By Jeff Butcher, PM, IC, MS
As a former EMS program director, one of the most frustrating challenges I faced was finding quality scenario-based questions to prepare my students for the National Registry Examination (NREMT).
The available resources often fell short—either the paid subscriptions didn’t offer enough scenario-based questions, or they didn’t cover the objectives I needed.
On top of that, if one student shared a question with another, the value of those questions would diminish. There had to be a better solution, and it turns out, there is: artificial intelligence (AI).
The AI Solution for EMS Education
I developed an AI-based prompt that can work with most large language models to generate a wide range of scenario-based questions tailored to the NREMT exam. These questions align with national EMS objectives for EMR, EMT, or paramedic levels and can be further refined for specific needs.
One of the prompt’s most powerful features is its ability to adjust the reading level, enabling educators to scaffold learning progressively throughout the course.
For instance, during the early weeks of class, you can set the reading level to 8th grade, allowing students to focus on the structure and logic of scenario-based questions without being bogged down by complex language.
As the course progresses, you can raise the difficulty until students are comfortable answering questions at a 12th-grade level or higher. By the time they sit for the NREMT, they will be familiar with the reading complexity, which boosts their confidence and allows them to concentrate on content rather than reading comprehension.
Flexible and Customizable Question AI Generation
The flexibility of this AI prompt goes beyond reading levels. It allows you to customize the question types as well.
Whether you want multiple correct answers, drag-and-drop questions, or ordered sequences, the AI can generate exactly what you need. It’s like having a teaching assistant that creates high-quality, tailored questions on demand.
Validation and Ensuring Accuracy
Of course, validation remains crucial. Just like any other educational tool, the questions generated by AI must be vetted before being used in the classroom. Our process involved generating several variations of a question based on the same prompt.
From there, we would validate the questions against national EMS standards and textbooks, followed by a committee review. This approach saved our instructors countless hours of time while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the questions.
Why Share This Valuable Prompt?
You might be wondering why I’m offering this valuable tool for free. The answer is simple: I want to encourage you to embrace AI and explore its full potential in EMS education.
I have plenty of other, more advanced AI prompts in my toolbox, but this one is a perfect starting point. It’s for you to adapt, refine and use to improve your students’ success.
How to Use the Prompt
To use the prompt, simply copy it into a Word or Google document, replace the highlighted sections with your specific topics—such as reading level, EMS level, and topic focus—and then paste it into your AI of choice.
This flexibility allows you to fine-tune the questions to meet the unique needs of your students or trainees. If you don’t currently have access to an AI chatbot, don’t worry—there are plenty of free, high-quality options available online, including platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard or Microsoft’s Bing AI.
Each of these tools offers slightly different features and capabilities, so it’s worth exploring multiple platforms to find the one that best suits your workflow.
I also recommend testing the prompt in various large language models, as each AI can interpret the instructions a little differently, giving you a broader range of questions and assessments to choose from.
The key is to experiment and iterate. Try using the prompt to generate questions on different EMS topics and adjust the parameters as needed to ensure the questions are challenging yet appropriate for your students’ level of expertise.
This trial-and-error process will help you refine the tool to align perfectly with your teaching style and objectives.
The AI-Powered Scenario Generation Prompt
Generate NREMT Scenario Question:
“Act as an advanced EMS educational content creator specializing in multi-layered assessments. Generate a complex scenario and three subsequent multiple-choice questions designed to assess an EMS provider’s clinical judgment, leadership, and communication skills.
Reading Level: [Specify Reading Level]
EMS Level: [Specify EMS Level (EMR, EMT, AEMT, Paramedic)]
Topic: [Specify Topic]
Objectives: [Specify Objectives]
Focus: Assess the EMS provider’s ability to recognize cues, analyze them, formulate hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, and evaluate outcomes.
Question Type: [Specify type of answer choices: single-best answer, multiple correct choices, etc.]
Validation: Validate your questions against EMS National Standards and [add additional validation sources].
Answer Explanation: Provide a concise explanation for the correct answer and rationale for each option. If any question fails to meet the validation criteria, revise it accordingly.
Conclude by detailing how the questions align with EMS National Standards.”
Elevating AI in EMS
I hope this helps elevate your EMS education program and provides a valuable new resource for developing scenario-based questions.
AI offers an innovative approach to streamline the question-creation process while enhancing the quality and relevance of the questions used in your curriculum. The ability to tailor scenarios to specific learning levels and objectives ensures that students are more prepared than ever for real-world EMS challenges.
If you’re not part of an educational program, this prompt can still be a game-changer for in-house training. Whether you’re an EMS provider, department leader, or trainer, incorporating AI into your training toolbox can transform how your team approaches learning and assessments.
By leveraging AI’s adaptability and precision, you can create dynamic training modules that truly test clinical judgment and decision-making in ways that traditional methods cannot.
It’s time to move beyond simple multiple-choice questions and step into the future with AI! I encourage you to experiment with the prompt and make it your own. Test it in various AI platforms, refine it to fit your specific needs, and share your results with the EMS community.
Together, we can innovate and elevate EMS education to new heights, ensuring that the next generation of EMS professionals is better equipped, more confident, and more capable than ever before.
Editor’s Note: This commentary reflects the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of JEMS.
About the Author
Jeff Butcher, MS, paramedic, firefighter, is a seasoned EMS professional with extensive experience in emergency services management and public safety education. He is currently a senior education partner at Waldorf University and has a strong background in developing and directing EMS training programs. Jeff’s work focuses on integrating innovative technologies into EMS operations to enhance training and field effectiveness.
