Sunstar Paramedics’ Robert Stanley Jr. received statewide award

Sunstar Paramedics’ Clinical Services Coordinator Robert Stanley Jr. received the Marilyn Cronk EMS Pioneer Award from the Florida Department of Health. He was recognized for his clinical innovations and streamlining the onboarding process at Sunstar Paramedics.

Stanley streamlined the clinical testing process for candidates seeking employment with Sunstar Paramedics. The clinical tests replicate scenarios that employees would encounter in the field, which helps Sunstar Paramedics evaluate their clinical expertise and identify opportunities for improvement for employees.

The process changed from in-person, written tests to online tests, which significantly decreased the number of hours that staff from the clinical department spent administering the tests and created a more rigorous screening for candidates.

Stanley, along with the clinical services team, also reinvented Sunstar Paramedics’ training academy for newly hired employees by making training more convenient for employees, increasing the number of topics covered and nearly eliminating the use of paper.

In the past, newly hired emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics were required to learn approximately 100 topics that were printed on more than 50 pages. In 2017, Stanley helped moved the material online, and new employees were able to complete the trainings from any location, at any time, and move through the material at their own pace.

The move to online learning made it possible for Sunstar Paramedics to increase the topics covered from 100 to approximately 375, while decreasing the amount of paper used. Plus, he assisted with implementing secure validation and e-signatures, which makes each employee’s completion easier to track.

“Robert’s creative solutions for challenges facing the clinical services department have provided a data-driven foundation for future initiatives,” said John Peterson, chief operating officer of Sunstar Paramedics. “His innovations have helped maintain clinical accountability and operational sustainability for Sunstar.”

Stanley also provides data about performance to local schools that provide programs for emergency medical services (EMS) education. This data helps the schools identify ways to better prepare new paramedics and EMTs for working in the field.