Newsletter

Newsletter - Spring 2008

How can the quality CME of the AMLS course enhance the knowledge of the healthcare practitioners in your community? The AMLS course is recognized for:

• Integration of BLS and ALS prehospital care providers, nurses and physicians as a team for the assessment and management of patients.
• Interactive practical stations which focus on comprehensive, efficient assessment skills and discussion of multiple pathways of management strategies.
• Dynamic, scenario-based lecture presentations that engage the participants in discussion related to possible and probable diagnoses.
• Establishing standards of care for adult medical patients by practical application of the core course knowledge, both domestic and internationally.
•Ability to integrate internationally recognized measurements for diagnostic information in lecture and practical stations.
• BLS and ALS written pre-test and post-test evaluations.
• Achieving 16 hours of medical CME for NREMT provider re-recognition.
Meets requirement for Mandatory Core CME (3 hrs): allergic reaction, environmental and overdose.
Meets requirement for Flexible Core CME (5 hrs) altered mental status, seizure, behavioral, endocrine, and communicable disease.
• Complimentary PowerPoint lecture presentations for course coordinators.
• Diminished emphasis on “skills” and greater focus on comprehensive assessments and treatment for challenging medical patients with subtle presentations.
• Integration of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology as it relates to a patient’s signs, symptoms, assessment and management strategies.
• Utilization of critical thinking skills in determining relevant assessment information to determine initial and ongoing treatment options.
As we look to the future, the AMLS course will:
• Implement greater creativity in utilizing the diverse technology available to practitioners and course coordinators.
• Offer opportunity for instructors, course coordinators and affiliate faculty to offer suggestions for potential practical lab scenarios that are relevant for domestic, military and international personnel.
Here are two examples of how EMS agencies have successfully implemented AMLS in their CME programs:
The Newton Fire Department in Iowa has three 24-hour shifts with five EMS/fire personnel. AMLS is offered on each shift over a six-week timeframe. Shift A on 1st and 4th days, Shift B on 2nd and 5th days and Shift C on 3rd and 6th days. This allows for added coverage during the course by on-duty supervisors and provides dynamic CME.
Johnson County, Kansas, implements the AMLS course in blocks of time without overtime for personnel. Local EMS provides coverage for on-duty personnel as one or two trucks (crews of two to four) at a time drive to their local education center for four hours of CME and then return to duty.
For more information on obtaining AMLS provider and/or instructor status, visit our Web site at www.amls.org.

–Linda M. Abrahamson, BA, RN, EMT-P, AMLS chair

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Newsletter - Summer 2007

AMLS has had several requests for continuing education (CE) approval for nurses. An application has been completed to the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) for approval of nursing CEs.

In order to facilitate the application for nursing continuing education requests, the individual AMLS course coordinators may contact Ann Bellows at Southwest MedEvac (a.bellows@southwestmedevac.com) for the process.  At this time, Southwest MedEvac has obtained  continuing education hour approval for nurses.  Ann has the application Southwest Med Evac used to obtain the approval.  A process to use this information and place it on the NAEMT web site has been sent to ASTNA for their approval, but at this time no word has been received.  Until approval by ASTNA has been received, please contact Ann and she will be happy to share the materials she has completed.

Look for several AMLS offerings at the NAEMT Annual Meeting in Orlando. Preconference workshops include a two-day AMLS Provider Course on October 9 and 10 and an AMLS Instructor Course set for the evening of October 10. The AMLS Annual Meeting is set for 1:30 pm on October 11, and it is open to anyone with an interest in AMLS.
Visit www.naemt.org/AMLS/resourceLibrary/Expo2007.htm for more information about AMLS activities in Orlando.

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Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2007

The AMLS Executive Committee and NAEMT would like to welcome the addition of Mexico and Sweden as AMLS sites! The course in Mexico was coordinated by NAEMT member Jaime Charfen. Medical direction was provided by Dr. Charlotte Newman, Dr. Juan Manuel Fraga, Dr. Alberto Calderon ad Dr. Enrique Ramirez. The inaugural course in Sweden, under the medical direction of Dr. Bengt Erikson and Yevette Emtsjo will be held in June 2007.

The AMLS Executive Committee would like to thank Alliance Medical for assisting the committee in the development of AMLS equipment bags. These jump bags will provide the committee with the appropriate equipment for conducting the annual conference courses and other programs with large attendance.

If you are interested in attending or hosting an AMLS course, please check out our Web site at www.amls.org The 3rd edition of the AMLS textbook and course coordinator guide became available in September 2006. No formal rollouts will be hosted; however, all AMLS courses must use the 3rd edition by June 30, 2007. If you are an AMLS course coordinator or affiliate faculty, you were provided a compendium of changes and new course slides. Course coordinators will include in post-course paperwork verification of teaching new materials for each instructor. The verification form is included in your pre-course paperwork as you register your 2007 classes.

Linda M. Abrahamson, BA, RN, EMT-P, AMLS Chairperson

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