BCCTPC Announces Drs. John Cole and Mike Wilcox as CP-C® Exam Committee Medical Directors

June 6, 2016 -- The International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC) announces the appointment of Drs. John Cole and Mike Wilcox to provide medical direction for the Certified Community Paramedic (CP-C®) Exam.

Launched in January of this year, the exam creates a psychometrically valid and legally defensible measure of knowledge for all paramedics practicing in either a community paramedic or mobile integrated health model in the U.S.

Dr. John Cole, MD, is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He has served on the BCCTPC as medical director assisting with FP-C and CCP-C examinations since 2000. Dr. Cole received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, completed his internship at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and attended emergency medicine residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Cole serves as the Medical Director for WellSpan York Hospital Community Paramedicine program and is an attending in the emergency department. Previously, he was the Medical Director for STAT MedEvac, the Associate Medical Director for Allegheny General Life Flight and EMS Fellowship Director at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. In additional to serving on the BCCTPC Board, Dr. Cole has been a Medical Advisor to the International Association of Flight & Critical Care Paramedics (IAFCCP).

Dr. Michael Wilcox, MD, is a Board Certified Family Practice Physician who has practiced in rural Minnesota for 38 years. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Minnesota and did his post graduate training at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He completed the Bush Medical Fellowship in Critical & Emergency Care in 1985.

Dr. Wilcox is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency & Family Medicine at the University of Minnesota; Medical Director at the Community Paramedic Program at Hennepin Technical College; and, the Medical Director for Rural EMS Services. He recently retired after 25 years of service to North Memorial Medical Center in Minneapolis, but continues to provide consultative services for their Community Paramedicine Program.

About Community Paramedicine

Community Paramedicine is an emerging healthcare delivery model that increases access to basic services through the use of specially trained emergency medical service (EMS) providers in an expanded role. Community Paramedics care for patients at home or in other non-urgent settings outside of a hospital under the supervision of a physician or advanced practice provider. Community Paramedics can expand the reach of primary care and public health services by using EMS personnel to perform patient assessments. Over the past decade, local healthcare gaps around the U.S. and internationally have been filled through Community Paramedic programs that use EMS personnel to fill gaps in the healthcare system, particularly in round-the-clock management of non-acute illnesses, mental health issues, and chronic care follow-up needs. The Community Paramedic is ideally suited to provide better care for the community through non-emergency interaction with patients in the community, integration and coordination with a variety of needed services and improved patient navigation. Community Paramedic services help reduce unnecessary trips to the emergency department, reduce readmission to the hospital, improve the patient’s quality of life and decrease overall healthcare costs.

About the International Board of Specialty Certification

The International Board of Specialty Certification is the evolution of the Board for Critical Care Transport Paramedic Certification. Our Certified Flight Paramedic (FP-C®), Certified Critical Care Paramedic (CCP-C®) and Certified Tactical Paramedic (TP-C®) and Certified Community Paramedic (CP-C®) examinations are well established and have become a recognized standard for clinical competency by medical providers in the United States, Europe, South Africa and the Middle East.

The International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC) is a not for profit corporation with the mission of developing, implementing and maintaining specialty certification exams to measure the attainment and application of a defined body of knowledge in specific roles. For more information, call 770/978-4400 or e-mail at help@bcctpc.org.