The EMS Educator

What if the best EMS educators weren’t clinicians, but patients themselves? In this episode, hosts Hilary Gates and Maia Dorsett welcome sudden cardiac arrest survivor Nova McCarthy and medical director Alicia Bond for an insightful discussion on how patient experiences can enhance EMS education. Nova describes her experience as a keynote speaker and explores the power of patient-centered learning. She details powerful moments from...

How do EMS clinicians process the trauma they witness daily—and how can they be better supported? In this episode of The EMS Educator podcast, hosts Rob Lawrence, Hilary Gates and Maia Dorsett explore the critical topic of trauma stewardship with guest Ronit Reguer, the first behavioral health coordinator for DC Fire and EMS. Together, they unpack the challenges of emotional resilience, the importance of proactive mental health car...

Want more advice about how to effectively create EMS credentialing programs for your learners? In the latest episode of the EMS Educator Podcast, join hosts Rob Lawrence, Hilary Gates, and Maia Dorsett for a dynamic conversation with guests Dr. Jeremy Cushman and Shane O’Donnell. They dive into the intricacies of their successful educational program that trains EMS clinicians for specialty care transport (SCT). Jeremy and Shane dis...

How should EMS educators expand their reach beyond the classroom? Prodigy's new Associate Medical Director of Pediatrics Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD, MPH, FAAP shares her profound dedication to public health education and CPR training in Pittsburgh’s community and beyond. Join hosts Rob Lawrence, Hilary Gates, and Maia Dorsett as they discuss Sylvia's life-saving training of University of Pittsburgh athletes to discussing her global ini...

Ginger Locke, newly-minted Prodigy teammate and host of the "Medic Mindset" podcast joins The EMS Educator podcast as co-host. She highlights the episode's key points with her "Mindset Minute." We then dive into Ginger's EMS origin story and her ideas about the future of EMS education. Alongside Hilary Gates, Rob Lawrence, and Maia Dorsett, Ginger explores key aspects of creating a positive learning environment in EMS education. Th...

What is belonging? Why is this critical for learning? In this episode, hosts Rob Lawrence and Dr. Maia Dorsett welcome expert guests, Dan Batsie, Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Vermont; Dr. Heather Davis, Director of Assessment, UCLA School of Medicine, also taskforce chair of the IDEA Taskforce; and Ginger Locke, Prodigy’s newest team member (also Associate Professor of EMS Professions at Austin Community Co...

In this episode, we dive into the intersecting worlds of EMS education and mentorship with guest Jonathan Jenkins, a seasoned EMS educator.

As a surprise, we’re also joined by Mike Taigman, a renowned expert in EMS and healthcare improvement and mentor to many. Together, they explore the critical role of mentorship in developing new EMS educators, sharing insights, personal stories, and practical advice.

Whether you're an aspiring ...

Creating and managing realistic patient simulations is not an easy task.  EMS educators have a lot on their plate -- from designing the scenario to training facilitators to choosing the equipment to avoiding training scars.  What are best practices? We asked simulation gurus Brittany Prater, Director of Alabama EMS Region One and Robby May, ALS Education Specialist at Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue.  List...

On July 1, 2024, the NREMT will transition from the current psychomotor examinations to the new AEMT Certification Examination and new Paramedic Certification Examination.  According to the NREMT, this will "bring Paramedic and AEMT examinations in line with most other health-based professions, which have made similar updates in recent years, and matches the best research and science that’s currently available."  What...

How, where, when and why should we be training our EMS clinicians to take care of tiny humans? Look no further for the answers, as we have subject matter expert Stephanie Ashford, Division Chief of Clinical Practice at the Saint Charles County (MO) Ambulance District.  Stephanie has proven advice on how to successfully integrate pediatric readiness and skills training for your agency.  Tiny humans are sometimes terrif...

How involved in education is the medical director for your paramedic program? If you answered, "Not very much," you are not alone.  Join us as we interview research authors Michael Kaduce and Jonathan Powell, who recently published a paper in Prehospital Emergency Care titled: Medical Directors, Facilities, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accredited Paramedic Programs. Their objective was to evaluate US paramed...

How do you know that your teaching is effective?  We asked Tom Grawey, D.O., who is  Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin, EMS Medical Director for Gateway Technical College, and Assistant Medical Director,  Milwaukee County OEM.  He said, "I thought what I was teaching would actually change behavior.  I was later surprised to see it wasn't happening." Hosts Maia Dorsett, Rob Lawrence and Hilary...

Could your next work partner be… Australian? If some folks in California have their way, the answer is yes.  Working to solve the ongoing staffing shortage, a group of innovative EMS leaders in California and Australia are thinking differently: bringing well-trained EMS clinicians from Australia to join the U.S. ranks.  How do they do it? Hosts Rob Lawrence and Hilary Gates interview the impressive cast of characters....

You've heard the term "bystander," but probably not "upstander." What is it? Hosts Rob Lawrence, Maia Dorsett and Hilary Gates are joined by University of Pittsburgh's Rickquel Tripp, MD, MPH, CDR, USNR: Vice Chair of Diversity, Inclusion & Health Equity, Department of Emergency Medicine; Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; EMS Medical Director, Penn Hills, SouthEast Regional, Lower Valley and Foxwall; Emerg...

Is this going to be on the test?  Educators having been cringing at this question as long as tests have existed because of a perceived time-lapse between research-driven advances in best practice and incorporation into high stakes testing - but these days are numbered. In this episode of the EMS Educator podcast, we host EMS Education experts and members of the National Registry research team, Chris Gage (current NREMT research fel...

Want to know more about the NREMT’s National EMS ID?  NREMT initiated this project in early 2020 to help us gain insights into the EMS workforce, attrition, quality of education, provider credentialing and provision of quality patient care.  The ID will enable NREMT to follow learners from pre-matriculation to retirement  In this episode, Hilary Gates and Rob Lawrence explore the ID's current use, purpose, and future ...

It’s a hot topic right now: how should EMS utilize ultrasound as a part of out-of-hospital medicine? We asked the pros: three physicians who have set up programs, trained clinicians and analyzed data.  Join hosts Rob Lawrence, Hilary Gates and Maia Dorsett as we dive into lessons learned about the logistics, training and quality improvement around ultrasound in EMS. 

Our guests for this episode: Jenna W...

What training did you receive when you became a field preceptor? Many in EMS would reply, "Not much." In this episode, hosts Rob Lawrence, Maia Dorsett and Hilary Gates welcome educators Ginger Locke and Ashley Liebig from Austin, TX. Ginger and Ashley share their ideas about this topic after recently teaching a comprehensive preceptor training course.  They found training preceptors can shape positive department cultu...

In 2020, the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)  reported a 179% increase in course completions compared to the two prior years, as well as a 185% increase in online distributive learning.  Live/in person education represented just 1% of CAPCE-accredited refresher completions in 2020.  What does this say about the future of EMS education? How does this trend away from live courses...