The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) is the lead state agency responsible for planning and coordinating an effective and efficient statewide EMS system. OEMS is designated by the Code of Virginia to license EMS agencies, certify EMS personnel and inspect and permit EMS vehicles. Our programs and services are designed to improve patient care, from the time the call for help is received by the 911 center to the delivery of the patient to a trauma center or hospital.
i think that the state made a mistake when it put the int program in the hands of collages like vhcc it tied up this end of the state. i thank the program needs to go back to the way it was but with new guid lines to pass. if we keep this up we are going to loose a lot of good emts that want to move up that cant afford to go to collage and pay that price to volenteer there time. if it wasent for the volenteers emts now the job would not get done thanks
Thanks Kenny for your comment – here is some information to clarify some of the comments you made, because some of them are not factual and we want to ensure that everyone has the most up-to-date and correct information. Thanks!
The Virginia Office of EMS does not require, nor has it mandated that EMS education be placed in a college setting or specifically, the Virginia Community College System.
The Office does require–through regulation–that initial programs at the EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic level be held at Virginia EMS accredited training entities. The process of accreditation is open to any group or organization that wishes to apply to the Office for this status, and the Southside Rescue Squad has recently been approved as an accredited training site.
As medical practice changes due to new technologies and advancement in science, EMS education is also changing. Over the past 10 years, these changes have slowly demanded changes in the way EMS education is delivered. The progression of EMS education and training from local rescue squads into the college setting is a part of the natural flow as our industry matures. Also, by the year 2012 the National Registry will not certify paramedics if they haven’t gone through an accredited program.
When it comes to funding of EMS education, the Office of EMS offers a number of programs to assist both instructors and providers. Through the ALS Training Fund, the Office offers a tuition reimbursement program for ALS programs. The tuition reimbursement program does not offer full reimbursement, but it does assist providers with paying for cost associated with their training. For more information about the ALS Training Funds program, you can ask your instructor or visit the following web page: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/OEMS/Training/ALSTF.htm.
Also, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 922 to allow the $4 for life funding to be increased to $4.25 for life. The money from this increase will all go to individuals needing assistance to pay for EMS training. Please look for more info on this in the coming months.
while thier might be a need for accredition ,it has been very clear to see that most of the accredited agencies are collages only here lately have non collages benn accredited the accreditation process for teaching is the area that needs rethought need a standard for each program , the instructors . but it needs to be affordable and easly access .and what about more bridge courses :b to e , e- to i ,i to- p
Mike,
To make EMS more credible and professional, it helps to keep the educational standards high. If you could spell, perhaps you could also understand that.