Introduction of a new EMS protocol using the communities of practice educational model

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) protocol implementation can be a challenging endeavor given the large and diverse provider workforce. These efforts can be even more challenging given training restrictions, career and volunteer combination EMS agencies, and inconsistent work schedules. In an effort to educate as many providers as possible in a relatively short time, the community of practice educational model was used during a new evidence-based EMS protocol implementation. This model identifies providers who are enthusiastic during initial training as advocates. These advocates then continue to educate their peers going forward. This allows for the initial educational effort to continue to propagate during pilot testing and beyond. During this protocol implementation, a total of 17 educational visits were made to EMS stations and 43 providers were identified as advocates. FrattaKA, FisheJN, AndersJF, SmithTG.