The State of EMS Education Research Project:

Abstract

Objectives. The preparation of emergency medicine practitioners occurs at a variety of levels, via individuals with various levels of experience andtraining, andthrough a variety of oversight organizations. The purpose of this study was to quantify the characteristics of those recognized as prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) educators, the type andamount of infrastructure available to facilitate the learning process, andwhat attributes andcommon practices the profession values. Methods. The respondents (n = 1,691) were generated randomly from a nationwide systematic sample of all known EMS instructors. The sample was adequate to generalize to the 15,000 EMS educators. Face validity andcontent validity were assured through use of a 24-member focus group of EMS educators, practitioners, andadministrators, who reviewed the questionnaire. Reliability estimates were generated via Cronbach's alpha andKuder-Richardson 20 and21 andranged from 0.59 to 0.83, with a grand mean for the seven study constructs of 0.70. Factor analysis with varimax rotation explained 40% to 66% of the respective construct variance, with a grand mean of 56% of the response variance explained. Results. The respondents were satisfied with their teaching experience (98%), expected to continue (80%), andtaught because of a perceived dearth of qualified instructors. Only half of the respondents utilized federally generated curricular materials, andapproximately 20% were uncomfortable in assessing psychomotor skills. The relationship of testing to assessment andskill performance appeared to be the most significant pedagogic challenge. Conclusions. The respondents were a senior group of educators committed to the training of new providers who will comprise the foundation of future EMS educational efforts at the national level.

Keywords:

• demographics
• attributes
• survey
• emergency medical services
• respirator