PEPP Steering Committee Co-Chair Honored

Please join the American Academy of Pediatrics in congratulating Dena Brownstein, MD, FAAP, in winning an award from the University of Washington.

Each year the University of Washington honors various teams and individuals as a part of an annual award program. This year the co-chairperson of the PEPP Steering Committee, Dr. Brownstein, is the winner of the 2003 Outstanding Public Service Award. This award is presented to a faculty or staff member to honor extensive local, national, and/or international service demonstrating exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including service learning, public service internships, and community partnership projects.

To view the complete article and information on the award ceremony, please visit the University of Washington’s web page by clicking here.

You can view a complete list of PEPP Steering Committee Members by clicking here.

PEPP Invigorates Germany: Dänkeschein, Augsburg!

I am not sure what our gracious hosts in Bavaria would recall the most about our PEPP adventure in Europe on February, 15-16, 2003: the course itself, hand delivered by our American troupe, or the amazing course coordinator from Kansas City, Jeanne Wilkins, RRT, CCEMT-P. But after I watched her charm the socks off every paramedic, nurse, and doctor in the audience in the beautiful Renaissance city of Augsburg, Germany, I knew for sure what I would remember the most! Jeanne was unbelievable and certainly one of our most talented PEPP advocates! I cannot recall any course any better organized or more fun. Jeanne and her Bavarian paramedic colleague, Jeurgen Gollwitzer, had planned this PEPP venture into our fourth foreign country when Juergen was visiting Jeanne’s flight program in Missouri during last year’s "EMS Today" Conference. Then the two of them, along with the capable assistance of PEPP Manager Jeff Hummel and our publisher, Jones and Bartlett, just put it together. It was a worthy effort that teamed Germany with Poland as our patron countries for the introduction of PEPP into mid-Europe.

Although the Augsburg PEPP provider group was small, they made up for it with enthusiasm. They cheered us on with their great questions and attempts to adapt the PEPP principles to their less formalized EMS environment in southwestern Germany. Until PEPP, the German prehospital professionals had never had structured pediatric life support education. PEPP’s interactive, case-based format was a new teaching approach for them, and they ate it up with the same gusto we were feeling about the local Bavarian pasta sensation, spatzle. The local EMS medical director, Dr. Herbert Gerstacker and his physician wife, Irene, both attended the entire course, and contributed significantly to the program, as they taught us about German EMS. Both assisted with lectures on the second day and demonstrated a high level of comfort with teaching in "PEPP style," as they called it, using our interactive, assessment-oriented, case-based methodology.

I do not think any one of the provider candidates, in their perfectly tidy and spacious ambulance station, missed a beat. Jeanne, her partner Joseph Mondrik, and I presented most of the two-day course in standard format, and in English. I kept looking for someone to nod off, (but it turned out that I was the only one at risk, especially after the evenings at the local haufbrauhaus, which involved multiple tastings from 3.5 liter carafes of German pilsner and brown bread topped with a traditional concoction of lard and bacon!). Fortunately, the German medications and equipment were almost the same as ours. As the course went on, the group rapidly eased into the PEPP rhythm and learned to approach the cases with the Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) and the pediatric ABCDEs. By the second day, they really got it. And to further help us implant PEPP in German soil, all of the providers, with the exception of one surgeon who briefly left for an urgent case (then quickly returned), became course coordinators.

When Jeanne, Joey, and I finished the course and said our goodbyes, the appreciative audience brought us to tears with thunderous applause and expressions of "Vielen Dank." (We had come to realize that, by German custom, ordinary levels of approval were demonstrated by knocking with the knuckles on a hard surface, and not by clapping.) Then, we received our finest compliment on behalf of the PEPP course: the doctors requested that we investigate translating PEPP material into German for distribution to emergency personnel around the country! We immediately agreed that PEPP courses all around the country were exactly what they needed, and quickly added that American course coordinators would most certainly be available for help with any future courses! Dänkeschein, Augsburg!

Survey Results

As we brainstormed about the second edition of the PEPP course materials, we realized that the incorporation of both PEPP Course Coordinator (instructor) and students' opinions were integral to our decision making process. In order to gauge PEPP Course Coordiantor's impressions of the program, we developed a survey that asked about everything from the layout of the textbook to the course final examinations. To gather information about students' opinions, we analyzed student evaluations submitted since the introduction of PEPP in March 2000.

Our Method
To survey the PEPP Course Coordinators, we randomly selected approximately 700 active PEPP Course Coordinators from our database and mailed them the survey. With the gracious help of Jones and Bartlett Publishers, the survey was also available to participants on the PEPP web site. All of the entries were submitted anonymously, and as a thank you for participation, we offered a separate entry into a drawing to win a Palm™ handheld device loaded with MobileEMS©. See the winner box below.

Because PEPP Course Coordinators are required to submit student evaluations of their first PEPP course, over 3,100 course evaluations from students all over the world were readily available. We recently completed the analysis of those evaluations, and the results are very positive.

The Results
With a 37% return rate from the PEPP Course Coordinators, we received a great deal of useful information. We have already put these responses to work in planning for the second edition of the PEPP course materials. You will see noticeable changes in some areas of the PEPP program, and subtler "tweaks" in others. We remain committed to providing you with the most effective pediatric EMS continuing education tools possible. Overall, 97% of surveyed PEPP Course Coordinators feel that PEPP is a highly effective program, and 91% agree that PEPP has made a strong impact on the management of the ill or injured child.

An amazing 98.6% of students worldwide who completed the evaluation feel more confident in their ability to accurately assess and treat pediatric patients thanks to the PEPP course, and 96.5% plan to change the way they perform certain skills based on something they learned in PEPP!

The Impact
The impact of the survey and course evaluations confirm what we have been hearing all along: PEPP is a well thought out program that has gained wide acceptance with both EMS providers and instructors. The PEPP Steering Committee has heard your voice, and we hope to make changes to PEPP that will allow continued, effective use of the program.

AAP Welcomes New Members of the PEPP Steering Committee

The official American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) PEPP Steering Committee (SC) was formed four years ago, and as the years pass, it is inevitable that the landscape of the PEPP SC will change. Over the past months, we have seen the departure of Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, and Battalion Chief Steve Strawderman, NREMT-P. Their contributions to the PEPP program over the past four years were immeasurable, and we wish them the best as they move on to new and exciting projects.

Recently, the AAP invited the National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators (NCSEMSTC), whose members are key players in state EMS, to provide a representative to the PEPP SC. In early 2003, we proudly welcomed Don Wood, MD as the NCSEMSTC representative. Dr. Wood is the Director of the Bureau of EMS for the state of Utah.

Because we wish to continue a productive relationship with the organizations each member represents, the AAP also welcomed a number of other new faces to the PEPP SC in March 2003. Paul Sirbaugh, DO, FAAP, FACEP, is now the American College of Emergency Physicians representative to the committee. Dr. Sirbaugh is the Director of Prehospital Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and the Assistant Physician Director for the City of Houston EMS. Chief Steve Simon, NREMT-P, joins the committee as the new representative from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Simon is a Battalion Chief with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue. We extend a warm welcome to all new PEPP SC members.

We are confident that each new member of the PEPP SC will help guide the program to many more years of continued success. For a complete list of current PEPP Steering Committee members click here.

Price Reduced for Online Renewal Course

In February, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced a price reduction for the online education component of the PEPP Renewal Course. The online module, Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies, is now just $14.95 for single copy purchases.

Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies is the culmination of the best and most recent educational technology available. Developed using the latest Macromedia Flash™ technology, this innovative module explores pediatric respiratory emergencies and is divided into five sections:

• General Principles
• Upper Airway Obstruction
• Lower Airway Obstruction
• Diseases of the Lungs
• Scenarios

Completing the Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies module is the first step in the online PEPP Renewal process. The online PEPP Renewal process is designed to incorporate a combination of online and on-site components for the provider who wants to expand his or her knowledge of prehospital care for children, and for the provider who wants to renew his or her American Academy of Pediatrics PEPP Course Completion Card. The online PEPP Renewal process is truly a continuing education course, as it not only reviews material presented in the initial PEPP Course, but also introduces new material as part of the PEPP Renewal Course curriculum. There are three steps in the online PEPP Renewal process:

1. Complete an interactive, online education component.
2. 2. Complete an on-site skills component to refresh pediatric skills with a local PEPP Course Coordinator.
3. 3. Complete the original PEPP Course final exam.

There are two ways to purchase access to Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies:

1. Individuals can visit www.PEPPsite.com to purchase access online.
2. 2. Course Coordinators or Training Sites can purchase multiple access codes from Jones and Bartlett Publishers at the following discounted prices:

This online education module can also be used as a stand-alone course for continuing education credit. For more information on the online education module or the online PEPP Renewal process, please visit www.PEPPsite.com.

Course Coordinator Rosters and Applications

Since its introduction in March 2000, the PEPP program has experienced unprecedented growth. In order for PEPP to be accessible in as many geographic areas as possible, we designed a flexible instructor orientation program. After completing the PEPP provider course, you can either attend a classroom PEPP Course Coordinator Orientation (CCO), or go online to complete the Online CCO and examination (www.PEPPsite.com).

The online application the individual candidate completes is the same form a PEPP instructor uses if you attended the classroom version of the CCO. The form includes questions designed to gain specific information from you. Because all applications and rosters are reviewed on an individual basis, you must be as specific as possible when entering your information, especially your teaching experience.

Previous teaching experience and credentials are particularly important during the review process. It is crucial that Course Coordinators and applicants include all relevant information in these fields, as this will determine whether the individual will be approved as an ALS or BLS Course Coordinator. Please note that attendance in an ALS Provider course does guarantee approval as an ALS Course Coordinator.

The PEPP Steering Committee feels that the Course Coordinator application review process helps ensure the integrity of the PEPP program and benefits all students in an effort to provide a quality continuing education program.

Two PEPP Course Coordinator Classroom Packages Available

Holding a PEPP course is easy, and now we’ve made it even easier! The American Academy of Pediatrics has created 2 Course Coordinator Classroom Packages for your convenience. Order 20 copies of the PEPP textbook for just $499.95, or 10 copies of the textbook and 1 Teaching Package for just $563.95 – a savings of 20%. The PEPP Teaching Package includes the PEPP textbook, Resource Manual, ToolKit CD-ROM, and BLS and ALS Videos in one convenient box. Visit www.PEPPsite.com for information on starting your own PEPP course and for promotional information to publicize your upcoming PEPP course. To order the Course Coordinator Classroom Package, contact your EMS Specialist at Jones and Bartlett Publishers at 1-800-832-0034. Use ISBN 0-7637-3263-X to order the 20 textbooks or use ISBN 0-7637-3264-8 to order the 10 textbooks with the Teaching Package.

Did you know: • PEPP has earned a 98% approval rating from students world wide* • PEPP covers the pediatric objectives in the EMT-Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic curricula. • PEPP offers both a one-day BLS course and a two-day ALS course. • You can renew your PALS card through the ALS PEPP course. *Based on student course evaluation data