FAQ.pdf

Frequent Asked Questions and Answers

1. Can you provide an annual schedule with the breakdown of classes?

- Please see the attached 60 MDG Advanced Life Support training plan. The calendar includes all four ALS disciplines, toward the center of the document. BLS has two components as well, and both are listed on the right.

2. What is the average size of each type of class?

- Class size is driven by evolving clinical personnel’s mission readiness demand. It’s also limited to boundaries set by the discipline’s governing agency guidelines as listed in the PWS. Six to 24 students per class is typically the range.

3. In Section 1.1 the PWS states This is an outdated manual. The current AHA Program Administrator Manual is only available online. What section are you referencing?

- The DoD recently deleted the American Heart Association from all military life support training, replacing the AHA with American Red Cross [ARC]. This PWS reference has become irrelevant, and ARC protocols are purely digital.

- If necessary for greater awareness of the newest 21st century approach to Basic and Advanced life support training that’s not aligned with the AAP or ACS, please review:

https://www.redcrosslearning.com/auth/login

4. Does the customer have an Advanced Trauma Life Support training site established already through the American College of Surgeons?

- Affiliation with the ACS site is required for all training site customers [like the 60 MDG] as well as by prospective ‘customer vendors’ who serve in teaching / certifying medical students in Advanced Trauma Life Support.

5. In section 1.2 The American Red (ARC) Cross is referenced here. Are you looking for either AHA or ARC courses? or a combination of both?

- Please see question 3 above, which advises that the new DoD standard is no longer AHA. The military medical community still accepts both certifications, however going forward, military will only train and certify ARC.

6. What is the anticipated or historical throughput of unscheduled courses?

- Very Small. The primary driver of unscheduled contingencies has historically arisen from global strife and/or political conditions that can suddenly increase the volume of deployments and dramatically change operations tempo.

7. Can all training including On Demand Training be conducted at the customer or location or is it a requirement to have a contractor provided stand alone facility?

- 60 MDG students who live throughout the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Sacramento Valley have often found access to training that’s closer to their homes to be extra-convenient at the vendor’s stand-alone facilities [versus DGMC].

8. The current AHA standard is to maintain digital course records and to issue digital cards. Does the customer want to go with the current standard guideline or do they want to also keep hard copies of the records?

- AHA is out, but the vendor must be capable of training to current DoD digital guidelines, which are now mandated to be under ARC. ARC digital records management [without paper] is consistent with DoD’s 2020 requirement.

9. The contractor can certify as an ATLS Coordinator if the customer has an approved site. Does this customer have an ACS approved training site?

- DGMC is an authorized ATLS training customer under our affiliation with the American College of Surgeons. The vendor must also be American College of Surgeons affiliated to train affiliated military units/members such as ours.

10. Does the customer have an existing Credential Management platform or do they need the contractor to provide one? The credentialing agencies provide their own platform.

- DGMC does not require external credentialing, as it has an internal credentialing function. Affiliated DGMC clinicians must provide digital proof of currency in respective LS disciplines for authorization to provide patient treatment.

11. How many courses are anticipated for ATLS and what are the class sizes to include provider, renewal and instructor?

- Life support training responses below are based in demand that’s driven according to DGMC’s personnel turnover. Approximately 1/3 of the clinical population rotates annually, or 700 members out of more than 2200 assigned.

- DoD pipelines deliver a wide variety of clinical personnel who can be ‘trained in life support’ or ‘untrained in life support’ – courses are built in order to meet demand.

- ATLS Provider courses: 3-4, with 40 students. [renewal certifications are incorporated into the initial courses]

- ATLS Instructor courses: Two with four students [because ACS guidelines require affiliated organizations to maintain an internal Instructor cadre]

12. How many courses are anticipated for NRP and what are the class sizes to include provider,

- NRP Provider courses: 18 - 20, with 90 - 100 students. [renewals are incorporated into the initial courses]

- DGMC has not opted to train NRP Instructor courses in recent years, and may not be directed by DoD to begin.

13. How many courses are anticipated for PALS and what are the class sizes to include provider,

- PALS Provider courses: 12, with 110 students.

- PALS renewal courses: 12, with 165 students

- DGMC has not opted to train PALS Instructor courses in recent years, and may not be directed by DoD to begin.

14. How many courses are anticipated for BLS and what are the class sizes to include provider,

- BLS Provider courses: 40 - 50, with 750 - 800 students. [renewal certifications are incorporated into the initial courses]

- BLS Instructor courses: 20 with 160 students

15. In Section 2.1.3 Are you referring to challenge courses in BLS where you use the term "Fast Track"?

- Students are authorized to challenge the written and practical BLS course testing processes. "Fast Track" is a colloquial phrase used in training circles. It refers to training built from low [BLS] to high level ALS in an extended session.

16. Many of these courses hold either a 6 to 1 or an 8 to 1 instructor student ratio depending on which course curriculum is used. Can the government provide us wth the maximum class size and which certifying agency they want to use to better provide an accurate quote?

- DoD requires new LS certifications under ARC, AAP, and ACS guidelines of not greater than X students to one Instructor. The vendor must maintain each respective ratio [multiple certified, affiliated Instructors, per size of class].

17. Courses identified in the PWS requires different Instructor certifications, diffent lengths of instructional time, and different instructor to student ratios.

Will the government provide a pricing template to reflect each type of course requested.

- The government requires that a life support vendor adhere to and maintain proof of 100% compliance with respective governing agency guidelines [ACS, ARC, AAP].

18. Does the requirement for a national call center require 24 hour a day support, 365 days per year?

- Planning for/the execution of military missions and requisite deployments of medical personnel have proven to be difficult to predict over time due to global pathologies. 24/7/365 vendor capacity has proven to be beneficial when unforeseeable, international, geopolitical circumstances have suddenly changed – necessitating a rapid American military response. At that point, some eligible deployers must receive LS training, which can be on very short notice.

19. The PWS requires a Clinical Medical Director, Program Manager, and Alternate Program Manager. What is the LOE required for each position?

- The Level of Effort required for each position is driven by the efficacy of a vendor’s business and training processes. Vendors who are very well versed in adherence to governing agencies’ life support training guidelines, who have great experience in teaching life support across each respective discipline – to diverse audience types, and who have effectively maintained these relationships for years of training cycles logically expend less effort in conformance.