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Emergency Medical Dispatch

This course is based on the NHTSA National Standard Curriculum for EMD. Completion of the APCO Institute Emergency Medical Dispatch course means that the student has met all of the requirements of the National Standard Curriculum - an important point for states that require compliance with the national curriculum.

Topics covered provide the student with the knowledge and foundation to answer calls for emergency medical service and properly prioritize the response. The course also provides the student with the knowledge needed to convey proper pre-arrival instructions to the caller when needed.

The topics covered in the course include:

EMD Roles and Responsibilities
Legal and Liability Issues in EMD
National and State Standards for EMD
Resource Allocation
Layout and Structure of the APCO Institute EMD Guidecards
Obtaining Information from Callers
Anatomy and Physiology
Chief Complaint Types
Quality Assurance & Recertification
Stress Management

The classroom setting provides practical exercises to help the new EMD become familiar with the theories and practices of EMD and students will practice with their agency's APCO Institute EMD Guidecards in simulated EMD calls.

Completion of this course is required for enrollment in the EMD Instructor or the EMD Manager courses.

Note: The online EMD course requires students to attend a web seminar in week three and a practical practice conference call in week six. The week three web seminar lasts approximately one hour. The week six practical practice conference call lasts around 1.5 hours. The final practical practice is completed by a one-on-one conference call with the instructor at the end of the course.

These sessions may or may not be during the student's regularly scheduled work time, especially if the student works overnight. Arrangements will/may have to be made at the agency level to allow the student to attend these required sessions.

Prerequisites
Current certification in CPR from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross or equivalent
                                               AND
Completion of a formal basic telecommunicator training program

Recertification Requirements:
To recertify, all APCO Institute certified Emergency Medical Dispatchers must provide proof every two years of 24 hours (12 hours per year) of Continuing Dispatch Education (CDE) and a current CPR certification as stated above. Refer to the APCO Institute EMD Implementation Guide for information on approved forms of CDE.