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Return-to-Campus Plan: EMT Program

Fall 2020

Arrival to campus

  1. Students and Teaching Assistants (Skills Instructors) will only utilize Parking Lot 13. Only the outer two rows of parking will be used (indicated by the yellow lines on the picture below), and at least one empty space will be left between each car, with empty spaces blocked off by traffic cones. Faculty will use the staff spaces in Lot 13 or behind TWSH, leaving one empty space between each vehicle, if possible.
  2. Students must arrive to class 15 minutes early to allow for health screening, hand-washing, donning of gloves, and initial decontamination of workspaces.
  3. Students will not be permitted to bring personal items into the classroom area. The only permitted items will be two large water bottles, the skills book, any essential medical supplies, car keys, and a cell phone. Students are strongly discouraged from bringing valuables to school.

Health screening

  1. Instructors, TAs, and students must complete a COC Health Log each day before arriving to campus. The Employee Health Log for faculty and TAs can be found here
  2. Students will use the COC Health Log app on College of the Canyons mobile app (Canyons M), and will show proof of completion during health screening.
  3. Instructors and TAs will comply with College of the Canyons policies pertaining to on-campus faculty, to include use of N95s and face shields at all times and additional screening measures if implemented.
  4. Students will don fitted N95 respirator and and face shields prior to exiting their vehicle. They will proceed down the driveway to Towsley Hall (TWSH), staying on opposite sides of the driveway while walking, and present themselves for health screening under the tree in front of TWSH 107. College of the Canyons will provide a pop-up tent for periods of inclement weather.
  5. The Lead Instructor for the class or designee, wearing N95 respirator, face shield, and gloves, will verify the COC Health Log Screening with the student and conduct the non-contact temperature scan and SpO2 check. Pulse oximeters will be decontaminated between students in accordance with CDC guidelines and industry standard practices. All records and logs will be maintained by College of the Canyons in accordance with HIPAA.
  6. Students who show signs and symptoms of COVID-19, or whose Health Log suggests possible exposure, will be directed to leave campus immediately and return home, and to follow LA County Department of Health guidelines for reporting possible exposure and requesting COVID-19 testing. They will not be permitted to return to campus until they have met LA County Public Health guidelines for return from quarantine/self-isolation. Students who cannot immediately leave campus will be directed to wait in the amphitheater, or under Bonelli Hall in inclement weather, until they have arranged transportation.

Movement to classroom

  1. Students will then proceed around TWSH to the Coffee Kiosk, leaving their water bottles and skills books on the grass under the trees and maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet of distance in all directions. They will then proceed to the gender-neutral modular restrooms located behind TWSH. While maintaining social distancing, students will wash their hands in accordance with CDC Guidelines. All restroom doors will be propped open by the Lead Instructor prior to the students anticipated arrival. Paper towels and trash cans will be provided.
  2. All travel within the EMT wing of TWSH will be single direction. The east door (nearest the Coffee Kiosk) will be the designated entrance, and the north door (facing Bonelli) will be the designated exit. Both doors will be propped open by the Lead Instructor prior to the students’ anticipated arrival.
  3. Students will proceed directly to the classroom they have been pre- designated to use for the day. They will place their car keys and cell phones on the cart in the closet and don gloves. All other tables will be moved to the periphery of the classroom and stacked in a manner that renders them unusable. All classroom doors will be propped open by the Lead Instructor prior to the students’ anticipated arrival.

Conducting instruction

  1. Classroom occupancy will be limited to 12 students in TWSH 103, 5 students in TWSH 101, and 8 students in TWSH 102. Travel through TWSH will remain one-way throughout the class. Full PPE will be worn at all times in accordance with industry standards. Social distancing will be enforced at all times except when necessary for completion of a skill (i.e., skills requiring more than one person to complete). All instruction will be conducted in small groups, under the direct supervision of a qualified faculty member or skills instructor. All equipment will be decontaminated in accordance with industry- standard procedures prior to and after each use.
  2. Skills will be conducted outdoors whenever possible with social distancing maintained to the fullest extent possible.
  3. Use of cell phones will not be permitted during class, except on longer breaks in their vehicle when students have doffed PPE.
  4. Students will not be permitted to eat, use tobacco, or chew gum during class or on breaks, except on longer breaks in their vehicle when all PPE has been doffed. Water breaks are addressed below under "Breaks."
  5. Students and instructors will be in strict compliance with industry-standard use of PPE and preventive measures for the spread of infectious disease. Any student observed in violation of these measures will be immediately removed from the training site and the Lead Instructor and Program Director will be notified immediately. The student will be subject to disciplinary action, including possible dismissal from the course.
  6. Students are required to report any damaged or unserviceable PPE to the Lead Instructor immediately to be provided a replacement. Students will not be permitted in the training area until a replacement is obtained.
  7. Students will be directed to inspect their PPE before leaving for class and immediately after the conclusion of class.

Skills

  1. Current CDC guidelines for social distancing define close proximity as less than 6 feet for greater than 15 minutes, and assume that none of the parties are wearing face masks. During COC EMT’s Skills instruction and testing, students and instructors will remain in full PPE (fitted N95 respirator, face shield, and gloves) at all times. All skills are timed, and none require more than 10 minutes of total interaction (see Attachment 5 for specific skills duration and risk mitigation). When not performing a skill, all students and instructors will maintain social distancing.
  2. Skills will be completed in small groups, outside whenever possible. After completion of each skill the equipment will be disinfected in accordance with industry guidelines. Students will resume social distancing, doff gloves, and wash their hands before returning to the skills group.
  3. During periods of inclement weather skills will be moved into classrooms 101, 102, and 103 in Towsley Hall. Classroom occupancy will be limited to 12 students in TWSH 103, 5 students in TWSH 101, and 8 students in TWSH 102.

Breaks

  1. Students will be permitted brief breaks to drink water under the tree by the Coffee Kiosk. No more than two students will be in the break area at any given time, and strict social distancing will be observed (greater than 6 feet apart in all directions). Cell phone use will not be permitted during these breaks. No food, gum, or tobacco will be consumed on these breaks. Students will doff gloves and wash hands prior to taking a break, and will wash hands before returning to class.
  2. Routine hourly breaks will be consolidated into one longer break midway through the class. Students will return to their cars to remove their masks, and may consume food and beverages. Students will follow proper procedures for doffing and storing PPE, and will wash their hands prior to returning to their vehicles and prior to returning to the training site. Movement to and from the cars will be completed as described in other paragraphs of this document. Social distancing will be maintained in the parking lot at all times.
  3. Restroom breaks will be given as needed. Students will remain in N95 mask and face shield during these breaks, and will wash their hands prior to returning to the training site.

Movement to parking lot

  1. At the conclusion of class, all equipment will be decontaminated and returned to storage. All indoor workspaces will be decontaminated. Students will remove gloves and discard them. They will proceed directly to the modular restrooms located behind TWSH. While maintaining social distancing, students will wash their hands in accordance with CDC Guidelines. All restroom doors will be propped open by the Lead Instructor prior to the students anticipated arrival. Students will be given one additional pair of gloves for safe removal of PPE in their vehicles and a paper bag for storage of the N95 mask.
  2. Students will be reminded to proceed directly home from class (no stops for errands). On arrival at home they should immediately remove their uniform, keeping it in a trash bag separate from other household laundry. They will be reminded to shower immediately after returning home, and prior to contact with family members or pets. All student uniforms should be washed and dried on the highest heat setting, and separate from other household laundry.
  3. Students will return to their vehicles via W Road (driveway), using opposite sides of the road. Once in their cars, they will don the additional pair of gloves and use them to doff and store their N95 and eye protection. Students will keep a trash bag in their car for disposal of gloves. No gloves will be discarded in the parking lot or elsewhere on COC property, except in designated receptacles in the classroom and skills areas.
  4. The Lead Instructor will secure all classroom and restroom doors, and notify the Campus Safety Office (661-510-3882) once all students and faculty have left.