EMS Systems

Licensure/Certification (who, what, where, when, why, how)

• Licensure - legal authority to practice in their state

  • Does not grant EMT unrestricted right to practice 

  • Levels:

    • Emergency Medical Responder (EMR): has very basic training 

      • Provides care before ambulance arrival & may assist ambulance 

    • Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): has training in BLS including 

      • automated external defibrillation, airway adjuncts, and assisting patients with certain medications 

    • Advanced EMT (AEMT): has training specific aspects of advanced life support including

      • intravenous (IV) therapy & administration of a limited # of emergency medications

    • Paramedic: has extensive ALS training including 

      • Endotracheal intubation, emergency pharmacology, cardiac monitoring, nd other advanced assessment and treatment skills 

• Credentialiting - verification process of a health care provider’s qualifications 

o Medical Director (who are they, what do they do, how do I interact with  them?) 

• Medical Director - authorizes the EMTs to  provide medical care in the field + ongoing working liaison btwn medical community, hospitals, and EMTs in service + determines and approves continuing education and training that are required of each EMT

• Interaction: 

  • Off-line (indirect): consists of standing orders, training, and supervision authorized by the medical director 

    • Standing orders, training, supervision 

  • Online (direct): direction given over the phone or radio directly from medical director or designated physician such as base station physician at a receiving hospital

    • Physician directions given over phone or radio

o Dispatcher (who are they, when do I call them, why do I call them) 

• Obtain info and dispatch resources

o Medical director (who is this and why are they important) 

o Quality Assurance

•  Measures care against a predefined standard or benchmark

o Quality Improvement (process, goals) 

• Continuous cycle that measures behaviour and implements actions to improve performance

• Quality management process that encourages team members to self-evaluate 

o Continuing Medical Education (what is it, why do I need it, and how do I  get it) 

• When you no longer have the structured learning environment from initial training course, you must assume responsibility for directing your own study and learning

• EMTs are required to attend a specific # of hrs of continuing education each year to maintain, update, and expand knowledge and skills 

• State and national EMS conferences help keep you currenT about local, state, and national issues affecting EMS

o How do I stay up to date on trends? 

• State and national EMS conferences help keep you currenT about local, state, and national issues affecting EMS

o Online medical support (what is it? When should I use it? 

o EMT role in the EMS system (how do we function? Who oversees us?)

• Not always the first to arrive but commonly focus on initial stabilization of the scene and fundamental emergency care

• Act as the primary link between emergency scene and health care system