One of the frequent questions that we have been getting from EMS educators is “How will you prepare me to teach the bridge courses?”  I find this to be an interesting question.  Interesting in the respect that I think it hints at one of our deficiencies in Kansas EMS education.  To show this question in a different light, and to expose the answer, let me reframe it a bit so that it reads “How will I become prepared to write the bridge course lesson plans?” 

Put into this context, it becomes easier to see the answer, which is that you must prepare yourself to teach the bridge courses.  Just as I will need to research, read, and find subject matter experts, so will the instructors who will use these lesson plans to teach existing technicians across the state.  Part of being an educator, at any of the levels in Kansas EMS, is to possess the discipline and capacity to research, read, and network with people who know.  EMS is a continually evolving field and those who wear the label of TO 1, TO2, and I/C must be willing to prepare themselves to teach new material.

While educators of all levels will receive the tools with which to teach the bridge courses, only they will be capable of preparing themselves with the knowledge needed to do so successfully.

Welcome to life-long learning.