How to switch EMS student tracking software mid-year

Programs often stay with software they dislike because switching sounds risky in the middle of a cohort. It doesn't have to be. The safest way is to move one cohort at a time and keep the old records exported.

1. Export everything first

Before you change anything, export what you have as Excel or CSV: students, shifts and hours, patient contacts, skills and grades. Keep a copy even after the move, as your archive.

2. Start new cohorts in the new system

The cleanest switch is a cohort that hasn't started. Set it up in the new system, invite instructors, and run it there from day one.

3. Import cohorts already in progress

For a cohort mid-course, import its records so students see everything they've already done. Do one kind of record at a time, check a few students by hand afterward, and only then tell students to log in the new place.

4. Tell preceptors and sites

Preceptors and clinical sites need to know where to verify shifts and send evaluations. A short email with the date of the change and one screenshot is enough.

5. Keep the old account until the renewal date

Don't cancel the old system the day you switch. Keep read access until you're sure nothing is missing.

How FlagshipEMS helps

The records importer reads exports from Platinum Planner, FISDAP, Typhon or any spreadsheet, free on every plan, with a preview before anything saves and an undo if something goes wrong.