AMEC National Course Attendance Policy Relating to COVID-19

Updated March 7, 2023

This policy applies to the Emergency, Anesthesia and Critical Care versions of The Difficult Airway Course

In-Person National Course Attendance Policy

Airway Management Education Center (AMEC) will be holding in-person national courses which will be operated in compliance with State and CDC guidelines and with enhanced cleaning protocols.

To ensure an optimal learning environment, AMEC will require the following of its national course attendees:

1. Proof of Vaccination. Prior to arrival at the Course venue, registrants are required to upload proof of vaccination. Acceptable forms of proof include CDC compliant COVID vaccination cards, printed/downloaded medical records, or comparable documents if residing outside of the United States.  Each registrant will receive a link in their confirmation email that will prompt them to upload a photo of their proof to a secure Dropbox folder.  Registrants may also access that Dropbox folder here:  https://www.dropbox.com/request/6wMGE9V6n5tJrRf5ZAXN [Registrants will not be required to have a Dropbox account.]  The photos will be reviewed and logged by the Review Team. Registrants are encouraged to upload the proof within three days of registering. Deadlines will be established for each Course and registrations will be cancelled for non-compliance.  The photos submitted by registrants will be deleted two weeks after the conclusion of the Course for which they registered.
2. Symptoms Self-check. If a registrant has a temperature of greater than 100.4 or exhibits other symptoms of COVID-19 or influenza, they are asked to refrain from attending the Course. Please see the Cancellation Policy FAQ below for more information.

AMEC recommends, but does not require, the following:

Antigen Testing.  AMEC encourages (but does not require) all national course registrants to perform an antigen self-test within 24-48 hours of the beginning of the course.  Registrants who test positive should not attend the course and should contact our office to reschedule to a later course.

Mask Wearing.  Attendees are not required to wear a mask during the course, but are welcome to do so at their option.

AMEC will continue to monitor the situation and will make changes, as necessary, to ensure the safety of our attendees, faculty, and staff.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be fully vaccinated?

For the purposes of this policy, “fully vaccinated” means that you have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the recommended timeframe, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If coming from outside the US, the one-dose AstraZeneca vaccine is acceptable.  In addition, the two-dose AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine is acceptable.

Your second dose needs to have been administered two or more weeks before the start of the Course. We are not requiring “Booster” shots at this time.

Will you be making changes to the Courses due to COVID?

We anticipate very few changes to the standard content and flow of the national courses.  One change will be the addition of specific training on airway management of the highly infectious patient.  Depending on the state of the pandemic at the time of each Course, we may cap enrollment at a smaller number than usual.  Any requirements for social distancing in the CME sessions will be communicated to all registrants.

I would like to attend the Course but cannot or would prefer not to provide proof of vaccination.  What can I do? 

You are welcome to take The Difficult Airway Course: Virtual 2021, an on-demand program available on the new AMEC eLearning platform.

When do I have to submit the proof of vaccine? 

Registrants are asked to upload their proof of vaccination at the time of registration or within 3 days of registering.  We will communicate with all registrants regularly as we approach the Course start date to ensure that everyone who intends to comply is able to.  AMEC will establish deadlines for submitting vaccine proof.  Deadlines will be communicated to all registrants and non-compliance will result in cancellation of registration with refund or transfer as per our cancellation policy.

How can I ensure that my proof is acceptable?

If you are submitting a CDC vaccination card, be sure that it contains your full name, dates that vaccine shots were administered, and lot numbers.

If you are submitting your medical records, be sure they include your full name along with the COVID vaccination records.

The name on your proof documents must match the name you used to register.  In the case of an official name change, please contact us at [email protected] when you upload your card.

Can I attend the Course if I received only one dose of a vaccine that requires two doses?  Or if I received the final dose within two weeks of the start of the Course?

Attendees must be fully vaccinated to attend the Course.  This means that they must have received all doses of their vaccine two weeks or more before the first day of the Course.  At this time there is no “booster shot” requirement.

Are attendees from outside of the United States able to attend this Course? 

Attendees traveling from outside of the US must comply with existing travel restrictions and entry requirements. Learn more here.  All attendees must comply with the vaccination, masking and self-check requirements listed above.

What is your cancellation policy?

A cancellation fee of 10% of the tuition paid will apply to add course cancellations.

Alternatively, registrants may transfer to another course with no transfer fee.

A credit for a future course will be offered to anyone who leaves during the Course because of COVID-19 symptoms or positive test.

No refunds will be granted to those who do not attend the Course without having made prior arrangements for cancellation or transfer.

If Airway Management Education Center (AMEC) is required to cancel a course due to safety concerns, all attendees will receive a 100% refund or may transfer to another course.

Tips for Uploading Your Vaccination Card / Proof Picture

Be sure that you have selected ONLY your vaccination card/proof image when uploading to the secure Dropbox folder. We have received some lovely vacation pictures and some not-so-lovely images throughout the process.  Thank you!

Whom should I contact if I have questions? 

Email us at [email protected] or contact Dennis Taylor at (336) 293-8068.