The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Designation Program provides high-level credentialing for those leading and managing emergency medical services programs in fire departments, city or county government third service, hospital-based, private, military, federal, and other organizations.
These leaders who have demonstrated excellence throughout their careers and who are committed to a future of continuous professional improvement are eligible to receive this designation. The designation verifies past accomplishments and represents a launching point for continued professional achievement.
The program specifies minimum academic achievements and a competency required for designation, and assesses contributions to the emergency medical services field through professional articles, public speaking, teaching, and research, as well as professional memberships and community and civic involvement.
The National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs – EMS Section (IAFC-EMS Section) represent a broad group of EMS leaders from most (perhaps all) of the various organizational types by which EMS is delivered in the United States. Working together, the leadership of IAFC-EMS Section and NEMSMA has determined that it is in our best interests to collaboratively support the CMO process and encourage participation in the program by fire departments, city or county government third service, hospital-based, private, federal, and other agencies regardless of the government or corporate environment in which they work. We recognize that while each environment has its unique aspects, the vast majority of what is done and what needs to be done by those leading and managing EMS programs is common to all legitimate, progressive EMS organizations.
Technical competency areas assessed in the CMO designation process include:
- Assessment and Planning
- Goals and Objectives (Strategic Planning)
- Organizational Structure
- Financial Management
- Administrative Management
- External Agency Relationships
- Policies and Procedures
- Hiring and Promotional Practices
- Employee Relations
- Health and Risk Management
- Public Health
- Training
- Clinical Care – Field Medicine
- Special Operations
- EMS Systems
- Communications
- Emergency Management – Homeland Security
- Physical Resources
Members of both the NEMSMA Board of Directors and IAFC-EMS Section Executive Board hold the CMO credential and are available to assist prospective CMOs in answering questions about the program, determining eligibility, and facilitating portfolio review. Together, we encourage our members and all EMS officers regardless of affiliation to visit the CMO pages on the website of the Center for Public Safety Excellence
(http://www.publicsafetyexcellence.org/professional-credentialing/chief-medical-officer.aspx), download the CMO application, and to take whatever steps are necessary to join the prestigious group holding America’s premier EMS leadership credential– the Chief Medical Officer designation.
