EMD Continuing Education Sections

Standardized Continuing Education Programs
Maine CEH Programs
CEH Categories
CEH Approval Process
Additional Information

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)
Continuing Education

Maine EMS Emergency Medical Dispatchers need to renew their license every two years by submitting a renewal application form and providing proof of 24 hours of continuing education hour (CEH) attendance.

CEH categories and category requirements for license renewal are:

Category 2 – Basic Life Support (BLS) Topics – 8 hours
Category 8 – EMD Operations – 4 hours
Category 9 – EMD Crisis Communications – 6 hours
Category 10 – EMD Special Needs – 6 hours

Emergency Medical Dispatchers can complete relicensure training requirements by attending CEH programs that have received "standardized" approval for Maine EMS CEH or by attending programs that have been locally created and have received approval for Maine EMS CEH through one of Maine's regional EMS offices.

I. Standardized Continuing Education Programs

Maine EMS and the Emergency Services Communications Bureau are working on standardized CEH hours for many of the “canned” programs offered by the various EMD vendors. When standardized CEH are issued by Maine EMS for a particular program, no other program approval is required. Participants should ensure that they maintain a record of their attendance (e.g., attendance certificate) and submit the certificate at the time of renewal. It’s important for the EMD Center sponsoring the training check with Maine EMS in order to ensure that the program being held is approved for standardized CEH. Otherwise, the Center will need to apply for CEH through their regional office.

To see a listing of Maine EMS approved standardized CEH programs that contain CEH that are applicable to EMD license renewal, please click the following link.

Maine EMS EMD-Applicable Standardized CEH Programs is a detailed report that lists the course, its sponsor and important notes
The Summary of EMD-Applicable Standardized CEh Programs is a condensed version of the report above that includes the course name and assigned CEH. This is a good report to scan if you're looking for a particular course (it's got a lot less pages than the full report), just remember to take a look at the full report dor any notes regarding the program and to make sure the course you found matches the approved sponsor.

II. Maine EMS CEH Programs

Anyone may apply to conduct a Maine EMS-approved CEH program provided that the:

Program being taught is relative to one of the aforementioned CEH categories;
Program instructor has the content knowledge for the subject to be taught and is capable of delivering the program to the students;
Person or organization applying for CEH approval agrees to complete all required forms and submit them to their regional EMS office within the timeframe specified by the regional office;
Instructor or organization conducting the CEH awards certificates to attendees; and
Instructor and organization ensures that only persons who attend the CEH program receive CEH credit.

A. Forms

You’ll need the following forms to apply for and conduct a Maine EMS CEH Program. Click on the links to download the forms:

B. Approval Process

With the exception of standardized CEH programs (see below) EMS CEH programs are approved by the regional EMS councils, acting on behalf of Maine EMS. Below is the list of regional councils and the counties they serve:

Regional Office	Counties Served:

Donnie Carroll	Cumberland
Southern Maine EMS	Sagadahoc
496 Ocean Street	York
South Portland ME 04106
Tel: 741-2790 Fax: 741-2158
E-Mail: smems@smems.org
Dr. Tony Bock, MD, Medical Director

Joanne LeBrun	Androscoggin
Tri County EMS	Franklin
300 Main Street	Oxford
Lewiston, ME 04240
Tel: 795-2880 Fax: 753-7280
E-Mail: lebrunj@cmhc.org
Dr. Kevin Kendall, Medical Director

Rick Petrie	Kennebec
Kennebec Valley EMS	Somerset
71 Halifax St
Winslow ME 04901
Tel: 877-0936 Fax: 872-2753
E-Mail: office@kvems.org
Dr. Doug Boyink, Medical Director

Rick Petrie	Hancock
Northeast EMS	Penobscot
354 Hogan Rd	Piscataquis
Bangor ME 04401	Washington
Tel: 974-4880 Fax: 974-4879
E-Mail: neems@emcc.edu
Dr. Paul Liebow, Medical Director

Steve Corbin	Aroostook
Aroostook EMS
111 High Street
Caribou, ME 04736
Tel: 492-1624 Fax: 492-0342
E-Mail: arems@maine.rr.com
Dr. Jay Reynolds, Medical Director
Regional Office	Counties Served:
Bill Zito	Knox
Mid Coast EMS	Lincoln
PO Box 610	Waldo
Union ME 04862
Tel: 785-5000 Fax: 785-5002
E-Mail: office@midcoastems.org
David Ettinger, DO, Medical Director

III. CEH Categories:

The required CEH categories are listed below along with a description of the types of programs that would fit into a given category:

Category 2 – Basic Life Support (BLS) Topics – 8 hours

Category 2 – BLS Topics – is a CEH category assigned to topics that cover any type of basic medical treatment or information including, but not limited to:

Anatomy & physiology of the human body
Patient Assessment
Airway management
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Bleeding control
Medical emergencies (e.g., heart attack, stroke, abdominal pain, altered mental status, fractures, dislocations, childbirth)
Environmental injuries (e.g., heat exhaustion, heat stroke, frostbite)

Note: Category 2 CEH for EMD is the same as Category 2 CEH for EMS providers (e.g., First Responders, EMTs & Paramedic). EMDs who are also licensed EMS providers may use (the same) category 2 CEH to renew both EMD and EMS licenses.

Category 8 – EMD Operations – 4 hours

Category 8– EMD Operations – is assigned to topics involving the functional aspects of Emergency Medical Dispatch such as:

Dispatch equipment used in the delivery of EMD;
Dispatch center procedures and protocols
Quality Assurance
Dispatcher health, safety and ergonomics

Category 9 – EMD Crisis Communications – 6 hours

Category 9 – EMD Crisis Communications – is assigned to topics about dealing with callers in emotional or mental crisis, including:

Anger
Depression
Suicide
Emotionally disturbed

Category 10 – EMD Special Needs – 6 hours

Category 10 – EMD Special Needs – is assigned to topics about understanding and assisting special needs populations, such as:

Children
Elderly
Developmentally challenged
Hearing impaired
Visually impaired

IV. CEH Approval Process

To conduct a Maine EMS-approved CEH program you’ll need to:

Complete a Maine EMS CEH Program Application and submit it to your regional office. As part of completing the form, you’ll need to determine the categories and hours that you think are appropriate for the program. You’ll also need to include a:

Course outline that describes the course, methods of instruction (e.g., Powerpoint, lecture, skills demonstrations/practice); and

Description of instructor qualifications – this doesn’t have to be a full resume – just enough information to show that the person instructing has the knowledge and ability to deliver the subject matter.

Regional offices must receive CEH program applications at least seven days prior to the program to allow sufficient time for review and approval.

(Note: CEH are issued in increments in 15 minute increments reported as decimals on the application and roster for example a one and one half hour program would be listed as 1.5 hours, a 2 and three quarter hour program would be listed as 2.75, etc.)

Once you submit the CEH Program Application, the regional EMS office will review it for approval. Once approved, the regional office will assign a CEH number such as 07-08-02-08-111, which you’ll need to include on the CEH roster.

The regional office will also provide you with a CEH Certificate form, so that you can issue CEH Completion certificates for the program.

During the CEH program, the program sponsor must ensure that all persons who attend the program sign the CEH roster and are in attendance for the entire program.

The program sponsor must also hand out CEH evaluation forms to the participants and collect the completed evaluations at the end of the class

Once the CEH program has been completed, the instructor/sponsor will issue CEH certificates to the participants that must include:

Participants Name
Date of CEH Program
Time of CEH Program
Location of CEH Program
Title of Program (It should be the same as the program title on the CEH Application Form)
Category and number of hours of CEH awarded
Signature of the Instructor or Sponsor

Participants must submit copies of CEH certificates during license renewal as proof of attendance.

CEH course sponsors/instructors will return completed rosters and student evaluations to the regional EMS office within three days after the CEH program. The regional office forwards the CEH roster to Maine EMS to aid Maine EMS in verifying CEH certificate authenticity.

V. Additional Information

Please contact your regional EMS office or Maine EMS should you have questions concerning the CEH process.

BUREAU INFORMATION