Foster Receives 2002 R. C. Dailey Award for Excellence in EMS

Doris J. Foster, a veteran educator for the Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services, won the 2002 Tidewater EMS Council's coveted Robertson C. "Flash" Dailey Award for Excellence in Emergency Services. This award, and eight others, were made during the council's annual EMS awards program held during the EMS family picnic on September 15, 2002 at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.

Excerpt from 2002 Tidewater EMS Council Awards presentation given by Executive Director Jim Chandler during announcement that Doris J. Foster received the R. C. Dailey Award for Excellence in Emergency Medical Services:

"In 1973, this registered nurse precepted the state's first class of Cardiac Technicians in the coronary care unit at Virginia Beach General, and ever since has been an active EMS educator in the Tidewater region. She became an EMT Instructor in 1979 and has been instrumental in planning, developing and carrying out educational programs for the prehospital care providers throughout the region. She consistently devotes her time and efforts towards enhancing the quality of patient care delivery. She produces and organizes innovative programs, keeping current with the trends and changing issues in medical technologies within EMS, and is fundamental in regional interagency networking. She taught some of the earliest Cardiac and Paramedic Courses in the region and continues to provide oversight for regional ALS training program. She has taught numerous EMT Classes and ALS/BLS continuing education programs. She has worked with the local hospitals to ensure training opportunities in the clinical & didactic environment. Over the years , under her guidance, the training division has expanded to seven instructors, a training facility and quality training equipment. As new EMS standards and programs are being proposed, Doris is instrumental in the development of curriculum, implementations of programs and reviewing protocols for revisions. All of her programs are packaged with instructional guidelines, protocols, course objectives, handouts, and visual aids. She is actively involved in education at the regional level as a member of the TEMS Education Committee and chairman of the Tidewater Center for Life Support training site committee. At the state level she is a member of the ALS Coordinators organization and the state committee that developed the Paramedic Continuing Education Modules. Sounds like a good candidate for the EMS Instructor Award, right? Well, listen on. She is:

• Chairman of the Transportation Group of the Virginia Beach ERS
• Member of the regional Patient Care Committee
• Member of regional Protocol Committee
• Member of Virginia Beach EMS Recruitment and Retention Committee
• Life member of the Virginia Beach Vol. Rescue Squad
• Member of the Tidewater CISM team and main CISM liaison for Virginia Beach EMS

I can personally say that this individual gave me a successful start when I joined the council staff in 1982 as Training Coordinator, and I thank her for that. A well deserved congratulations to our Robertson C. Dailey Award for Excellence in Emergency Medical Services winner, Doris J. Foster."

[Archives]