How to Prepare Your Students for Real-World EMS, According to This Paramedic Program Director
With so much critical information to cover in a paramedic course, how do you ensure your students are prepared for the field?
Tim Reitz, longtime Paramedic Program Director, has found that using several different teaching styles and utilizing both a textbook and online resources is the key to a successful teaching and learning experience.
Tim Reitz is the Paramedic Program Director for the Conemaugh School of Emergency Medical Services, part of the Conemaugh Health System, located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Conemaugh offers initial certification training for Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and Paramedics. It includes several residency programs and a school of nursing. Reitz has been with the organization for 25 years.
Reitz spoke with the Public Safety Group (PSG) team about his experience using the Nancy Caroline Emergency Care in the Streets, Eighth Edition curriculum in his classes:
What initially led you to considering the Nancy Caroline Emergency Care in the Streets, Eighth Edition package for your program? What do you like about it more than other comparable learning resources?
I used a Nancy Caroline book when I went through paramedic school in the early 90s. As an instructor, I had used a different book for teaching my paramedic classes. However, I came back to the Nancy Caroline book because I find it’s easier for students to read, and I think it explains information more clearly to students.
Additionally, once I adopted the book for my classes, I found students were making flashcards and practice quizzes on their own. As a result, using the Premier package of the book, which includes pre-made flashcards, TestPrep, and more for the book was a no-brainer.
What do you like the most about Navigate [Learning Management System] as an instructor? What do your students like about it?
I like that my students can go through the Interactive Lectures in each chapter and that I can see whether they’ve completed each one or not. While I don’t use the full Flipped Classroom package in my classes, I pull in several different styles of teaching, and the Interactive Lectures help me run my class in a way that helps reinforce the material in students’ heads. I also like that I can create quizzes, shuffle the question order for each student who takes the quizzes, and track each students’ scores in the Navigate gradebook.
On the other side, my students have told me that they like the flashcards and the audiobook in Navigate. All the extra resources included, such as the TestPrep tool, flashcards, eBook, and more, help the students understand and retain the material more easily.
Can you share any successes you’ve had using the Nancy Caroline text in your class?
Most of my students give constant positive feedback about both the book and Navigate. They say the combination of the two helps them identify their weaknesses and improve on them. For example, they can use TestPrep to build practice tests on topics that are causing them trouble. Also, they like the simplicity of being able to have the book read to them through the audiobook, as well as being able to access it anywhere through the eBook.
Are there any closing words you’d like to share with people considering using the Nancy Caroline Premier package?
I would say for anyone on the fence about using it, you should definitely give it a try. Our experience with the book and Navigate have been great, and both the students and myself love having all the resources for the class in one location. Additionally, we use Fisdap, and the integration between Fisdap and Navigate makes it easy to jump between the two. Altogether, it’s been a good experience.
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