The Digital EMS California Academy of Learning: One State's Innovative Approach to EMS Fellow Education

Abstract

Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) fellowships are growing in significance within the United States prehospital health care system. While fellowships represent a cornerstone of EMS subspecialty education, an individual learner's experiences are limited by local resources and practices. California EMS fellowships have developed an innovative method for expanding fellows' educational experiences outside their immediate programs.The Innovative Education Method: Each month, fellows, fellowship directors, and local EMS medical directors from throughout the state participate in a video conference. This meeting is divided into four distinct components: book chapter presentation, board-style question review, call review, and an EMS literature review.Chapter Review: The two-volume text Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight has been categorized into 12 modules, one for each month of the fellowship. Every meeting, one fellow prepares a didactic presentation summarizing the highlights from that month's chapters.Question Review: Fellows each create five multiple-choice questions and answers, based on the section reading. Questions are assessed by the group, both for informational content and for appropriate formatting. After completion, these questions are submitted for future review for the EMS fellowship in-service examination.Call Review: Based on that month's module topics, a call is chosen and reviewed. Regional protocol and practice differences from different systems are discussed. The online medical oversight provided and the prehospital provider performance are evaluated by the group.Literature Review: Fellows not assigned to present a call or didactic segment each choose one paper focusing on a subject relevant to the module or call. Strengths of the study design, analysis, outcomes, and relevance to EMS practice are discussed.