By Patrick Moore, NAEMT President
I’m pleased to say that thanks to the dedicated work of members and staff, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians has accomplished much in 2009, carrying out the goals of our strategic plan. These include recruiting, retaining and providing quality services to members; continuing expansion and development of our quality continuing education programs; and taking the lead on national EMS advocacy efforts.
Here are the specifics. First of all, membership is the core of our association. In 2009, we:
• Redesigned and expanded our publications to add interest and information
• Added a low-cost limited coverage health insurance benefit for members and families
• Expanded our membership incentive programs to reward current members, affiliated associations and EMS training centers
• Restructured our squad membership program to add value, full NAEMT benefits and product discounts for EMS services
• Provided additional educational scholarship opportunities
With a reputation for excellence in EMS continuing education, we’ve continued to expand our NAEMT educational reach and offerings:
• Our Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) program has grown by building its national network of regional coordinators and affiliate faculty
• Our Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) program is now the preeminent prehospital trauma course in the nation and the world, and our new partnership with the Department of Defense offers a combined PHTLS/Tactical Combat Casualty Care course to military medics
• Our Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) program has more than doubled the number of courses being offered by EMS training sites
Plus, we’ve expanded our national advocacy efforts by speaking out on the issues that matter to our members by:
• Creating new position statements on air transportation safety; health care reform; and practitioner, patient and ambulance safety – which have been widely distributed throughout the EMS and medical communities and federal agencies
• Leading our members in national campaigns to support permanent Medicare relief and expand public safety officers benefits to all EMS practitioners
• Representing our membership at key federal meetings
• Collaborating with our EMS partners in Advocates for EMS
• Taking the lead in establishing an annual EMS on the Hill Day
In 2010, building on our efforts over the past year, we look to:
• Continue to build our relationships with state and local EMS associations
• Expand our education courses: AMLS will publish a new textbook and instructor materials in fall 2010; PHTLS will publish the seventh edition of its textbook along with new online learning tools, and will launch a new one-day course specifically designed for first responders; and we look for EPC to continue its expansion
• Continue developing our new EMS Safety Course – to be launched in early 2011 – which will increase understanding and implementation of EMS safety standards and practices on the job
• Draw national participation in the first annual EMS on the Hill Day on May 2-4, 2010, the EMS community’s first coordinated effort to visit congressional leaders and staff on Capitol Hill
Help us celebrate our successes of 2009 – and join us in continuing our momentum in 2010! Visit us at www.naemt.org.
