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Strategies of high-performing paramedic educational programs.
Gregg S Margolis1, Gabriel A Romero, Antonio R Fernandez
1National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, Ohio 43229, USA. greggm@nremt.org
Prehospital Emergency Care
|September 5, 2009
Summary
High-performing paramedic programs use 12 key strategies, including accreditation and frequent feedback, to ensure success on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. Implementing these educational strategies can improve student outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medical Services Education
- Medical Education Research
- Paramedic Training
Background:
- Paramedic educational programs aim to prepare students for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination.
- Identifying effective educational strategies is crucial for improving program success rates and ensuring competent entry-level paramedics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific educational strategies employed by paramedic programs with consistently high NREMT examination pass rates.
- To provide insights into best practices for paramedic education.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of NREMT data (2003-2007) to identify high-performing paramedic programs (≥75% first-attempt pass rate for ≥4/5 years, >20 graduates/year).
- Focus groups with representatives from 12 eligible programs using the nominal group technique (NGT) to identify success factors.
Main Results:
- Twelve key strategies were identified by program representatives.
- These strategies include achieving national accreditation, maintaining high entry standards, clear expectation setting, continuous improvement culture, custom curriculum development, emphasis on foundational EMT-Basic concepts, case-based scenarios, extensive prehospital patient contact, valid examination processes, frequent feedback, critical thinking integration, and predictive testing.
Conclusions:
- Twelve specific strategies were identified by high-performing paramedic education programs.
- Further research is recommended to validate the impact of these strategies on NREMT pass rates and entry-level paramedic field performance.
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