CoAEMSP’s Executive Director, George W. Hatch Jr., discusses the EMS accreditation journey This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP) plans to launch a voluntary programmatic accreditation for Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs) by January. In this episode of Inside EMS1, cohost Chris Cebollero sits down with George W. Hatch Jr., EdD, LP, EMT-P, FAEMS, CoAEMSP’s executive director, to discuss the program. Top takeaways AEMT is not just an EMT with additional skills; it requires a broader skill set, including understanding pathophysiology and critical thinking. The decision to introduce voluntary accreditation for AEMT programs wasn't preplanned but came about due to discussions within the EMS community. This accreditation process is voluntary, and programs that choose not to pursue it can continue operating as they do currently. Accreditation will help standardize AEMT programs, improve pass rates on the national registry exam, and enhance the quality of EMS education. The process involves benchmarking programs against a set standard, and programs must satisfy sponsorship requirements. While there is no plan to extend this accreditation to EMT programs at the moment, it may be considered in the distant future if deemed necessary. Accreditation is part of the journey to elevate EMS to a profession and should be supported by those in the field. It's essential to stop complaining about the state of EMS education and start actively contributing to its improvement. Memorable quotes "It's about a process of improvement, a continual process of improvement." — Dr. Hatch "EMS may or may not be the choice that a lot of people want to make. We have to make it attractive and say, this is what you have to do to be in our profession." — Dr. Hatch EMS1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.