Cowley EMS Education Newsletter

Summer 2005

Slade Griffiths, Program Director
Cindy Branscum, Lead MICT Instructor
Chris Cannon, MICT Instructor

Completed Classes
EMT Classes - We completed four EMT classes in the spring semester. Two were taught by Dixie Simpson at the Mulvane campus and the other two were taught by Chris Cannon – one at the Winfield campus and another in Clearwater.

PALS and Newborn Resuscitation Courses - Each of these classes were provided at the Winfield campus early this summer by Cindy Branscum and Robert Ward.

We wish all of these students success in their EMS careers and congratulate each for their accomplishments.

2005 EMS & Healthcare Class Schedule
Our classes that are offered in 2005 can be found online. More information about these classes can be found on the website. Of special interest are the following classes that will be offered:
Pharmacology (online) - fall semester, two classes
EMT-B - Fall semester in Mulvane
EMT-B - Fall semester in Winfield
ACLS Instructor - July16th
ACLS Provider - August 12th
PHTLS Provider - July 28th and August 4th
Basic Tactical Operations - October 8th & 9th
PALS Provider - November 1st & 2nd (Mulvane)
Advanced Tactical Operations - November 5th & 6th
EMS Recertification - November 12th & 13th (Winfield)
EMS Recertification - December 10th & 11th (Mulvane)

MICT Class of 2005
The MICT students are in the clinical setting now. They are finally utilizing the skills and applying the behaviors and knowledge learned in the didactic session of the program.

We would like to thank the following clinical sites that truly help our students learn the art and science of emergency medicine:
Cedar Vale Rural Health Clinic (Dr. Jim McDermott)
Via Christi – St. Francis Campus
Via Christi – St. Joseph Campus
William Newton Hospital

Basic & Advanced EMS Tactical Operations
Last fall, we offered the Basic Tactical Operations class and by all accounts, it was highly received by the participants. This fall, we will repeat this course and offer the Advanced Tactical Operations course for those who have already completed the basic one. Both courses will study and practice entry in an actual house and the advanced class will receive instruction on the "shoot don't shoot" video shooting range at our main campus.

In order to take the advanced course, students must first complete the basic class (last year or this year's class). Although it has open enrollment, a brief criminal background check will be performed due to the nature of the course.

If you are interested, please e-mail griffiths@cowley.edu so we can provide an update as more information becomes available, or visit our college website to enroll via Campus Connect.

Allied Health Education Department
Cowley has formed a new department to better meet the needs of our allied health students. This process will transform the Winfield campus into an allied health education center. The college will also continue to provide allied health classes at the main campus and satellite campuses. This move has been made in an effort to streamline operations and better provide for the Cowley healthcare students.

Slade Griffiths, MEd, MICT IC, has been appointed the Department Chair and will co-teach both MICT classes.
Cindy Branscum, BS, MICT IC, will continue to concentrate on the daytime MICT class and other EMS related classes.
Chris Cannon, BS, MICT IC, has been hired as a full-time EMS instructor. He will concentrate on the evening MICT class and other EMS related classes.
Connie Schaefer, RN, has been hired as the full-time Nursing Coordinator. She will teach and coordinate all CNA, CMA, rehabilitation aide, etc. classes.
Joyce Holloway has accepted the Coordinator of Allied Health Support Services position. She will provide assistance to the new department, coordinate the Winfield campus and provide assistance to the Pratt nursing faculty.

We are also exploring the possibility of adding other allied health classes at the college and even providing them at other locations. Expect to hear about other changes in the future.

2006 Evening MICT Program Added
We are very excited about a change at Cowley College EMS Education. Starting in January 2006, we will offer both day and evening MICT classes in Winfield.

Over the past two years, we have seen a large increase in the number of student applicants. We are providing this extra class to help address the shortage of MICTs in south central Kansas and to provide a class schedule that is more convenient for the working adult. We feel that our actions will help alleviate the MICT shortage issue. In January 2007, we plan to offer the daytime class in Winfield and move the evening class to another campus site outside of Winfield.

The daytime class will remain the same. During the didactic sessions of the MICT program (spring semester), students should expect to meet 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM and Thursday 1 - 5 PM. Clinicals will occur during the summer while the field internship shall be conducted during the fall. The last 2 weeks of the class will be spent in the classroom preparing for the National Registry examination.

Like the daytime class, the evening class will also start in January. The first two semesters will be spent in the classroom where students meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5-10 PM. During the fall semester, students will complete the clinical portion of the program. Field internship will be conducted in the spring semester and should end in May or June. The last 2-3 weeks of the class will be spent in the classroom preparing for the National Registry examination. This eighteen month program will better accommodate the working student or those who require longer assimilation times during their learning experience.

More information about our accredited MICT program can be found here.

Winfield Campus to Have RN Program This Fall
We are proud to announce a partnership with Pratt Community College (PCC) who will start its ADN/RN nursing program at the Winfield campus this fall. It is a bi-level nursing program that provides students with many options. A student could take the first year of class (fall and spring - two semesters) and then take the seven week long summer class (NUR102a) that prepares the student to take the NCLEX-PN (these students must also complete English Composition I and General Psychology). Then, one could leave the program and work as an LPN or continue in the program to finish the second (RN) year (and work as an LPN if the additional summer class and general education classes were completed). The second year prepares the first year students for RN practice.

The community support for this program has been phenomenal. We feel this PCC program will significantly and positively affect healthcare in the region. For more informatioin, go here.

Winfield Campus Construction
This center is undergoing drastic changes to better meet the needs of all at the campus. All rooms are being remodeled and the center is getting all new carpet. A new student lounge with internet access is being constructed. All the ceilings will be lowered as well. It is thought that this construction shall be completed over the next two years. It will update the center and make life there much more enjoyable and better for all.

Entrance to the 2006 MICT Program
We have received many applications for our MICT classes that will be conducted during 2006 at the Winfield campus. The selection process will occur sometime this summer. If you are interested in either class, now is the time to apply. If interested in the Cowley application and selection process, please visit it as well.

New Scenario Clinic Office Addition
During each clinical rotation, the Cowley MICT students are each assigned to Dr. James McDermott for a week at his clinics and hospitals in rural Kansas. This rotation in the rural setting with one-on-one interaction with a physician brings greater breadth and depth to the MICT student. This mock clinic office we constructed at the Winfield campus will better prepare students for that experience and for functioning in the EMS setting where calls can originate in a physician's office.


New Adjunct Faculty
We would like to welcome the following new members to our MICT teaching staff:

Jon Clawson, AAS, MICT - Paramedic/Firefighter at Arkansas City Fire Department and EMS
Terri Griffiths, MBA, RN/MICT - CNO & Vice President of Patient Services at Anthony Hospital. She will also assume the American Heart Association Training Center Coordinator responsibilites.
Tracy LeValley, BSN, RN/MICT - ED nurse at William Newton Hospital and MICT with the Winfield Area EMS Reserves
Travis Morin, AAS, MICT - Full-time paramedic at Winfield Area EMS and part-time paramedic at Sedgwick County EMS

They all bring a wealth of experience in healthcare/EMS and are a welcome addition to our professional teaching staff.

Online Pharmacology Class
An online pharmacology class was added to the summer schedule and is currently in progress. This course (HER5230 – 3 credit hours) is designed to meet the pharmacology class needs of students enrolled in Pratt Community College nursing program, pre-allied health majors (to include future MICT students) and would be beneficial for others in the allied health field who desire a greater understanding of pharmacological principles and agents. It has open enrollment, though Anatomy and Physiology is highly recommended. For information, go here to find out more. This class may not fulfill the requirements for other nursing programs or other allied health programs – students are advised to check transferability at their primary college.

A New Look
The Winfield campus now has a new look with a stone sign designed and constructed by Mark Hull, an EMT graduate from the spring of 2005. He did a very fine job with the project. When not working at his full-time job or making stone signs, he volunteers with the Cambridge Fire Department.

Winfield Center Open House
We plan to have an open house for the Pratt Community College nursing program and the new Department of Allied Health Education later this year. This will be a great opportunity for all to view how we prepare students to progress into professional, caring and thinking healthcare providers. We hope that you can visit the campus and meet all of the staff and faculty.

National EMS Accreditation
Cowley EMS education is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions.

The committee's primary goal is to partnership with EMS programs in continuous quality improvement. Another goal is to certify that a program meets the standards of quality that are expected for EMS education. The accreditation process also exists to provide college administrators an external audit of the quality of the program. We have always welcomed this process because it validates our program and helps protect EMS students in Kansas from inappropriate educational or administrative practice.

When Cowley started the MICT division in 1996, accreditation standards were used in the development of the program though official accreditation was not sought. Starting in 2000, the program moved towards official accreditation. The first step, a self-study, was completed, sent and accepted the first time by the committee. This 1000 page study documents all aspects of our EMS programs.

We had our accreditation site visit in August 2002 and did very well. The final step, a vote by the full accreditation committee, occurred in February 2003. We were notified that our program received accreditation and, to meet long-standing Kansas Board of EMS regulation, it has been maintained since that time.

This experience, although very time consuming and challenging, has been a positive experience for the EMS students, faculty and college. We were pleased to find that the committee validated our reputation for providing excellence in MICT education. We are proud of our program and pleased that an external body approved our educational methodologies several years ago.

We would again like to thank all the administration, faculty, staff, medical advisors, EMS advisory committee members, graduates, students, EMS employers, clinical sites, field sites and preceptors who helped with this process.

Congratulations!
Congratulations to Angela Hamilton-Junk, Adjunct Faculty member, who married Darrin earlier this year. She works as a full-time MICT at Sedgwick County EMS.

Congratulations also to Slade Griffiths who received the 2005 KEMTA Outstanding IC Award.

EMS Education Newsletter
This will be the last issue of this newsletter. In the future, the newsletter will change to include all other healthcare education information and shall be called the Allied Health Education Newsletter.

Need Patches from Graduates
The quest for more graduate patches continues... If you are a graduate, please send us a patch from the organization where you work. Our collection is starting to get rather large – thanks to all who have sent us patches.

Want The Electronic Newsletter?
Would you prefer to receive this newsletter via e-mail and the Internet? If that is the case, please e-mail griffiths@cowley.edu to be placed on the list.

Fire Department and EMS Organization Photos
In an attempt to promote EMS and Fire services, we have established a web page to salute any of these organizations. We would ask that you send organization photos (no patient care images); please see this page for information on how to submit your photos. Thanks in advance.

Students practicing extrication at a class provided by the Winfield Fire Department

Let Us Know
If you desire any form of specialized training, please let us know. We can develop classes to meet your needs.

We are also looking for other healthcare classes or programs that may be needed in our community. If you know of something that is needed, please let us know. We will listen and try to develop the class or program that helps you with your needs.

At Cowley, your quest for EMS education is given our full attention by competent and skilled faculty members.