ABSTRACTS
The Path to Teaching Emergency Medical Services: A Multiple Case Study of Paramedic Educators’ Preparatory ExperiencesAuthor: Leah Tilden, EdD, AEMT | | Associate Authors: Ryann N. Shelton, PhD
Introduction Quality education requires quality educators, and many postsecondary educators are not adequately prepared to teach. Like other postsecondary educators, good EMS providers are often asked to be educators without adequate preservice training in education. In addition, EMS educators across the country lack standardized professional requirements to be an EMS educator. Objective To examine how paramedic educators’ formal and informal preservice experiences to prepare them to teach adult learners. Methods This qualitative multiple case study examined paramedic educators’ formal and informal preservice experiences to shed light on how those experiences prepared them to teach adult learners. Knowles’s principles of andragogy provided the foundation for the theoretical framework for this study, which specifically focused on three of the six principles of andragogy: self-directed learning, prior life experiences, and intrinsic motivation. I selected eight paramedic educators from across the United States to participate in the study. Each participant completed a questionnaire and participated in a semi-structured interview. I also collected artifacts including job descriptions, resumes, and sample lesson plans from each of the participants to triangulate the data. I reviewed the transcripts for accuracy and coded the data based on the principles of andragogy. Finally, I conducted a within-case and cross-case analysis and uncovered five findings. Results Five themes emerged from the data. First, paramedic educators desire to improve the quality of paramedic education for paramedic students. Second, paramedic educators are motivated by previous positive education experiences of their own. Third, paramedic most educators believe they lack preservice preparation. Fourth, paramedic educators believe provider experience gives educators subject matter confidence. Finally, paramedic educators report ongoing mentorship as in-service development is essential to the success of paramedic educators.
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