Clinton, Miss. — The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and the
Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA) issued a position statement to support the
development and funding of military medic to civilian paramedic transition programs.
These transition programs will allow active duty and veteran military medics to incorporate their
military medical training as a significant portion of their civilian paramedic training. They will
also provide returning veterans with good paying jobs, meet the significant demands of both
military and civilian environments, and result in hundreds of experienced paramedics each year
in a much shorter timeframe than traditional paramedic education programs.
“Our military combat medics have gained tremendous experience over more than a decade of
war. Leveraging that experience to care for patients on the streets of the United States is a
clear win-win,” said Dr. Bob Mabry, SOMA President.
“NAEMT strongly supports the need for program development of a streamlined process for
military medics transitioning to civilian Paramedic careers,” said Ben Chlapek, retired U.S. Army
Lieutenant Colonel and NAEMT Military Relations Committee Chair. “Our position statement
emphasizes our commitment to this worthy endeavor in helping address the growing national
Paramedic shortage while putting our military Veterans to work.”
The full text of the position statement is available here.
About NAEMT
Formed in 1975 and today more than 40,000 members strong, the National Association of
Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is the only national association dedicated to
representing the professional interests of all emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners,
including Paramedics, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical
technicians, emergency medical responders and other professionals working in pre-hospital
emergency medicine. NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government service
agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial
and special operations settings, and in the military.
About SOMA
Founded in 1987, the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA) is the only medical
association in the world that brings together the unique blend of pre-hospital, tactical,
wilderness, austere, disaster and deployed medicine. Our primary goal is to advance the art and
science of special operations medical care through the education and professional development
of special operations medical providers. SOMA provides a forum for military and civilian medical
providers, academia and industry from around the world to meet and exchange ideas through
membership in the association, at our Scientific Assembly, through our official publication, the
Journal of Special Operations Medicine (JSOM), and our Mini-SOMA Conferences. SOMA advances
the science, technology and skills of unconventional medicine.