On-line EMS Medical Director Training Course

The Virginia Office of EMS (OEMS) has made arrangements to offer an online EMS Medical Director training program. This course satisfies the training component of the EMS regulatory requirements for initial endorsement as an EMS agency operational medical director (OMD) or an EMS training program physician course director (PCD). This course is an entry level introduction to the essentials of EMS

medical oversight and direction. The materials were adapted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Guide for Preparing Medical Directors” which had previously been completed by the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP TM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) with funding support from NHTSA and the Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA).

This web-based program was produced by the Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation in collaboration with the NAEMSP TM, the National Association of State EMS Officials, and Montana State University’s – Burns Technology Center. Funding support to prepare these web-bases materials was received from HRSA and NHTSA.

Course address: www.medicaldirectoronline.org

Each physician is required to register to use the site. The individual needs to remember their ID and password. This will ensure that if a physician needs to leave the site, they can return and finish the course. Individual physicians registering to use this site do not need to provide credit card information for payment because the Virginia OEMS has purchased an annual contract that allow physicians to

attend free of charge. Once a physician registers to use the site the program will know if the individual is from a state that has pre-paid for their attendance. Each physician is required to complete an evaluation form before the program will allow them to print a certificate of completion. This certificate is for completion of the core course only. This course also includes a state specific module containing material

that outlines what a physician needs to complete to be endorsed as an EMS Physician in Virginia. The length of time to finish the course from start to finish is approximately 4 to 6 hours.

If you should have any questions or technical difficulties with the course, please contact:

Ron Passmore at the Virginia Office of EMS at Ron.Passmore@vdh.virginia.gov or Direct Line: 804-221-7756.