Clinical readiness is more than maintaining certification — it’s about maintaining competence. When EMS providers don’t have regular, realistic opportunities to practice high-risk, low-frequency skills, performance suffers when it matters most.
The What Paramedics Want in 2025 report found that burnout, inadequate staffing and lack of leadership engagement are undermining training consistency. In many systems, training has become reactive — focused on checkboxes instead of capability. To stay mission ready, EMS agencies must treat clinical skill maintenance as an operational requirement, not a scheduling burden.
On the ground
The What Paramedics Want in 2025 report revealed that burnout and staffing shortages are eroding time for quality training:
- 27% expressed dissatisfaction with agency-led training
- 59% of respondents said their agency lacks enough personnel to respond effectively to 911 calls, leaving little margin for dedicated training.
- 33% expressed dissatisfaction with leadership, often citing lack of support for training and professional development.
A lack of ongoing, meaningful training not only affects technical proficiency, but also confidence, teamwork and decision-making — key components of readiness. Paramedics are asking for training that reflects real-world complexity, not minimal compliance.
Action items
To improve clinical readiness and sustain performance under pressure:
- Protect training time. Schedule clinical training with the same priority as emergency response. Leadership must reinforce that readiness is built during preparation, not during the call.
- Increase realism. Integrate high-fidelity simulations, cross-discipline scenarios and post-call reviews to reflect today’s clinical challenges — including behavioral health, opioid overdoses and complex patient management.
- Link training to field data. Use QA/QI reviews and patient outcome data to identify skill gaps. Target refresher sessions toward identified weaknesses such as airway management, medication errors or communication lapses.
- Blend learning methods. Supplement in-person drills with online microlearning or virtual simulations when staffing or geography limit training access. Continuous, bite-sized learning sustains readiness better than infrequent marathon sessions.
- Engage all levels. Include field providers, FTOs and supervisors in scenario design and feedback sessions. Peer-led instruction boosts engagement and accountability.
- Integrate wellness and recovery. Incorporate physical and cognitive readiness checks into training blocks. Skills are performed best when providers are rested, hydrated and mentally present.
- Recognize training excellence. Highlight members who demonstrate exceptional skill development or mentor others. Recognition reinforces a culture of readiness.
Readiness reflection
Ask these questions to assess your organization’s clinical readiness:
- Are our providers receiving realistic, scenario-based training regularly?
- Does leadership prioritize and protect training time?
- Are QA/QI trends used to shape training priorities?
- Do personnel feel confident in rarely used but high-risk skills?
- Is training integrated with wellness and recovery principles?
Mission Ready: Every responder, every time
Skill fades without repetition, and readiness fades without leadership. Join public safety leaders on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, from 1-4:30 p.m. ET, for Lexipol Connect 2025, a virtual conference focused on achieving total readiness across people, operations and leadership.
Register now for Connect 2025 and ensure your agency is mission ready.
EMS1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
