Training academy for new hires?

Shishkabob

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Anyone know of any agency's that have new hire academies (read: not oreintation) that they send their new people through before being sent out for FTO? I'm not talking about the week long thing some places have where they teach "This is how we bill" and have you drive serpentine through cones.




I know ATcEMS has a 6 week long one where they do things such as team building, protocol education, special incidents, and self defense.

My new agency that I start at on Monday has a 3 week long academy (though I don't know quite what they do in it)

I know CareFlite has a lengthy new hire process where they send their medics and EMTs out to do clinical rotations at hospitals, just like they were back in school.




Have you been through an agency that had an academy? Think it helped? Did the agency tend to have a higher retention rate?
 
I know that it's fairly common for large municipal agencies to have such programs. Detroit, Boston, and Wake County EMS have long indoctrination and skill enrichment/remediation programs.

If I was in charge of an EMS service and had the resources I would definitely create a program.


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Here is a breakdown of my orientation schedule from two springs ago when I started. I've tried to update it with the changes I'm aware of (i.e. expanded FTO, but there may be other changes) Explanations provided where required:

Week 1
Monday
- Welcome
- Meet and greet (coffee, fruit and snacks provided; chance to meet all the Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs and Superintendents as well as a chance to meet other recruits)
- Service overview
- Introductory session for driver training (CEVO3)

Tuesday and Wednesday
- Base Hospital Certification (not sure how much of this happens elsewhere; but the Base Hospital provides medical direction and is separate from the service, so they come in for two days of protocol review, scenarios and testing as well as some info on ongoing research programs)

Thursday
- Bariatric unit/supplies overview
- Bags familiarization
- Stair chair familiarization (Ferno tracked)
- N-95 fit test
- Driver training classroom session
- Regional intranet/HR/payroll computer system familarization
- Computer mapping software training

Friday
- CBRN Basic Certification (from Government of Canada program)


Week 2
Monday
- In vehicle driver training (skid pad and road)

Tuesday
- Area familiarization (drive around the region and find all the stations, hospitals, etc)

Wednesday
- Day OFF for Provincial Exams

Thursday
- MCI day (field exercises)

Friday
- Code of Conduct
- PHIPPA
- Allied agency interactions
- ACP equipment familarization
- Infection control
- Pandemic planning
- "Respect in the Workplace" (HR Comes to visit)
- "A Day in the Life" (covering all the little details of what to do. I.e. how to sign in)


Week 3
Monday
- Talk from the coroner
- Coroner's Package training (the paperwork we have to do on a death)
- Radio system
- Mike phone system
- Hospital info
- Payroll

Tuesday (most of this day was getting us caught up with the various small CME's the rest of the service has done recently; not sure how this day would be now.)
- Obstetrics review CME
- Documentation CME
- CTAS review CME
- Clandestine labs awareness
- WHMIS and OH&S

Wednesday
- CUPE Local 905
- Draw for Seniority
- Court/Inquest Appearances
- "Attendance Awareness" program
- Community Referral by EMS Program
- Offload delay
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

Thursday
- ePCR training

Friday
- Crime Scene Preservation from YRPD
- Special Operations from the EMS Special Response Unit (SRU)

Following three formal weeks of orientation, as new hires we then also have to:
- Ride third crew member for twelve shifts
- Complete a driver probation log for 20 shifts, during which we can drive to Code 4 calls (L&S) but not back from them. (Due to not having an experienced person up front along with us)
- Be on probation for six months
 
My dept has a 16 week ALS internship process. Before this begins, we spend several weeks at the training academy completing dept orientation and all of our alphabet cards. The internship is three twelve hour days a week on an ambulance under an FTO and four hours a week in class for protocol review, scenarios, call review, and testing on SimMan to be released. Most of our new hires make it out, but a good number of our incumbents that were put through medic school by the County fail out. This is around 30 % or so. I think the new hire pass rate is decent because we hire many from single role EMS (we're fire based) that already come with experience. We're also required to keep our P-cards as a condition of employment, so we can't dump our certs. It's a miserable place to work if you don't like riding the cabulance on a regular basis.
 
MedStar's Academy has recently changed and consists of the following:

Week 1 - Week 2 covers orientation and all driving and safety courses
Week 3 - Week 6 In Field driver training
Week 7 - Week 8 In class covers Medical Records, Equipment Review, Skills Checks, Scenarios, Scene Management/Critical Thinking; Protocol Review and Understanding, Mock Trials, AMLS, A & P of the Heart, Electrophysiology of the Heart, Basic 12 lead, Advanced 12 lead, Basic Pharmacology, Advanced Pharmacology, Pathophysiology of Disease, and ends with an EMT graduation ceremony and a Paramedic graduation ceremony.
 
what service are you working for now private? 3rd? fire based?
 
Linuss,

Remeber one abreviation, 3 letters. C...P...G...

Your gonna be learning a lot about them and the reasons we do what we do from what I understand.
 
what service are you working for now private? 3rd? fire based?

Technically, hospital based.


Linuss,

Remeber one abreviation, 3 letters. C...P...G...

Your gonna be learning a lot about them and the reasons we do what we do from what I understand.

Clinical Practice Guidelines :P

I've actually been reading through the ones you sent me, trying to get a leg up on all the new drugs :wacko:


Jeez, Usal, why couldn't you have gone through the academy so you could tell me, huh? Useless!
 
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Linuss,

That's a lot of the reason our academy is longer than a lot of others. We have some stuff that's not commonly covered in medic school or done by other agencies. So it's gotta get covered somehow, and unfortunately that means lots of classroom. Good news is your instructors are VERY knowledgable and you should get a lot out of it.

Yep, I'm no help at all really though, when I went through it was two days, ten 12 hour shifts and "good luck try not to kill anyone" :blink:
 
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We have a four week induction program before we go out on the road with a clinical instructor.

We are then considered "grad paramedics" for 1-2 years with periodic over-site and review by clinical instructors, until we gain enough experience and do enough study to take the pannels for qualification.
 
i was in the middle of the hiring process for detroit ems but the academy was going to conflict with my current medic class. its a 16 week academy which pretty much goes over your basic class again and protocols and area familiarization along with a lot of PT but they pay you good. some of the instructors come off as drill sergeants which kinda makes me laugh a little.
 
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