Substantive Change Proposal. Emergency Medical Technician: Paramedic

Transcription

1 Substantive Change Proposal Emergency Medical Technician: Paramedic Napa Valley Community College District 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway Napa, CA August 18, 2008 Erik Shearer, Co-chair Curriculum Committee ( ) Sue Nelson, Vice President, Instruction ( ) Judie Walter-Burke, Dean, Research, Planning & Development ( )

2 Napa Valley College Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic Program Substantive Change Proposal Table of Contents 1. Cover Page Table of Contents Substantive Change Proposal... 3 A. Brief Description of and Rationale for Proposed Change... 3 B. Description Continued... 3 C. Planning Process... 4 D. Evidence of Resources... 6 E. Evidence of Approvals... 8 F. Evidence of Fulfillment of Eligibility Requirements... 8 G. Evidence of Fulfillment of Accreditation Standards and Commission Policies Documentation 4.1 Chronology of Substantive Change NVC Mission Statement NVC Curriculum Committee Minutes, December 6, 2007 Item 7.0 EMT-P Curriculum Packet Fall Academic Senate Minutes NVCCD, Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, December 13, 2007, Item Course Outlines of Record California Community Colleges, Application for Approval Application Approval Letter NVC Catalog EMT-P Program Faculty, Minimum Qualifications Program Application

3 Napa Valley College Emergency Medical Technician: Paramedic Substantive Change Proposal A. Brief Description of and Rationale for Proposed Change The Board of Trustees of Napa Valley College approved the creation of the grant-funded Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic program in December, 2007 through the regular curriculum approval process on recommendation from the Academic Senate. Students enrolled in this program have the option to pursue either a 39-unit certificate program or a 73-unit AS degree. Upon successful completion of either course of study, the student will possess the requisite knowledge and skill sets to sit for the NREMT exam and, if successful, become accredited as a paramedic. Labor market data from the California Employment Development Department projects an EMT-I and EMT-P job growth rate of 27% for Napa County by This program complements our current EMT-I program and addresses the growing need for trained EMT - Paramedics in this region. The addition of the EMT: Paramedic program complements current course and program offerings in Health Occupations, including a robust EMT-I program, and provides training that is responsive to the educational needs of students and employers in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas in accordance with the mission of our college. To meet the college mission of preparing students for our diverse, dynamic and interdependent world, inter-cultural competence and communication key skills for success in this field are stressed throughout the EMT-P program in course content, student learning outcomes, and program objectives. The creation of this program was made possible through a $400,000 grant from the Chancellor s Office that provided money for all start-up costs, equipment, and the development of a sustainable program infrastructure. Future sustainability and management of this program will be incorporated into the regular budget process of the college at the conclusion of the grant cycle. B. Description Continued: The educational goals for the Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic program are clearly spelled out in the program. Course-level student learning outcomes for both the certificate and the AS degree are appropriate to the mission of Napa Valley College. The program-level outcomes were approved and published in the college catalog as follows: 3

4 Students successfully completing the EMT-P training will be able to: 1. Sit for the paramedic National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) paramedic exam and become accredited as a paramedic, enabling the paramedic to be eligible for licensure in California. 2. Perform competently in the roles and responsibilities outlined in the paramedic scope of practice (Title 22, (2004)). 3. Obtain employment as an entry-level paramedic with an EMS agency in Napa or surrounding communities. Course-level student learning outcomes and objectives are clearly stated on the course outlines of record for each course in the program. Students must pass the core EMT-P courses with a 80% or greater proficiency on all materials and examinations to receive credit. The credit / unit values for each course are appropriately based on the standard Carnegie unit adapted for our eighteenweek terms, with one unit of credit being granted for every fifty-four hours of successfully completed coursework. The SLOs, course objectives, and unit assignation of each course in this program were rigorously reviewed and vetted through the regular curriculum approval process and are in line with the general curriculum standards at NVC. C. Planning Process Relation to institution s stated mission: The EMT- Paramedic program is designed to provide training that is responsive to the educational needs of students and employers in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas. This program supports the mission of the college by developing a high-quality career technical education program, based on local and regional need, which will train students for a profession that serves the urgent health care needs of diverse peoples in Napa and surrounding communities. Assessment of Needs and Resources: According to the California Employment Development Department, the expected job growth rate for EMT-Is and Paramedics through 2012 is 26.5%, while job growth rate for Napa County is similar ( According to the Employment Development Department of the State of California, the expansion in the job market for this profession is largely due to population growth. It should be noted that this projected increase does not take into consideration employee turnover ( which is high in this profession due to injury, relocation, or career re-training into other fields. A survey of local private ambulance companies suggests that Napa and the surrounding areas will need approximately twenty newly trained paramedics each year in order to fill 4

5 current vacancies and allow the companies to plan for population growth and loss of experienced paramedic workers due to injury or job retraining. Napa Valley College currently offers an EMT-I program; however, there are no accredited EMT-P training programs in the immediate vicinity to fill this need. The closest state accredited programs are at the City College of San Francisco, American River College in Sacramento and Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa. This forces students who would normally seek out Napa Valley College to meet their educational needs to commute large distances. Given the rise in energy costs, commuting such distances would be prohibitively expensive for local students interested in pursuing a career in this field. In light of the limited enrollment capacity of the paramedic programs that do exist and the present and future paramedic workforce demands Napa County will experience, NVC needs to develop and implement an accredited EMT-P training program to meet community pre-hospital patient care needs. Anticipated Effects on the Institution and Intended Improvements: The EMT-P program will complement and expand instruction in the Health Occupations division curriculum and extend the educational and career opportunities for students enrolled in the EMT-I courses, in particular. In addition to increasing enrollment, this program will generate FTES growth, as EMT-P students will be enrolled for full-time loads each semester of the program. Students pursuing the AS degree will also increase enrollment in the required GE courses. Otherwise, the program has little anticipated effect on the college bodies typically impacted by new programs, including: Counseling: Academic counseling for students in this program will largely be handled by the one counselor assigned to the Health Occupations division and will not result in an expanded work load for general counseling services. Student Services: The anticipated enrollment in this program will not have a significant impact on other student services such as Financial Aid, Learning Services, or Student Health Services. Curriculum Committee: This program only adds four new courses into the curriculum that will need to be reviewed and revised in the standard sixyear cycle. This will not have significant impact on the workload of the Curriculum Committee. Program Evaluation and Planning: The EMT-P program will need to be included into the program evaluation process, but represents only a slight increase in the workload for the Program Evaluation and Planning committee and related senate and administrative bodies. This program is scheduled for program evaluation in

6 Description of Preparation for Change: Three steps were undertaken in order to assess the need for the addition of this program: 1. The college cooperated with the California Fire Chiefs Association in designing a survey to assess future firefighter/paramedic workforce and educational needs across California. The survey was sent to the California Fire Chiefs Association membership across the state. The survey showed a need for more highly trained paramedics to meet staffing needs for the fire service across the state. In addition, the survey documented concerns about the lack of quality paramedic education in the state that adequately prepares paramedics for entry-level work in the fire service. 2. The college conducted a survey amongst local private ambulance companies and fire districts to ascertain the local workforce and educational needs concerning paramedics. All these agencies reported a strong need for a new paramedic program and expressed concerns about the lack of local, quality training options for paramedics. 3. The college conducted a GIS survey using census data to examine the likely student population for a new program and to ensure that a new program would not interfere with already established programs, such as Santa Rosa Junior College. The GIS study documented an ample student base for the program and demonstrated that the new paramedic program was highly unlikely to be in any competition with an established program. D. Evidence of Resources The following section provides a detailed analysis of the resources already secured by the college. Faculty / Administrators / Staff: Primary Instructor: Gail Porto, RN Medical Director: Thomas Gross, MD Co-directors: Ted Peterson and Amy LaPan Ph.D. Support: Two division secretaries Equipment and Facilities: The American Canyon Fire Protection District has agreed to allow the college to use its training facility and equipment for the EMT-P program. The training facility includes training tower, equipment for staging disaster drills, and classroom that can accommodate up to 25 students per class. The facility also has provided the program with an equipment storage bay where the program can store its gurney, stair chair, mannequin, and other EMS training equipment securely. The facility is maintained by the American Canyon Fire Protection District. The Fire District is in regular communication with the EMT-P program staff and HEOC Division Dean to address any repair or facility needs identified (e.g., replacement of burn out light bulbs, etc.) 6

7 The equipment for the program was purchased with grant funds and donations from the Napa Valley College foundation. Equipment includes: Gurneys & Stair Chairs 2 Stryker Gurneys 3 Ferno Gurneys 4 Stryker Stair Chairs Intubation Equipment 4 Adult Airway Mannequins 1 Pediatric Airway Mannequin Airway Laryngoscope Endotrachial tubes Combi tube Various blades and tubes and sizes Oral pharyngeal airways Nasal pharyngeal airways 15 bag valve mask resuscitators (infant, child, and adult) 15 pocket masks 2 airway bags with oxygen cylinders 1 oxygen canister Suction Units 5 portable mechanical suction units/s-scort III Splints, Stretchers, and Collars 4 Traction splints 5 Adult scoop stretchers 6 adult backboards 1 short board 3 KED immobilizers Various lengths and sizes of cardboard splints 5 sets spyder straps 20 cervical collars 21 various types c-spine immobilization devices Moulage 2 moulage kits Cardiac Equipment 2 Zoll E series EKG series 3 Philips EKG machines 10 adult CPR mannequins 10 child mannequins 5 AED trainers Obstetrics 1 obstetric kit 3 obstetrical mannequins Fiscal Resources Initial: $400,000 Chancellor s Grant Long-term: Napa Valley College instructional equipment funds, District funds, industry donations, grants and VTEA funds. 7

8 Monitoring Achievement Program will be reviewed by CoAEMSP and accredited by CAAHEP. These bodies provide specific metrics to measure programmatic success and achievement of specific standards. On-going and periodic review are necessary to maintain accreditation through these agencies. Program Evaluation and Planning: This college-wide process will require the EMT-P program to evaluate enrollment data, review and revise course outlines of record, and provide student learning outcome assessment data on a five-year cycle. We plan to include this program for review in the cycle. E. Evidence of Approvals Approval for creating this program was required and granted from the following bodies: NVC Academic Senate Curriculum Committee NVC Academic Senate Chief Instructional Officer Board of Trustees Local Emergency Medical Services Agency California Community Colleges Chancellors Office The curriculum review and approval process at Napa Valley College is handled through an online database management system with electronic approvals for all requisite parties including the Chief Instructional Officer. The attached Curriculum Packet, Curriculum Committee Minutes and BOT Minutes reflects this local approval process. Approval of the packet by the BOT incorporates approval by all requisite authorities. Please see attached documents for evidence of these approvals. F. Evidence of Fulfillment of Eligibility Requirements The addition of this program is well within the mission of Napa Valley College and was created and approved through our stated curriculum development process. As such, it will not affect the eligibility status of Napa Valley College. The attached program and course descriptions, program and course-level student learning outcomes, and the mission statement of the college affirm this. G. Evidence of Fulfillment of Accreditation Standards and Commission Policies Fulfillment of ACCJC policies on Award of Credit and Substantive Change are clearly embedded in this report and in the attached CORs and pages from the NVC Catalog. 8