NEMSMA Releases Two New Position Statements

The National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) released two new position statements at its annual meeting held at the Pinnacle Conference in Colorado Springs (CO).

The first statement articulates specific definitions of terms often used in Emergency Medical Services but have various meanings among the profession, most specially the term Emergency Medical Services.  NEMSMA used the proposed National Association of State EMS Officials definitions currently proposed in the draft Culture of Safety document as a starting point. “Standardizing our terminology and definitions will provide clarity and get everyone on the same page for future discussions,” reports NEMSMA President-Elect Troy Hagen. Among the definitions, NEMSMA proposes that all current EMS agencies are referred to as paramedic services. “The public knows what a paramedic is. When we keep referring to “EMS”, it means different things to different people and we lose our identity with the public, policy makers, and the medical community,” Hagen states.

The second position statement identifies education and experience guidelines for Supervising EMS Officers, Managing EMS Officers, and Executive EMS Officers.  NEMSMA President Skip Kirkwood states, “Specifying expectations of EMS leadership is long overdue.  It is our intent that EMS agencies will strive to achieve the right mix of education and experience to become the successful EMS leaders of tomorrow.”

You can read both position statements, Definition of EMS and Educational Preparation for EMS Leaders on www.nemsma.org.