WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marking the 10-year anniversary of the creation of the 2009 National EMS Standards, a panel of EMS leaders led by the National Association of EMS Educators has assembled to update the document that drives minimum education requirements at the EMR, EMT, AEMT and paramedic levels.
In an EMS Focus webinar hosted through NHTSA’s EMS.gov, leaders of the revision panel described the process of updating the standards, which includes three requests for public feedback at different times during the revision.
Bryan Ericson, chairman of NAEMSE and associate professor for the Emergency Medical Services program at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas; Paul Rosenberger, program director for Section on EMS Continuing Education in the Division of EMS at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas; and Dr. John Krohmer, director of the NHTSA Office of EMS in Washington D.C., detailed what the changes will focus on, as well as what they will explicitly not address.
The first draft of revisions is available for public comment through Sept. 20. The panel will meet in Washington D.C. next month to discuss feedback provided.
Memorable quotes on updating the National EMS Education Standards
Here are a few memorable quotes from the presenters of the webinar:
“The goal when looking at educational programs is, ‘What does it take for a student to be a competent, entry-level provider?’” – Bryan Ericson
“The National EMS Scope of Practice Model and the National EMS Education Standards are naturally interrelated, as one document informs the other. Specifically, the project is using the scope of practice to drive the changes in the EMS education standards.” – Paul Rosenberger
“[Degrees in EMS] is a very hot debate, one side is very passionate about the need for degrees, and then on the secondary side, there’s a very passionate voice for no degrees whatsoever. This is not within the scope of this particular project. For the sake of this project, this is not something we’re going to address, we’re not going to make a recommendation either way.” – Bryan Ericson
“The industry seems to be seeing more and more behavioral emergencies. Some of the work that’s been done by national registry identifies behavioral emergencies as one of the top five calls that EMS runs day-to-day, and so this topic needs to be addressed and expanded.” – Paul Rosenberger
Top takeaways on updating EMS education standards
The revision to the standards aims to align with the recently released 2019 National EMS Scope of Practice model, and provide standards that also cater to rural agencies, as well as those providing services to diverse communities. Here are the top takeaways from the webinar.
1. What will be included in EMS education standards revisions
The EMS education standards revisions will focus on:
- AEMT program accreditation
- Pharmacology education standards
- Preparatory
- Airway management, respiration and artificial ventilation
- Assessment
- Clinical behavior/judgement
2. What will not be included in EMS education standards revisions
The EMS education standards revisions will not focus on:
- Degree requirements
- Specialty certifications
- CE requirements
- Nomenclature
3. Schedule of EMS education standards revisions
Here is the schedule for EMS education standard revision implementation:
- August 2019: First draft out for EMS community review
- October 2019: Second Development Team meeting
- November 2019: Engage with EMS associations and community for additional input
- January 2020: Second draft out for EMS community review
- March 2020: Third Development Team meeting
- April 2020: Final document released on EMS.gov
Learn more about EMS education standard revisions and get involved
The Development Team is seeking input from the EMS community on what changes are the most important to them in the revised version of the National EMS Education Standards. Those who wish to leave input can view the first draft online here and leave comments. Feedback provided will go directly to the Development Team.
To follow the project’s progress, visit the project page on the EMS.gov website, or use the QR code below.
For more information about EMS education, training standards and requirements, check out these additional EMS1.com resources:
- Increasing your career options with more education
- Degree requirements, Pink Floyd and a seat at the adult table
- Passion, creativity have impact on EMS continuing Education
- Taking the confusion out of patient assessment and the NREMT exam
- Now is the age of EMS: It is time to revolutionize our practice
- Tackling the education disparity across national EMS associations
- Trending topic: Should paramedics have a degree?
- Coursera online ‘EMT Specialization’ course could be industry game-changer
- NAEMSP Quick Take: Introduction to affirming EMS care for transgender and gender-diverse patients
