Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training
Continuing Education Programs
Virtual Instructor-Led Training Continuing Education (VILT-CE) Program Standards
Note: The VILT-CE cannot be used for verification of skills competency. Skill competency
demonstration, practice and verification must be instructor led in a face-to-face environment
Instructions for submission: Every item on this form must be completed. If you are unable to respond to
an item, you must explain why in the appropriate space on the form.
Applications submitted on CD or via email are preferred. If you submit on CD, submit four separate CDs.
The check for the fee and one signed copy of the Attesting Statement and Conditions of Accreditation
documents may be submitted separately using the most appropriate of the following methods: fax, US Mail,
overnight delivery, ACH transfer, or via email with an electronically scanned signature.
If you submit hard copies of the application, you must submit four (4) typed copies of the application and
all required documents and related materials, CDs, etc., sorted into 4 separate groups. The check for the
nonrefundable application fee may be submitted under separate cover. A surcharge of $200 is required for
hard copy submissions.
Applications should be sent to the following address:
CECBEMS - 12200 Ford Road - Suite 478 - Dallas, TX 75234 - Phone: 972-247-4442
or emailed to bremkus@cecbems.org.
The application must arrive at CECBEMS headquarters at least six weeks prior to the date of the activity.
CECBEMS does not award retroactive credit. For applications arriving fewer than six weeks prior to the
activity date will be charged an expedite fee as follows:
Review submitted within 4 weeks of event- 200% of application fee
Review submitted within 3 weeks of event-250% of application fee
Review submitted within 2 weeks of event - 300% of application fee
Minimum expedite fee- $250
Be sure to include every attachment requested. Reviewers cannot assess an incomplete application. Failure
to include all items requested will delay the approval process.
For VILT-CE activities containing multiple topics such as a refresher course, the accredited organization
should assign a discrete number to each topic. The same applies to additional topics as they are developed,
Download and read CECBEMS Virtual Instructor-Led Training Standards, CECBEMS Item Writing
Policy, and CEH Hour Assignment Guidance, and Complaint, Review and Disciplinary Policy.
Neatness counts! Reviewers will have fewer questions if the application is neatly presented with all
information easy to locate and read.
Submission of post-activity materials: CECBEMS maintains an Accreditation Management System
(AMS) of approved activities and student course completions. The AMS will ensure that students will have
a reliable, easy-to-access continuing education history and that NREMT and state agencies will be able to
verify each student’s course completions.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Providers of CECBEMS-accredited activities are required to submit a record of course completions to the
CECBEMS AMS for each certificate issued. This is an integral part of maintaining accreditation for an
activity. Providers of VILT CE should program their system to submit records to the AMS using real-time
reporting (the course completions record is submitted electronically no more than 24 hours after the
student satisfactorily completes the activity) or via XML upload at least monthly.
A summary of student evaluations for each activity must be submitted to the CECBEMS office via US
Mail, fax, or email annually.
Important Notice: The online submission will require that the CE provider input the following information
in each record: CECBEMS CE provider number , CECBEMS activity number, date of course completion,
student’s first name, student’s last name, student’s email address (if available), student’s city of residence,
student’s state of licensure, student’s state license number, type/level of license, student’s license
expiration date, student’s NREMT registration number (if student is NREMT), student’s NREMT
reregistration date (if student is NREMT), Number of CEH, Category of CEH. The collection of this data is
a requirement. The CE provider is expected to take all reasonable measures to ensure that students
provide this information completely and accurately.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
VILT Activity Information and Fees
Name of Applicant Organization:
Section I –Activity Information
A.
Application Date:
B.
Activity title:
C.
Total Number of CEH requested for activity (Refer to CECBEMS Hour Assignment
Guidance available at www.cecbems.org):
D.
Category of CEH requested. You may request approval in more than one category for some or
all of the topics in an activity if appropriate. The topic must clearly apply to each level requested. Also, if
you request approval in more than one category, you must pay the review fee at each level. For example,
if you request approval for one CEH at the Basic and Advanced levels for a topic, the review fee will be
2x the current rate per CEH. See Appendix for Definitions of CEH Categories.
Basic:
Advanced:
Operational:
Educator:
Management:
First Responder:
Refresher (specify level):
E.
Has this activity been previously submitted for review in VILT format? Underline or
bold one:
Yes
No
If yes, give date of initial approval and activity number:
Has this activity been previously approved in a format other than VILT?
Yes
No
F.
For what duration will this activity be available (specify approximate start and stop
dates):
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
G.
Fees:
Review Fee for VILT-CE program:
$__300__________
Expedite Fee (if applicable):
_______________
Surcharge for hard-copy submission (if applicable):
________________
TOTAL FEES:
_______________
Fee is (Underline or bold one):
included with this application
will follow under separate cover
will be submitted via ACH transfer
Note: You must also submit the per-student/per-topic fee with a record of each student’s
course completions by real-time reporting via Web Services (preferred) or by XML upload
or manual entry within 30 days of the completion of an activity and a summary of students’
evaluations at least annually.
H.
Contact information for setting up a live demonstration for reviewers. No CECBEMS
accredited organization will receive approval for VILT-CE until reviewers approve
a live demonstration.
Name:
Telephone:
Email:
Structural Requirements
Section II – Activity Sponsor: Sponsor refers to the organization with primary responsibility for
the planning, implementation, evaluation, and submission and maintenance of records for the
activity.
A.
Name of Sponsoring Organization:
B.
Department:
C.
Street:
D.
City, State, Zip:
E.
Contact Person:
Telephone:
Fax#:
E-mail:
Web site:
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Include a letter of support from the sponsoring organization as Attachment A. This letter
must be signed by a person with authority to sign contracts and specifically confirm the
organization’s support of VILT.
Reviewer’s Comments:
Does this application include a letter of support as Attachment A?
Does that letter demonstrate appropriate support for VILT-CE?
Section III - Type of Organization:
Underline or bold the choice(s) that best describes your organization:
Educational Institution
National Agency or Association
State Agency or Association
Regional Agency or Association
Local Agency or Association
For-Profit Corporation
Non-Profit Corporation
Hospital
Other (describe):
Reviewer’s Comments:
Is the activity sponsor an educational institution; a national, state, regional, or local
agency association; a for-profit corporation, a non-profit corporation, or hospital; any
combination of the above or other appropriate CE provider?
Section IV – Activity Co-Sponsor (if applicable)
An activity co-sponsor is an organization that participates in the development and
implementation of the activity but does not have the primary responsibility for these tasks .
(may not be applicable for all activities).
Is another organization involved in the needs assessment, planning, implementation, and/or
evaluation of this activity? Vendors contracted to perform some part of these functions or to
monitor or provide support for these functions should be listed in Section V Contractual
Relationships below.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Name of organization:
Street:
City, State, Zip:
Contact Person:
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Explain how this organization participated in the activity development process:
Reviewer’s comments:
Is the participating organization’s role appropriate, free from conflicts of interest, etc.?
Section V – Contractual Relationships
Give information about each vendor that you have contracted with to support the delivery of
VILT-CE. Use the copy-and-paste function to replicate the information below as many times as
necessary to report on all contractual relationships that apply to VILT-CE.
Name of organization:
Address:
Contact Person:
City, State, Zip
Telephone:
Fax #
E-mail
How does this relationship support the activity?
Reviewer’s comments:
Are the contractual relationships described above sufficiently explained?
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Section VI – Instructor/Author/Planning Committee Credentials
Include as Attachment B the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the persons described below:
A.
Instructor(s)-if the activity involves a video or similar presentation in which an
instructor presents the activity.
and
Author(s)- if the activity involves accompanying written content or a specific script.
B.
Planning Committee Members –include the CVs of all members of the team or
committee that will plan VILT.
Reviewer’s Comments:
Are all requested CVs included as Attachment B?
Do the CVs included reflect sufficient education and experience for the role the individual plays
in the development of VILT?
Section VII – Evaluation and Verification of Participation:
A.
Monitoring and Scoring of Exams
1.
Relationship with outside agency for administration and scoring process.
Are you using an outside monitoring and/or scoring agency to administer and/or score
examinations? Underline or bold one: yes
no
If no skip to 2 below. If yes, this agency must be listed under Section V – Contractual
Relationships.
Explain how this agency will ensure the credibility and integrity of the administration and scoring
of exams:
Explain how this agency will ensure that certificates of completion will be distributed only to
participants who are present for the presentation and successfully complete the exam:
2.
In-house exam administration and scoring process.
Explain in detail how your organization will ensure the credibility and integrity of the
administration and scoring of exams:
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Explain how your organization will ensure that certificates of completion will be distributed
only to participants who are present for the presentation and successfully complete the activity:
Reviewer’s comments:
Does the process described above reasonably allow for integrity and credibility of the exam
administration and scoring process?
Does the process reasonably provide for distribution of certificates to participants who completed
the exam?
B.
Activity Certificate
Include as Attachment C the certificate you will issue to participants who complete the activity
successfully. Be sure that the certificate includes the following:
Name of CE provider and CE provider number
Student’s name
Activity title
Date(s) of activity
Location of activity
Number and category of CEH
CECBEMS activity number
Name and signature of the program coordinator
Student’s license number, state of licensure
Student’s NREMT number (if student is NREMT)
The following statements:
This continuing education activity is approved by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for
Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).
You have participated in a continuing education program that has received CECBEMS approval for
continuing education credit. If you have any comments regarding the quality of this program and/or your
satisfaction with it, please contact CECBEMS at: CECBEMS - 12200 Ford Road – Suite 478
Dallas, Texas 75234 – Phone: 972.247-4442 - lsibley@cecbems.org.
CECBEMS represents only that its accredited programs have met CECBEMS’ standards for accreditation.
These standards require sound educational offerings determined by a review of its objectives, teaching
plan, faculty, and program evaluation processes. CECBEMS does not endorse or support the actual
teachings, opinions or material content as presented by the speaker(s) and/or sponsoring organization.
CECBEMS accreditation does not represent that the content conforms to any national, state or local
standard or best practice of any nature. No student shall have any cause of action against CECBEMS
based on the accreditation of the material.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Reviewer’s Comments:
Does the certificate clearly state the activity title, # of CEH, and category of CEH?
Is the CECBEMS approval statement included and is it stated accurately?
Is the quality/contact statement included and is it stated accurately?
Is the certificate signed by the activity coordinator?
Does the disclaimer appear on the certificate and is it stated accurately?
Does the student’s license number and state and/or NREMT number appear on the certificate?
Does the CE provider’s CECBEMS provider number appear on the certificate?
Section VIII – Maintenance of Records
After reading Submitting Course Completion Records to the CECBEMS Accreditation
Management System (AMS) in the Appendix and Important Notice on p.2, describe in detail
how you will collect and submit course completion records to the CECBEMS AMS.
Include the names of all software, attach as Attachment D a draft or screen shot of the
registration form or a URL and login information where the registration form may be
viewed. What will happen if the student does not provide all of the required information?
How will this information be merged with course information, placed in an XML file,
and uploaded to the AMS. Further, explain how you will store and protect all attendance
or participation records, test scores, and other evaluation materials so that CECBEMS,
administrators, instructors or participants can access activity records for a period of three
(3) years after the conclusion of the activity.
Reviewer’s comments:
Does the mechanism for maintaining records provide reasonable security and availability?
Does the mechanism for submitting course completions indicate the applicant’s ability and intent
to submit post-activity information as requested by CECBEMS?
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Process and Outcome
Section IX – Marketing Materials
The purpose of this section is to verify that marketing materials provide prospective
participants with an accurate description of this activity. Marketing materials should be
free of any statements that are misleading in any way, give clear directions for accessing
the activity, identify registration fees clearly and contain the required CECBEMS
approval statements (see Public Statements in Appendix).
Include as Attachment E a draft or final copy of all marketing materials—brochures,
electronic marketing messages or displays, ads in journals, on Web site, etc.
Reviewer’s comments
Do these materials describe this activity accurately?
Do they contain any statements that are misleading, deceptive or discriminatory? If so, please
specify those statements.
Do the materials give clear directions for accessing the activity?
Are registration fees clearly identified?
Is the CECBEMS approval statement accurate?
Section X – Medical Oversight
Submit as Attachment F a letter and CV for the physician who will review and approve
the content for this activity.
Section XI - Activity Content, Instructional Methods and Exams
Complete the following Topic Information Form for at least three course topics included in this
activity. All items on these forms must be completed. If information for an item is not available,
explain why.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Topic Information Form
Name of Topic:
Reviewer’s Comments
Is this topic related to EMS practice, education, operations, or management?
Number and Category of CEH Requested for this topic (See Definitions of CEH
Categories in see Appendix):
You may request approval in more than one category for some or all of the topics in an activity if
appropriate. The topic must clearly apply to each level requested.
Note: Increments of .25 CEH may be requested.
Reviewer’s Comments
Is the number of CEH requested consistent with the time required to read or otherwise
interact with the lesson material and respond to the exam items?
Is the topic appropriate for the category(ies) requested?
Instructional Format (bold or underline all that apply):
Lecture
Discussion
Skills Practice
Case Presentations
Simulation
Laboratory
Other (Specify)
Reviewer’s Comments
Is the instructional format selected for this topic appropriate?
Target Audience and Prerequisites for this topic:
Describe the target audience for this topic:
If there are prerequisites for this activity, give a description of the knowledge, experience or level
of training necessary for the participant to receive a meaningful educational experience with this
activity. If you are requesting Advanced CEHs, you must include prerequisites.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Reviewer’s Comments:
Are prerequisites necessary for this activity?
If so, are appropriate prerequisites included?
Is the material relevant for the intended audience?
Learning Objectives and Assessment
Complete the request below for Learning Objective, Instructional Content, and Exam
Items for each learning objective included in this topic. You must specify each learning
objective, present the learning content specifically related to that objective; and show the
examination items that will be used to demonstrate that the learning objective has been
achieved. Learning objectives must specify a measurable behavior that occurs in a
specific setting.
Example of Learning Objective: After completing this activity, the participant will be
able to demonstrate knowledge of the signs and symptoms of anaphylactic shock on a
written examination.
Note: No more than 50% of the items on the exam as a whole for this topic may require a simple
rote memory answer; at least 50% of the items must require the participant to comprehend, apply,
analyze, synthesize and/or make an evaluation based on the learning objective.
Repeat the sequence below for every learning objective in the topic.
Learning Objective:
Instructional Content
Show the specific instructional content for this learning objective below. If the activity is
available for review online, indicate the location of the content that relates to this objective.
Exam Items
List the exam items you will use to allow participants to demonstrate mastery of this objective
(Refer to CECBEMS Item Writing Standards available at www.cecbems.org).
What percentage of these items must be answered correctly to demonstrate success in this
learning objective? Justify a percentage of less than 70%.
References
List the reference(s) used to support the content in this learning objective. NOTE: references
must appear as numbered footnotes or endnotes within the topic content. This item is not
optional. The applicant must list complete information for all materials used to prepare the topic
for presentation. CECBEMS considers evidence of thorough research an indispensable element of
sound educational design. The author’s or speaker’s personal experience is NOT acceptable as the
sole reference for the presentation). Use the attached style sheet to format the list of sources
you consulted to prepare the VILT-CE presentation.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Reviewer’s Comments
Is the learning objective appropriate for this activity and audience?
Does the instructional content provide adequate and appropriate information to the participant to
support the learning objective?
Do the exam items adequately cover the instructional content presented for this objective
Do the items test the behavior designated in the objective?
Are the references listed appropriate for the topic content?
Are the references current and credible?
Are the references listed appropriately in the text of the content?
The Exam for this Topic as a Whole
What is the cutoff score for the all of the items that comprise the exam for this topic? Justify a
cutoff score of less than 70%.
Reviewer’s Comments:
Does an appropriate number of the items that comprise the exam for this topic require a thinking
skill higher than rote-memory recall of specific facts stated in the lesson?
Is the cut-off score for the exam as a whole appropriate?
If an explanation is provided for a cutoff score of less than 70%, do you feel that the rationale is
reasonable?
Section XII – Explanation of Interaction with Participants
Because this is VILT-CE, meaning that technology will play a very important role in the learning
experience, you must provide technical support for instructors and students to participate in the
activity. You must also provide a mechanism for participants/students to ask for and receive
additional information or clarification for all course content and examinations in real time. This
interaction is made even more important in VILT-CE because it verifies attendance.
A.
Describe how participants will interact with an instructor or teaching assistant to ask
questions and receive answers
1.
About activity content during the activity
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
2.
About examination results within 48 hours
3.
About activity content and examination results for a period of 30 days after the
activity is completed:
B.
Describe your method to provide appropriate synchronous and/or asynchronous
technical support for all hardware and software you provide to instructors and
students to participate in this activity.
C.
Explain how you will store and protect all attendance or participation records,
test scores, and other evaluation materials so that administrators, instructors or
participants can access activity records for a period of 3 years after the
conclusion of the activity. If you have a contractual arrangement to support longterm data access you must specify that arrangement in Section V.
Reviewer’s Comments:
Is there a mechanism whereby a participant can question and receive an explanation regarding
topic content. Is this mechanism appropriate and easy to access? Is the response timely?
Is there a mechanism whereby a participant can question and receive an explanation regarding
examination performance. Is this mechanism appropriate and easy to access? Is the response
timely?
Is the strategy to protect and provide data access to administrators, instructors, and participants
satisfactory? Does this strategy provide for a 5 year access period after activity completion?
Evaluation
Section XIII - Explanation of Post-Program Evaluation Process
Include as Attachment E the evaluation instrument that the participant will fill out after
completing the topic.
Describe how information gathered from the evaluation will be used to improve this activity.
Note: You must submit a summary of participant evaluations and appropriate fees at least
quarterly.
Reviewer’s Comments
Does the evaluation allow for measurable responses?
Does the evaluation provide for constructive feedback?
Does the plan for using information gained from participant evaluations provide for appropriate
improvement?
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Reviewer’s Comments :
□
□
I recommend approval of this topic.
The following items must be addressed before I recommend approval of this topic.
Section XIV—Attesting Statement
To the best of my ability and knowledge, all the statements contained in this application are true
and accurately represent the proposed continuing education activity.
_________________________________________________
____________
Activity Coordinator Signature
Date
(Insert an electronic version of your personal signature or sign and fax to 972.716.2007.)
Section XV—Conditions of Accreditation
Download , sign, and submit via fax or email the document located at
http://cecbems.org/applications/Default.aspx on the CECBEMS Web site.
Section XX – Complaint Review and Disciplinary Policy
Download, print, read, and file this document located at
http://cecbems.org/applications/Default.aspx should you need it for future reference.
Before you submit this application, please review the checklist below to ensure that
you have included all required items:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Have you signed Section XIV—Attesting Statement?
Have you downloaded and signed Section XV—Conditions of Acceditation?
See http://cecbems.org/applications/Default.aspx .
Have you responded to all parts of all Sections of the application?
Have you downloaded and read the CECBEMS Complaint, Review, and Discipline Policy at http://cecbems.org/applications/Default.aspx ?
Have you included the following:
a.
A letter of support from the sponsoring organization?
b.
A copy of the course certificate for this activity?
c.
A copy of the evaluation instrument(s) you will use to assess participant and presenter
evaluation of your activity?
d.
A copy or draft of each marketing material you plan to distribute?
e.
A letter and CV for a physician who has reviewed and approved the content for this
activity.
f.
A check for the application fee or a note indicating that the fee will be submitted under
separate cove?
Are you prepared to submit to the CECBEMS AMS the following information for each certificate
issued in XML format?
CECBEMS activity number, date of course completion, first name, last name, email address, city
of residence, state of licensure, state license number, type/level of license, license expiration date,
NREMT registration number (if student is NREMT), NREMT reregistration date
(if student is NREMT), Number of CEH, Category of CEH.
Are you prepared to store this information in a way that will keep it secure and available for at
least three (3) years?
Approved Public Statements about CECBEMS approval:
When you mail the application, you may use the following statement:
Continuing Education Hours have been applied for through the Continuing
Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
When your activity has received CECBEMS approval, you must use the following statement if any mention
is made of continuing education credit for EMS personnel:
This continuing education activity is approved by the Continuing Education
Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).
CECBEMS#:
CEH Type:
In addition, you may use the following description of CECBEMS. If you opt to use this statement, you
must use it in its entirety: CECBEMS is an organization established to develop and implement policies to
standardize the review and approval of EMS continuing education activities. The sponsoring organizations
of CECBEMS are, the American College of Emergency Physicians, National Registry of Emergency
Medical Technicians National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians,
National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Directors, National
Council of State Emergency Medical Services Training Coordinators, the National Association of
Emergency Medical Technicians, the National Association of EMS Educators, and the American College of
Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.
The following statement and logo combination may also be used:
CECBEMS Accredited
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Appendix
Style Sheet for Activities Applying for CECBEMS Accreditation
Units of Measure: Provide units of measure in common reference values, followed by
Systeme International (SI) units in parentheses. See
http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/SP330/sp330.pdf for SI units.
Drugs: Use generic names and, if necessary, list brand names (including the
manufacturer's name, city, and state) in parentheses. Please include the International
Nonproprietary Name (INN) as well. See
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/1997/WHO_PHARM_S_NOM_1570.pdf
References: Do not use the endnote or footnote function of word processing software to
generate a list of references. Number references (including references to unpublished
information) consecutively in the order of their appearance in the manuscript. Type a list
of references in their order of mention in the text, not alphabetically, at the end of the
manuscript. Abbreviate journal names according to Index Medicus. Indicate abstracts by
"abstract" in parentheses. List t the first three authors, followed by "et al" if there are
more than three. Accuracy of citations is the author's responsibility. Examples of correct
referencing forms are as follows:
Journal Article: Raftery KA, Smith-Coggins R, Chen AHM. Gender-associated
differences in emergency department pain management. Ann Emerg Med. 1995;26:414421.
Book: Huddy J. Emergency Department Design: A Practical Guide to Planning for the
Future. Dallas, TX: American College of Emergency Physicians; 2002.
Book Chapter: Mengert TJ, Eisenberg MS. Prehospital and emergency medicine
thrombolytic therapy. In: Tintinalli JE, Ruiz E, Krome RL, eds. Emergency Medicine: A
Comprehensive Study Guide. 4th ed. New York NY: McGraw-Hill; 1996:337-343.
Courses, lectures (unpublished): Sokolove PE. Needlesticks and high-risk exposure.
Course lecture presented at: American College of Emergency Physicians, Scientific
Assembly, October 12, 1998; San Diego, CA.
Internet: Gore L. ACEP hails House passage of the HEALTH Act [press release].
American College of Emergency Physicians Web site. Available at:
http://www.acep.org/1,32181,0.html. Accessed March 14, 2003.
Personal Communication: Avoid reference to personal communications, but when
necessary, include the person's name, his or her title, month, and year. A letter granting
permission to publish from the person providing the information must be included at the
time of submission.
Tables: Number tables consecutively. Refer to each table consecutively in the text. Each
table must be on a separate page after the references.
Figures: Figures (charts, graphs, photographs, etc.) and legends should be selfexplanatory and able to stand alone; the data presented in a figure should not be
duplicated in the text. Refer to each figure consecutively in the text.
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Appendix
Definitions of CEH Categories
CECBEMS awards credit for each session or portion of the activity based on the
appropriateness of the topic(s) covered for specific participants as described below. You
must indicate on the application the category(ies) and number of credit hours requested.
First Responder: Topics that address the care of the patient in the first minutes of an
emergency and before the arrival of BLS or ALS unit as described in the current DOT
curriculum.
Basic: Topics which address skill and knowledge objectives included in the patient care
practice of basic prehospital care personnel (as described in the current U.S. D.O.T.
National Standard Curriculum for EMT Basic).
Advanced: Topics, which address skill and knowledge objectives included in the patient,
care practice of advanced EMT or EMT-Paramedic personnel and beyond the scope of
basic prehospital care personnel (as described in the current U.S. D.O.T. National
Standard Curriculum for EMT-Intermediate and Paramedic).
Operational: Topics, which are relevant to the operational activities of EMS personnel,
such as emergency vehicle operations, dispatch communications, rescue, etc. (non-patient
care activities as described in the current U.S. D.O.T. National Standard curriculum for
EMT-Basic, Intermediate and Paramedic).
Educator: Topics oriented to the EMS educator (e.g., instructional methodologies and
techniques, evaluation principles and techniques, etc.), and not directly related to the
provision of emergency patient care.
Management: Topics directed to the manager/supervisor, related to the administration of
emergency medical services, and not directly related to the provision of emergency
patient care. (fiscal, personnel and vehicle management issues.)
DOT Refresher: CECBEMS has also pre-approved the following standardized courses.
Credit for these courses is tracked separate from continuing education hours. This
separation reflects distinctions important under state licensing and National Registry rules
relative to the specific course title.
DOT Refresher EMT-Basic
DOT Refresher EMT-Intermediate
DOT Refresher EMT-Paramedic
Application for Accredited Organizations Offering Virtual Instructor-Led Training – 3/2011
Appendix
Submitting Course Completion Records to the CECBEMS
Accreditation Management System (AMS)
As a condition of being granted accreditation from CECBEMS all providers agree to comply with
several requirements, including the collecting and reporting of specific pieces of data.
CECBEMS is committed to the provision of quality continuing education activities. We feel
strongly that maintenance of reliable records is a vital factor in the maintenance of an EMS
license and/or EMS certification
CECBEMS Accreditation Management System (AMS) is designed to make recertification easier
for EMS professionals. The CECBEMS AMS allows continuing education (CE) providers to
report data in three ways: manual entry, XML file or real-time reporting (rtr). Real-time
reporting is preferred; we encourage you to make every effort to put RTR in place as quickly as
possible. All methods require the same data be reported, differing only in the method in which the
data are reported.
Over the past seven years, we have identified the top three problems encountered with data
submissions. We have analyzed these problems and have found the following common issues:
1. Some providers have failed to collect the required data.
All providers are required to collect and report the same data for each and every EMS
professional who registers and completes a CE activity. CECBEMS accreditation should not
be made optional to students. Any EMS professional who registers for a CECBEMSaccredited activity should received credit by providing the required information. The most
common pieces of data that providers have not collected include state license number, state
license expiration date, NREMT number and re-registration date, and date and, for online
activities, time of course completion. These are key pieces of data that are necessary to
ensure EMS professionals receive credit for their CE activities.
One reason providers have failed to collect this data is that they do not have a learning
management system (LMS) in place that is designed to meet the special requirements
necessary to deliver CECBEMS-accredited continuing education. Distributed learning
providers, VILT-CE providers, and providers of live CE activities must ensure all required
data is collected prior to delivering a course with CECBEMS accreditation. Likewise,
providers of live courses must ensure their procedures collect all required data during the
registration process.
2. Providers have collected data in ways that make retrieval and reporting difficult.
Regardless of how you collect data, you must maintain it in accordance with CECBEMS’
requirements. If the student’s name, state of licensure, and license number are not entered
accurately each and every time a course completion is entered for that person, the course
completion information will not appear on the student’s course completion record when it is
uploaded to the AMS. Providers of live activities sometimes use handwritten forms for
collecting data. Our experience is that handwritten information is frequently illegible. If you
use this method, you need a back-up method in place for verifying information submitted.
CE providers frequently allow a student to complete an activity whether or not the student has
entered the required information. We strongly recommend that you program your system or
your process to require students to provide all required information before launching an
online activity, participating in VILT-CE, or attending a live activity.
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Of those providers using electronic methods of capturing and storing data, some use a
spreadsheet program such as Excel. Excel is not a database program and is designed for the
manipulation of numbers, not data. Its ability to output and share data is very limited.
A true enterprise class Database Management System, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
or IBM DB2 is the ideal tool for capturing data. If you are using a database, be sure it is
robust enough to handle the types and amounts of data you are required to collect. Be sure it
collects and stores all required pieces of data and is set up to retrieve those pieces of data.
3. Providers do not have (or have not dedicated) sufficient or appropriate resources to
collect and submit the data to the CECBEMS AMS.
The CECBEMS AMS is built on the newest platform that is designed to share data between
systems via the Internet. The easiest and most efficient tool for this transfer is an Extensible
Markup Language (XML) file. XML is a W3C initiative that allows information and
services to be encoded with meaningful structure and semantics that both computers and
humans can understand. In the simplest possible terms, an XML file is a text file in a
specific format that contains individual pieces of data written to conform to a specific set of
rules or “schema.”
There are many ways to create this kind of text file, including simply typing it into notepad
(although this is not efficient for large amounts of data). Ideally, a programmer can create a
tool that will essentially copy the required data from your database and then write the XML
file in the correct format and syntax. Once you have this tool it can be used repeatedly by
any non-programmer to create and submit the required reports to CECBEMS. For example,
one CECBEMS-approved provider has such a tool that allows any non-tech person to simply
enter the beginning and ending date of the report, enter their CECBEMS AMS log-in name
and password, and click one button to create and submit the XML file to the AMS. This is
the beauty of the XML reporting tool – build one small application and reporting will not
require technical resources from then on.
Our analysis of the troubles providers have experienced in successfully writing the XML files
shows that the single biggest problem is that the technical resources assigned to create the
XML file are not sufficiently trained in XML syntax.
We want to be sure that you understand that we are not commenting on any individual’s
abilities, but rather have found that many Web Designers have not had the benefit of training
or experience in XML. Our goal here is simply to try to help CE providers understand that
the resources you may successfully use on a daily basis may not be the best resources to use
when confronted with the demands of business to business data transfer.
If you are having difficulty finding a resource that can successfully produce your XML file,
we suggest you ask a prospective XML programmer the following questions:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
What database experience do you have?
What development environment(s) do you use? (“translation program”)
Can you write code directly without the development environment?
What training/experience have you had with XML?
Are you familiar with XML syntax?
Have you ever transferred data between Database Management Systems using XML?
Providers have failed to utilize the resources we have provided them, including the AMS
Providers Manual and Supplement, a sample template, and an XML file example. We encourage
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you to download these resources, make them available to your XML programmer, and refer to
them when building files for submitting data to the AMS. These resources can be found on the
Providers Only screen at cecbems.org. You must contact CECBEMS headquarters to set up
access.
Our records show that when the CE provider is dealing with an experienced XML programmer
who has read the CECBEMS AMS Manual, we only need to answer a few questions and/or
review a small test upload to identify potential problems. If you would like for CECBEMS to
provide services beyond this one-time consult, we will be happy to contract for these services at
the appropriate programming fee. We will not offer ongoing technical assistance free of
charge. You need an experienced, XML programmer who is able to write a program that will
upload error-free data quickly and effectively. In the very near future, CECBEMS will make a
test tool available to CE providers for a fee. All uploads must be tested using these tools and
receive an “error free” rating BEFORE they will be uploaded to the AMS.
CECBEMS also offers limited technical assistance to providers who are submitting data via
manual entry. Again, when we are dealing with someone who has read the manual carefully, we
are able to identify potential problems quickly and subsequent submissions have uploaded
smoothly. As with XML users, if you would like for CECBEMS to provide services beyond this
limited amount, we will be happy to contract with you for these services; however, we will not
offer ongoing technical assistance free of charge.
Summary
1.
Be prepared to report the following information for each student. This is not
optional. Failure to collect and report each piece of data for every EMS professional
could result in loss of accreditation.
CECBEMS activity number, date of course completion, first name, last name, email
address city of residence, state of licensure, state license number,
type/level of license, license expiration date, NREMT registration number (if
student is NREMT), NREMT re-registration date (if student is NREMT), Number
of CEH, Category of CEH.
2.
Put a process in place to ensure that data is complete and accurate.
3.
Read the CECBEMS AMS manual carefully and forward it to your technical
support people and anyone else in your organization who will be involved in data
collection and/or submission.
4.
Utilize the limited technical support offered by CECBEMS to resolve initial
technical issues.
5.
Schedule regular data uploads to comply with deadlines for reporting post-activity
materials.
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