Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The purpose of Washington County Ambulance District’s Fundamentals of Critical Care Transport Program is to recruit and train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in rural Missouri. The goal, in partnership with the Missouri Emergency Medical Services Association, Mineral Area College and Washington County Memorial Hospital is to increase capacity of Missouri EMS agencies to provide critical care transports through certification and continuing education. Over the four-year project, this will be achieved by certifying 200 paramedics in southeast Missouri through the FCCT Program; expanding FCCT to every region in the state; increasing continuing education by 1,000 EMS personnel in critical care and increasing the number of registered nurses receiving FCCT certification. The number of individuals certified will increase from 20 in year 1, to 40 in year 2, 60 in year 3 and 80 in year 4, for a total of 200 individuals certified. Annually, the number of individuals receiving continuing education will also increase by 100 individuals annually from 100 in year 1 to 400 in year 4, for a total of 1,000 individuals trained. Training is focused on “big picture” assessment and management of disease processes with emphasis on complexly ill patients. Measurable educational objectives are used to determine students’ learning needs. The outcomes of this program are 1) that students are prepared to take the Certified Critical Care Paramedic (CCP-C) exam as administered by the Board for Critical Care Transport Paramedic Certification (BCCTPC) in order to receive a national level Critical Care certification and 2) to function as a “review course” for currently certified CCP-C or Certified Flight Paramedic (FP-C) clinicians needing re-certification and continuing education. The WCAD FCCT program is a 19-week educational program with an advanced curriculum designed to meet and exceed the national BCCTPC/ International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC) guidelines. Locations are identified at the start of each 19-week session and outreach conducted to maximize participation. While FCCT program participation is targeted toward individuals with at least three years of experience as a paramedic, with current licensure as a paramedic in Missouri, the course is offered to others, including registered nurses to increase the pool of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce, as nurses are often hired by ambulance districts. Nurses in CAHs throughout Missouri have participated in the program and report an increased comfort level with caring for critical patients prior to discharge or care transition.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
