Excellence in Public Information or Education: This award recognizes an EMS or non-EMS organization that has developed and implemented an effective public information or education campaign designed to encourage patients, members, or the public to develop or maintain healthy lifestyles, or to more effectively utilize healthcare resources.
Executive Summary
Refresh 2021, the free, online CAPCE Accredited NCCR program has delivered a much-needed free education program to the nation in the height of the pandemic. As of April 1, a total of 26,660 medical professionals from 103 countries enrolled in Refresh 2021 (95% from the USA). The Learning Management System platform has delivered (currently) over HALF A MILLION class hours and 11,000 providers have completed the required 30 hours of class to receive their NCCR certificate of completion. We fully expect the remaining enrollees to complete the class and receive their CAPCE credit. In terms of costs, research identified that the 30-hour NCCR program was being offered by online education vendors at between $150 – 200. At a modest $150 comparator, Refresh 2021 has provided 4 MILLION DOLLARS worth of free education to our providers in their moment of need.
Narrative
With the advent of the COVID pandemic and the requirement to maintain currency and paramedic certification it became very clear, very quickly that the nations EMTs and paramedics, may well run into difficulty and expense in re-certifying. A collection of the nation’s top educators grouped together to create 30 hours of CAPCE certified, online education free to all that participated. The program is known as Refresh2021. The program is hosted online and administrated by Prodigy EMS, who also process all the CAPCE credit and associated certification in line with the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP).
The National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) was constructed using a methodology similar to that of the American Board of Medical Specialties requirements and streamlines the recertification process into three strategic categories of continuing education: National, Local, and Individual. Refresh 2021 provided a complete free package of continuing education to meet local operational needs.
The project was the brainchild of Tom Bouthillet, Battalion Chief of EMS at Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue who noted ‘NREMT waived the limits on distributive education limits for this recertification season due to COVID-19. That means we have a unique opportunity to crowdsource a spectacular educational experience for EMTs and Paramedics around the world’ To move the project along and to provide guidance and technical expertise, a project board consisting of Drs’ Peter Antevy, Paul Pepe, Kelly Bouthillet, Remle Crowe, and EMS Thought leaders James DiClemente (Pro EMS), Keith Griffiths, Brian LaCroix, Rob Lawrence (Pro EMS), and Mike Taigman.
Very quickly, a host of household EMS names signed on to provide content, safe in the knowledge that it will offer a free, CAPCE credit gaining, training program for those that have been on the front lines for the majority of 2020, enduring not only response to COVID but also natural disasters from Hurricanes and wildland fires and bouts of response to civil disorder.
The power of social media has played a part in promoting Refresh2021. Because of the fact that Prodigy EMS is a Learning Management System (LMS) that was offering free content, and therefore directly competing against the offerings of other EMS trade LMS systems, a limited opportunity existed for widespread trade news publicity. However, Refresh and Prodigy developed a social media campaign and with the targeted use of key EMS media influencers, crowd sourced the applicants for the program. A twitter ‘teaser’ campaign (@Refresh2021) began in mid-November prior to the launch and has continued since.
Refresh 2021, the free, online CAPCE Accredited NCCR program has delivered a much-needed free education program to the nation in the height of the pandemic. As of April 1, a total of 26,660 medical professionals from 103 countries enrolled in Refresh 2021 (95% from the USA). The Learning Management System platform has delivered (currently) over HALF A MILLION class hours and 11,000 providers have completed the required 30 hours of class to receive their NCCR certificate of completion. We fully expect the remaining enrollees to complete the class and receive their CAPCE credit. In terms of costs, research identified that the 30-hour NCCR program was being offered by online education vendors at between $150 – 200. At a modest $150 comparator, Refresh 2021 has provided 4 MILLION DOLLARS worth of free education to our providers in their moment of need.
Registration for Refresh 2021 is open for all of calendar year 2021 and the landing page and registration can be accessed here: https://link.prodigyems.com/refresh2021
Organization Overview
Professional Ambulance Service (Pro EMS) has proudly served the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1969, providing emergency medical services in cooperation with the Cambridge Fire, Police and Emergency Communications Departments. In addition to serving the City of Cambridge, Pro EMS provides emergency medical services to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pro EMS partners with Emerson Hospital, located just north and west of Cambridge, to provide advanced life support (ALS) services to the eight communities of the Central Middlesex Emergency Response Association (CMERA).
Pro EMS was the first ambulance service in Massachusetts to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), and recognized as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. Pro EMS is only one of 32 systems in the United States that has received both accreditations which are considered the “gold standard” for ambulance services, certifying distinction for quality patient care and ambulance operations.
Visit http://proems.com for further information.
Pro EMS's Training and Education division is known as Prodigy EMS Recognizing a considerable deficit in e-Learning targeting the pre-hospital setting, Pro EMS Center for MEDICS set out to create an in-house system for high quality education, delivery, and tracking. After several internal iterations, PRODIGY was launched in late 2016. The Prodigy platform offers live classes, real cases and engaging content delivered by Subject Matter Experts in meaningful real-life applications. The extensive course offerings reflect not only the recertification requirements set forth by the NREMT, but also courses focused on occupational health and safety, compliance, best practices, and lectures from professional pre-hospital conferences.
Date of Implementation: 12/15/2020
Description of Outcomes / Utilization / Change
At the time of drafting, 11,000 medical providers have completed their NREMT, NCCR required recertification. as 2021 continues, this number will grow.
Budget:
The underlying principle of this program was that it was, and is, free to the user / student.
The Refresh 2021 program costs have been totally absorbed by the core team of Pro EMS / Prodigy EMS. We estimate about 10 hours per week of management and administration time goes into technical support and social media generation.
The value of the education product offered for FREE is currently estimated to be $4 million.
Estimated Reach: Currently, 26,000 EMS personnel have enrolled. But the program has personnel from 103 countries within that number. Refresh 2021 is officially a global 'FOMed" activity (Free Online Medical Education)
Supporting Links
https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/education/articles/ems-leaders-doctors-partner-to-provide-free-online-recertification-program-INupGPbWED8RFxQp/
