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Cut Costs, Not Quality
At home, you may be pinching pennies and closely watching your budget. Perhaps you're eating out less, buying bargain-brand goods and saving more. In our current financial crisis, funds are tight. Times like these require economic restraint.
The same is true for your EMS education programs. There are many ways to conduct such programs, and the good news is that you don't have to sacrifice quality for lower costs. Even if you don't have much money to spend, there are several ways to conduct great courses on shoestring budgets. Here are six easy steps you can take.
Find a free location
Find a location you can use free of charge. There can be more possibilities than you might expect. Consider a hospital training space, community hall or civic center, local church or school, or a county or city fire station.
Use libraries to obtain course books
A library or other local organizations may have the books you need. As long as you ensure every participant has use of a book before and during the course, not having to buy books eliminates a large expense.
Find volunteers
Locate volunteer instructors to assist you. You may be surprised at how many people will teach for free. Many find it rewarding to mentor and educate up-and-comers in the EMS profession, and many understand the difficult financial environment in which public safety and medical entities operate. Where possible, consider providing continuing education credits to instructors instead of monetary payment.
Seek sponsors
Seek out assistance from local businesses that have ties to EMS or simply appreciate our services. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Once a business agrees to sponsor your program, give it credit and use its logo where possible.
Share the burden
Try working with other departments that can share expenses. With more participants, you can hold larger courses and split costs. Piggyback training onto already-scheduled classes.
Use technology to monitor new instructors
For monitoring new instructors, consider technological solutions like GoToMeeting, a software program that can be downloaded and used free for 30 days. This lets affiliate faculty easily monitor courses via the Web.
Taking these steps should help you continue to conduct your EMS education courses during these difficult times.
About NAEMT and Educational Courses
Formed in 1975 and today more than 30,000 members strong, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is the nation's only organization solely dedicated to representing the professional interests of all EMS practitioners. NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special-operations settings, and the military.
NAEMT offers comprehensive quality EMS educational courses in Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS), Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) and Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS). All courses are held throughout the year and provide the most current information and best practices in patient assessment and treatment.
For more information, visit www.naemt.org or call 800/346-2368.
Trevor D. Hicks, PMD, BSBA, ADN, FP-C, is the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians' education outreach specialist. E-mail him at Trevor.Hicks@naemt.org.
NAEMT Courses at EMS EXPO
NAEMT is offering several preconference courses at EMS EXPO 2009 in Atlanta, GA. The following classes will be held on October 26 and 27:
Advanced Medical Life Support: Offers a practical approach to adult medical emergencies, helping participants increase their abilities in assessing and managing patients from initial field impressions through differential diagnoses. The course targets advanced-level practitioners and allows for a minimal amount of lecture and ample actual hands-on physical assessment of the medical patient.
Emergency Pediatric Care: Focuses on the care of sick and injured children and gives students a practical understanding of respiratory, cardiovascular, medical and traumatic pediatric emergencies. Assessment is based upon the Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT).
Prehospital Trauma Life Support: This course is scenario-based, with lectures and interactive skills station components to enhance attendees' knowledge and further develop the critical thinking skills required to effectively treat trauma patients in the field.
Demystifying Prehospital Research: Utilizing faculty from the Prehospital Care Research Forum, this workshop enables participants to better understand the research process and the details that it takes to become an EMS researcher, teaches participants the essential components of EMS research, and walks them through the steps of designing and implementing an EMS research project.
For more information, visit www.naemt.org/education/Preconference_courses.aspx.
