Rule 511-9-2-.16 - Standards for Emergency Medical Services Education(1) EMS Initial Education. (a) No EMS Agency, fire department, hospital, clinic, medical center, educational institution, or other entity shall hold itself out as a designated or approved EMS Initial Education Program at the EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic level without holding current designation by the Department as an EMS Initial Education Program for the respective level(s) of EMS initial education.(b) Designation of EMS Initial Education Programs. 1. Any EMS Agency, fire department, hospital, clinic, medical center, educational institution, or other entity seeking designation as an EMS Initial Education Program at the EMR, EMT, AEMT, and/or Paramedic levels must submit an application to the Department in a manner and on forms as determined by the Department.2. An application for designation as an EMS Initial Education Program must include a statement from an authorized agent of the Program's Sponsor attesting that the Sponsor accepts responsibility for the operation of the Program.3. The Department's review of applications for designation and re-designation as an EMS Initial Education Program may include an on-site inspection of the program.4. All EMS Initial Education Programs, including individual courses, are subject to periodic monitoring and announced or unannounced site visits by the Department.5. All EMS Initial Education Programs must maintain satisfactory records for student admission, advisement, counseling, and evaluation. Grades and credits for courses must be recorded on the student transcript and permanently maintained by the Sponsor in a safe and accessible location. All EMS Initial Education Program records are subject to review by the Department at any time.(c) EMS Initial Education Program Designation Criteria. Applicants for designation as an EMS Initial Education Program shall meet Department-specified standards that address, at a minimum, the following criteria:2. Program direction and administration;4. Instructional personnel;6. Physical resources, including classroom and laboratory facilities, equipment and supplies, and learning resources;7. Admission requirements for all levels of EMS initial education courses offered by the Program;8. Clinical and field internship resources;9. Academic and administrative policies, procedures, and records retention requirements;10. Program outcomes and evaluation;12. Delivery of instruction by distance learning technology.(d) Data Reporting Requirements and Course Notifications for EMS Initial Education Programs. Each designated EMS Initial Education Program shall:1. Notify the Department of each EMS initial education course that it intends to offer, in a time frame and on forms specified by the Department.2. Report specified data elements to the Department regarding each EMS initial education course offered, in a time frame, format, and frequency specified by the Department. All such data reported to the Department shall be accurate and factual.3. Notify the Department of any substantive changes to the EMS Initial Education Program, as specified by the Department, in a time frame and on forms specified by the Department.4. Provide the Department with full access to all data from its student clinical tracking system and its learning management system.5. Notify the Department within twenty-four hours of receipt of a report or other information suggesting that a program instructor, preceptor, student, or field clinical/internship site has:(i) Provided services while under the influence of drugs or alcohol;(ii) Been arrested or indicted for, charged with, or convicted of any felony, crime of violence, or crime of moral turpitude; or(iii) Violated the laws or rules governing EMS in Georgia or the Department's policies related to EMS Initial Education Programs.(e) The Department may suspend, revoke, or place on probation a designation as an EMS Initial Education Program, after providing written notice to the Program's Sponsor, if the Department determines that the Program is not in compliance with the requirements or criteria of these rules or applicable statutes or policies. The Department shall provide an administrative hearing on the action to suspend or revoke the Program's designation if the Sponsor makes a written request for a hearing. Such written request must be delivered to and received by the Department no later than twenty days after the Sponsor receives notice of the action. If a timely request for a hearing is not received, the action will become effective twenty days after the Sponsor's receipt of the notice. In lieu of suspending or revoking a Program's EMS Initial Education Program designation, the Department may re-designate the Program at another level of EMS Initial Education Program if it is determined that the Program does not meet the criteria for its current level(s) of designation.(2) EMS Continuing Education. (a) No EMS Agency, fire department, hospital, clinic, medical center, educational institution, other entity or person shall hold itself/themselves out as offering or teaching an approved EMS continuing education course unless the course has been approved by the Department or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE).(b) Approval of EMS Continuing Education Courses.1. All requests for Department approval of EMS continuing education courses must be submitted to the Department in a time frame and on forms specified by the Department.2. EMS continuing education courses shall consist of educational activities designed to promote and enrich knowledge, improve skills, and develop attitudes for the enhancement of professional practice, thus improving the quality of Emergency Medical Services provided to the public.3. All EMS continuing education courses are subject to periodic monitoring and announced or unannounced site visits by the Department. EMS continuing education courses that are delivered through distance education are subject to review and audit by the Department at any time.4. All EMS continuing education courses must comply with course standards specified by the Department.(c) Data reporting requirements 1. Department-approved EMS continuing education courses shall be assigned an approval number by the Department.2. All providers of approved EMS continuing education courses shall issue a certificate or letter of completion to each student who completes the course. The certificate or letter must include information specified by the Department regarding the completion of the course.3. If the provider of an approved EMS continuing education course is a Georgia licensed EMS Agency or designated EMS Initial Education Program, the provider shall submit a roster of the students who completed the course to the Department in a time frame and on forms specified by the Department.(d) The Department's approval of an EMS continuing education course is contingent upon the course being taught according to the approved curriculum and in line with current standards and may be rescinded at any time. No course credit shall be given to attendees of a course for which the Department has rescinded its approval or to persons who have not attended and completed the continuing education course.(e) Providers of Department or CAPCE approved EMS continuing education shall not issue a certificate of credit/completion for EMS continuing education hours to any person without the person meeting the EMS continuing education completion requirements as specified by the Department for the respective EMS continuing education course.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-9-2-.16
O.C.G.A. §§ 31-2A-6, 31-11-5, 31-11-51 through 31-11-61.
Original Rule entitled "Standards for Emergency Medical Services Courses" adopted. F. December 14, 2011; eff. January 3, 2012.Amended: New title "Standards for Training." F. Apr. 2, 2015; eff. Apr. 22, 2015.Amended: F. Apr. 27, 2016; eff. May 17, 2016.Amended: New title "Standards for Emergency Medical Services Education." F. Oct. 20, 2020; eff. Nov. 18, 2020, as specified by the Agency.