, Very Poor). When in any category of course evaluations yields a >25% of responses in the poor categories the Programs Director shall perform a Quality Improvement analysis and make appropriate changes to the course including but not limited to:  Conference with the EMT Lead Instructor responsible for that location or instructional staff  Review of program schedule or activities

 Review of equipment available to that course location  Review of exam items or psychomotor skills testing  Review of textbook or support materials sed

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4.06 Exam Item Validation

Date: 09/29/17

On a yearly basis (on or about September) the Programs Director shall conduct Exam Item Validation for all examinations administered in the EMT Training program. The exam item validation will involve the following process: 1. Aggregate data from EMT training courses including students, total scores for each exam, and whether students had a question correct or incorrect on the exam. 2. Compute the Difficulty Index by calculating what percentage of students answered the question correctly on the examination. 3. Compute the Upper Difficulty Index by calculating what percentage of the students scoring in the top 25% of the class for that exam. 4. Compute the Lower Difficulty Index by calculating what percentage of the students scoring in the bottom 25% of the class for that exam. 5. Compute the Discriminating Index by subtracting the Upper Difficulty Index from the Lower Difficulty Index. Based on the analysis above, the Programs Direct shall edit exams for the next semester with the following guidelines in mind: Difficulty Index Action 100% Item too easy – consider removal 75%-99% Discriminating Index Action 1.0 – 0.70

Item highly discriminating – review distractors to insure good distribution Item discriminating – consider revision to optimize discriminating potential Item slightly discriminating – consider revision to improve DI Item inversely discriminating – consider removal or modification

Item easy – consider modification and/or distractor analysis Item moderately difficult – analyze other questions to insure good range of scores Item very difficult – consider modification or removal

0.69 – 0.21

25%-74%

0.20%-0.01%

<25%

-1.0 – 0.00

Modified exams shall be given a new version number to indicate the date of last review (for example, version 2017.09 shall indicate revised in September 2017).

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4.07 Program Medical Advisor

Date: 09/29/17

The Program Medical Advisor is the physician consultant to the EMT Training program. The Medical Advisor shall be expected to materially participate the oversight and administration of the EMT Training Program including scenario review, psychomotor skills review, protocol evaluation, objectives evaluation, and evaluation of the instructional staff. The Program Medical Advisor shall participate in the EMT program through document review, staff meeting, and visiting EMT training sessions in person. On a yearly basis (on or about September) the Medical Advisor shall complete Medical Advisor Course Evaluation form (Appendix A) with feedback on improving the EMT Training Program. The Programs Director shall review the form, incorporate recommendations from the Program Medical Advisor where appropriate, and file the Program Medical Advisor Evaluation Form with the EMT Program Administration Documents.

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5.01 Training Records Retention Policy

Date: 09/29/17

EMT Course Training Records (including student folders, rosters, schedules, and incident reports) shall be kept with the EMT Lead Instructor under his/her direct supervision. The records shall be transported to the training site for use during program hours, and kept with the program coordinator or lead instructor during non-program hours for the duration of the program. Alternatively the EMT Lead Instructor may leave them at the course site if they are in a locked secure location. At the conclusion of the program, records shall be house at the Less Stress Instructional Services main office for storage for a period of seven (7) years.

5.02 Training Records Access Policy

Date: 09/29/17

EMT Course Training Records shall be considered private information and access to said records shall be restricted. All training records shall be held in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). As such, only eligible (over 18 years old) students or parents of ineligible students will have access to student records. Other parties may only be granted access to student records via written permission from the eligible student parent using the FERPA Waiver Form. LSIS may also release student records without permission in the following situations:  To school officials/staff with legitimate educational interest  To appropriate parties in connection with financial aid for the student  To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school  To accrediting organizations  To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena  To appropriate officials in case of health and safety emergencies  To state and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to State law  To other schools to which the student is transferring  To specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes

Release of records to unauthorized parties shall be prohibited.

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APPENDIX A: ADMINISTRATIVE FORMS

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EMT COURSE – STUDENT REMEDIATION PROGRESS REPORT/COUNSELING FORM

0s STUDENT NAME COURSE LOCATION: START DATE:

6 DIGIT ID:

EMT LEAD INSTRUCTOR

AGENCY IF ANY:

REMEDIATION

PROGRESS REPORT / COUNSELING

ISSUE TYPE:

ATTENDANCE:

TARDINESS:

WRITTEN

PSYCHOMOTOR

AFFECTIVE

No missed sessions 1-3 missed sessions 4+ missed sessions

None

MODULE IN QUESTION

Sporadic <10% Chronic >10%

TYPE OF REMEDIATION:

REVIEWED SKILLS SHEET

WRITTEN EXAMS:

DEMONSTRATED/PRACTICED SKILL

No apparent difficulties

REVIEWED WRITTEN TEST

Sporadic difficulties (1-2 retests) Chronic difficulties (3+ retests)

OTHER

TO DO BEFORE ADDITIONAL ATTEMPT:

PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS EXAMS:

READ BOOK PAGES: No apparent difficulties SELF-TEST ONLINE WITH >8000pt score Sporadic difficulties (1-2 retests) PEER PRACTICE WITH STUDENT Chronic difficulties (3+ retests) COMPLETE WORKBOOK PAGES: OTHER

AVAILABLE RESOURCES: Y N Available to audit CEU/Refresher with LSIS Has access to mentor at agency for practice Has access to online content from publishers Willing to prioritize time for EMT class Other

Student at Risk for Failure/Dismissal:

Yes

No

Additional Notes / Counseling / Recommendations:

INSTRUCTOR PROVIDING REMEDIATION :

STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Name:

Name:

Date:

Date:

Signature:

Signature:

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EMT COURSE QA - MID TERM

COURSE LOCATION: START DATE: EMT LEAD INSTRUCTOR

ATTENDANCE: Completed Sessions:

Student Sign-In Sheets:

Instructor Sign-In Sheets:

CPR CARDS: All students have copies of CPR cards good until end of course?

All students have student contracts signed?

MOD Exams – all present – failures have remediation forms and retests? MOD 1 MOD 2 MOD 3 MOD 4 MOD 5 MOD 6

MOD Skills Forms – all present – failures have remediation forms and retests? MOD 1 MOD 2 MOD 3 MOD 4 MOD 5 MOD6

Total Students:

Paid with Registration:

Paying with Training Fund:

Paying with Other:

All Skills Sheets signed and dated by EMT Instructor?

ROSTER OF STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED BOOKS/SUPPLIES IN BINDER?

COURSE SCHEDULE IS PRESENT IN BINDER?

OTHER NOTES

Individual Doing QA:

Signature:

Date:

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