About WREMS Continuing Medical Education Requirements

Continuing education and frequent skill performance is essential for prehospital care providers to maintain an adequate level of proficiency. Continuing medical education is also an essential component of a QA/QI program. As a requirement of the prehospital care medical director, all agencies and prehospital care providers receiving medical direction from the Erie County Medical Center are required to adhere to the CME requirements as set forth by the Western Regional Emergency Medical Services Council.

The following chart indicates the nature and frequency of didactic, clinical and skill credentialing activities that need to be performed for each level prehospital care provider. All activities must be documented and copies of such documentation shall be submitted to the Office of Prehospital Care. It shall be the responsibility of the prehospital care agency to ensure that all prehospital care providers operating under the auspices of the agency remain current in the required CME activities. If, at any time, a prehospital care provider fails to meet the CME requirements set forth by WREMS, the agency shall forward such information to the Office of Prehospital Care and the individual shall be immediately suspended from rendering ALS care until such time that CME activities are brought current and the Office of Prehospital Care has been notified.

Click here to return to Top of page

Click here to return to Top of page

CME Reporting Forms

The Erie County Medical Center Office of Prehospital Care maintains a database of continuing medical education for all agencies receiving medical direction from ECMC. Continuing medical education reports are compiled quarterly and forwarded to each EMS agency for review and ensurance that prehospital care providers are "current" with the WREMS continuing medical education requirements. To ensure timely distribution of reports, all agencies receiving medical direction from ECMC are required to submit continuing medical education training records to the Office of Prehospital Care no later than the 15th of each month following the close of the quarter (e.g., 1st quarter reports are due by April 15th). All records shall be sent to:

Erie County Medical Center
Department of Emergency Medicine
Office of Prehospital Care
462 Grider Street
Buffalo, New York 14215

To facilitate reporting continuing medical education, is is recommended that CME be logged on the forms provided by the Office of Prehospital Care. The forms are available in PDF format for downloading.

	Download Agency Didactic CME Reporting Form (use this form to document and report drills, company training, didactic CME, etc.). This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 3.71 K / 1 page)
	Download Quarterly Skills Reporting Form (use this form to document and report quarterly CME demonstrations) This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. This form prints in landscape mode on 8 1/2" X 14" paper. (PDF: 10.8 K / 1 page)
	Download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader now.

Click here to return to Top of page

ALS Preceptors

The Office of Prehospital Care has developed an ALS preceptor program to assist agencies receiving medical direction from the Erie County Medical Center in meeting the WREMS continuing medical education requirements. Individuals desiring to serve as an ALS preceptor must complete an ALS preceptor training course offered by the ECMC Office of Prehospital Care. Once approved, an ALS preceptor can observe clinical skill performance of prehospital care providers. It is the responsibility of the ALS preceptor to ensure that the prehospital care provider is proficient and competent in the required clinical skills as well as familiar with appropriate treatment protocols. The ALS preceptor is responsible for remedial education of prehospital care providers who demonstrate deficiencies in a particular skill. Any deficiencies not able to be adequately corrected by the ALS preceptor shall be immediately reported by the ALS preceptor to the agency medical director for further action. Additionally, the ALS preceptor is responsible for documenting and reporting quarterly skills demonstrations. All ALS preceptors shall maintain their own skill proficiency and attend required preceptor updates when prescribed by the medical director. ALS preceptors may only precept care providers of the same or lower certification level to that of the ALS preceptor. Requirements to become an ALS preceptor are:

1. A minimum of one year active service with an EMS agency.
2. A minimum of one year field experience working at a particular certification level to be eligible to serve as a preceptor for that same certification level.
3. Written recommendation from the agency chief operating officer stating that the ALS preceptor candidate is a member in good standing with a minimum of one year field experience at their current certification level.
4. Successful completion of the Erie County Medical Center Office of Prehospital Care ALS Preceptor training course.
5. Approval by the medical director to serve as an ALS preceptor.

Click here to return to Top of page

ALS Preceptor Program Skill Sheets

	Download Automated External Defibrillation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 9.82 K / 3 pages)
	Download Albuterol Administration Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 5.45 K / 1 pages)
	Download Epi-Pen Administration Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 5.37 K / 1 pages)
	Download Peripheral Intravenous Insertion & Blood Draw (With Luer Adapter) Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 193 K / 4 pages)
	Download Blood Draw (Without Luer adapter) Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 121 K / 3 pages)
	Download Needle Chest Decompression Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 113 K / 3 pages)
	Download Semi-Automatic Defibrillation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 177 K / 4 pages)
	Download External Jugular Vein Cannulation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 169 K / 4 pages)
	Download Adult and Pediatric Endotracheal Intubation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 168 K / 3 pages)
	Download Intraosseous Cannulation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 145 K / 3 pages)
	Download Peripheral Intravenous Insertion Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 160 K / 4 pages)
	Download Needle Cricothyrotomy & Jet Ventilation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 104 K / 3 pages)
	Download Manual Defibrillation/Transcutaneous Pacing Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 194 K / 4 pages)
	Download Adult Nasotracheal Intubation Skill Assessment Sheet. This file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later. (PDF: 174 K / 3 pages)
	Download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader now.

Click here to return to Top of page