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KEMTIA develops their own HIV curriculum By JOHN
HULTGREN ASHLAND — The Kentucky EMT Instructors Association has developed their own HIV curriculum and will soon submit it to Kentucky's HIV/AIDS program for approval. Currently, the majority of Kentucky's EMT instructors use the EMS Branch's approved HIV curriculum for EMT training. That curriculum expires in February, and the EMS office has no plans to continue offering it. Last December, Kentucky's HIV program pulled -- for the second time -- approval for the EMS Branch's HIV/AIDS course following an instance where an outdated certificate was issued and a certificate was issued without a name. Although the EMS Branch's curriculum has again been reinstated, the state EMS office has said they have no plans to renew it. According to Marcia Burklow, the training coordinator for the EMS Branch, "Because of these multiple experiences of having the EMS Branch curriculum closed down statewide because of errors having occurred, the EMS Branch will no longer provide an AIDS education curriculum for EMT-instructors to use after Feb. 28, 2000, if it makes it that far." Medical professionals, including EMTs, paramedics, nurses and physicians, must complete an approved course during their initial training in order to gain licensure or certification. These same individuals must complete an approved course during their certification or licensure period to be eligible for recertification or relicensure. According to Phil Taylor, KEMTIA president, the association will implement safeguards to ensure that problems similar to what the EMS office experienced won't happen to them. Taylor said that instructors teaching their HIV curriculum will be required to submit a course roster to KEMTIA. Upon receipt of the roster, KEMTIA will prepare the certificates and return them to the instructor for distribution to the students. The new program was announced this afternoon at KEMTIA's general membership meeting in Ashland. In other business, the members passed a change in the by-laws that moves their annual spring conference to a "central location." The by-laws had required the conference to be rotated through the eastern, central, and western regions of the state. "Central location" is not defined, but it does not necessarily mean the same city every year. KEMTIA plans to hold next years conference in Louisville, and their executive board is considering holding 2001's conference in Elizabethtown. By-laws changes require a two-thirds approval by the members present. The motion to change from the rotation method, tabled from last year, narrowly passed 28-9. Taylor also announced that KEMTIA is now a state approved implementing training agency for the EMT-Basic, First Responder, and EMT-Basic Transition Course training. This means that EMT instructors who are members of KEMTIA can now use the association as their sponsoring agency for training programs. To do so, instructors must submit course applications through KEMTIA. The general membership meeting was recessed until Sunday, when they will hear new business and elect new officers. Saturday is devoted to continuing education specifically tailored to EMT instructors, which instructors are required to attend once during their two-year certification period.
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