By being a member of EMS Needs online CEU training, you can earn credits supporting the expertise you have, learn skills you need and test yourself from the convenience of your home computer.
Continuing Education Credits, or CEUs as there are often referred to, are brief educational programs required by many employers in a variety of industries, most commonly in the healthcare and education fields.
CEUs are mandated because changes in many fields, particularly in healthcare and education, occur at rapid rates, and CEUs are an effective way in which to stay abreast with the latest knowledge and information in a field. Furthermore, there is an extra importance society weighs on the quality of services provided by particular industries, such as the healthcare and education workforce, and so CEUs have become essential in ensuring their competency.
That said, Emergency Medical Service workers, being a crucial link in the healthcare system chain, are often required to acquire a certain number of CEUs.
They are required to do this about every 3 years. It is common that after an EMS worker receives their recertification for whatever field they may be in, they are expected to attend educational classes.
Forty hours is the most common amount of time mandated for EMS continuing education. This number is not necessarily the standard, this is true for many institutions which need CEU accreditation.
The classes themselves vary depending on you position as an EMS employee. OB/GYN nurses take OB/GYN courses, and EMTs take EMT courses.
As far as accreditation is concerned, one must be skeptical of random websites that offer CEUs or any training institution that is not recognized by The International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET). The reason for this is that for a long time there was no governing body for CEU allocation and thus no sound objective standard by which CEUs were accredited.
Without such a body, CEUs carried questionable weight in the eyes of employees and employers alike.
The IACET was created for the purpose of ensuring a particular level of integrity in CEUs awarded so that health and education institutions could be sure their workers were getting proper and useful training.
So, if a place offering CEU credits for EMS workers seems too quick, too cheap, and too easy - it most certainly is. Don't join the growing ranks of the easily duped.
You may be also asking yourself, what happens if I'm an EMS employee and I keep putting off my CEU requirements or am unable to get to them for a while?
There is a reasonable chance that at any time your employers can review your employment with them. Upon doing so, they may decide that you are not meeting the requirements and standards necessary to remain on their payroll.
This is not to say that some extensions aren't permitted, they can be. But one often has to apply for them ahead of time and with a justifiable reason for doing so. Extensions are rarely, if ever, granted when they are requested past all the key deadlines with flimsy excuses.
Here are a few links to decent online CEU programs or information to help you get going:
ems-ce.com
EMCert.com
World Wide Learn
Wikipedia
IACET.org
Note: You can also go to your state's website and in their health section they'll likely have important info on the continuing education details you may be looking for.