EMT Refresher Education

 16-hour course for EMTs, paramedics, nurses, physician assistants, physicians and other prehospital providers.  Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a certificate of completion, a wallet card recognizing them as PHTLS providers for 4 years, and 16 hours of CAPCE credit.  This course may be offered as a classroom course, or a hybrid course where students take 8 hours of the course online followed by 8 hours in the classroom.  

NAEMT's Psychological Trauma in EMS Patients (PTEP) course gives EMS practitioners the resources they need to help alleviate patients’ hidden wounds – intense fear, stress and pain – during a medical emergency.

PTEP educates EMS practitioners about the biological underpinnings of psychological trauma, the short and long-term impact on the brain and body, and warning signs that a patient is experiencing extreme psychological distress. EMS practitioners are also taught strategies and techniques to alleviate patients’ distress and help patients cope with what they’re experiencing to ward off lingering effects.

PTEP is designed for EMS practitioners and other prehospital providers. The course is accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.  Students who successfully complete the course receive a certificate of completion, a wallet card good for 4 years, and 8 hours of CAPCE credit.

NAEMT’s EMS Safety course teaches students how to protect themselves and their patients while on the job. It promotes a culture of safety and helps reduce the number of on-the-job fatalities and injuries. EMS Safety is the only national, comprehensive safety course for EMS practitioners. Its interactive format features real-life case studies and compelling discussions on current safety issues, and provides participants with a forum to share their own experiences. Critical thinking stations help build participants’ risk assessment and decision-making skills.

EMS Safety is offered as an 8-hour classroom course and is appropriate for all levels of EMS practitioners, other medical professionals providing prehospital patient care, and EMS supervisors and administrators. Students who successfully complete the course receive a certificate of completion and a wallet card good for 4 years. EMS Safety is accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.

NAEMT's EMS Vehicle Operator Safety (EVOS) course addresses the knowledge gap that leads to injuries and deaths, and focuses on the specific behaviors that need to be changed to create a culture of safe driving.

Drawing on the most current research about the behaviors and other hazards that lead to crashes, EVOS features case studies and analyses of both common and catastrophic collisions. EVOS challenges EMS practitioners to reconsider their preconceptions about safe vehicle operations. Instructors can easily incorporate local laws, rules and policies into the curriculum. Topics covered in the course include:

• Making driving safety a priority
• Legal aspects of EMS vehicle operation
• Maneuvering an EMS vehicle
• Vehicle inspection and maintenance
• Mental, emotional and physical preparedness
• Emergency response
• Crash prevention
• Driving skills
• Technological aids
• Simulation training

EVOS is appropriate for EMS practitioners at all levels.  EVOS is accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.

The All Hazards Disaster Response (AHDR) course teaches students how to respond to the many types of disaster scenarios they may encounter, including natural disasters and infrastructure failings, fires and radiological events, pandemics, active shooter incidents, and other mass casualty events. AHDR educates participants on how to analyze potential threats in their area, assess available resources, and create a response plan that will save lives.

Features of a medical response plan covered in the course include:

• Communicating effectively during disasters.
• Mutual aid and interoperability.
• Managing resources such as supplies, medications and equipment.
• Triage and transportation strategies and challenges.
• Patient tracking and evacuation.

At the start of the course, participants conduct a “hazards vulnerability analysis” to assess features of their environment, both natural and man-made, that pose risk along with assessing the needs of vulnerable populations, such as assisted-living residents or hospital patients that need special consideration during such an event.

Content is presented in the context of realistic scenarios, culminating with a large-scale mass casualty activity.

AHDR is appropriate for all levels of EMS practitioners. This course is offered in the classroom and provides 8 hours of CAPCE credit and NREMT recognition.

GEMS provides EMS practitioners at all levels with the skills and knowledge to address the unique medical, social, environmental and communications challenges of older adults. Developed by NAEMT, in partnership with the American Geriatrics Society, GEMS empowers EMS practitioners to help improve medical outcomes and quality of life for geriatric patients.

GEMS features case-based lectures, live action video, hands-on skill stations, simulation and small group scenarios to fully engage students in the learning experience. GEMS covers the following topics:

• Changes with age
• Assessment of older adults
• Pharmacology and medication toxicity
• Psycho-social emergencies
• Elder abuse
• End-of-life care issues
• Cardiovascular and respiratory emergencies
• Trauma
• Neurological emergencies and altered mental status
• Mobile integrated healthcare
• Special considerations for older adults in disaster response
• Skin and wound care
• Medical devices frequently used by older adults

Two GEMS courses are offered - a core and advanced course.  They may be offered separately or sequentially.  Both courses are appropriate for EMTs, paramedics, emergency medical responders, nurses, physician assistants and physicians. GEMS is accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.

PHTLS for First Responders is an 8-hour classroom course that takes the world-class trauma care content from the 9th edition of PHTLS and delivers it in a style that is relevant to and accessible by first responders, including emergency medical responders (EMR), firefighters, rescue personnel and law enforcement officers. Covering life-saving interventions such as hemorrhage control and airway management, this course teaches critical trauma concepts, demonstrates skills, and walks students through potential patient scenarios. Course materials include a student manual, providing students with access to these important concepts long after the course is over. Upon successful completion of this course, students receive a certificate of completion, a wallet card good for 4 years and 8 hours of CAPCE credit. 

 The Mental Health Resilience Officer (MHRO) course prepares EMS personnel to serve as their agency’s Mental Health Resilience Officer. In this role, the MHRO will engage with peers to develop an understanding of mental health issues and resilience; identify peers who are experiencing mental health stressors and crises; navigate peers in need to the right services for help; and support the development of a culture of mental health resilience and emotional wellness within the agency.