The three R's: reciprocity, recertification and registry

So what have we learned from all this? We have learned that "the three R's" need to be re-defined and reworked to make EMS a smoother-running profession. How do we, or how should we, go about making this change? In 1996, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) developed and published what has become known as "The Agenda," in which the authors suggested numerous ways to overcome certain situations in EMS. One situation in particular, and very relevant to the discussion, is the need for a National Office of EMS, or a federal lead EMS agency which is mandated by law. With the advent of the lead agency, each state has a sole agency, mandated by law, that adheres to national policy, but is still responsible for developing and overseeing its own statewide system. If we were to interpret the 10th and 14th Amendments, putting an "EMS spin" on them, we could say that the United States Constitution has granted each state the power to create EMS legislation. Accordingly, EMS certification and/or licensure is governed by each individual state. Having said that, each state does have its own office, but how many of those offices work together to make EMS, and particularly the "Three R's," standardized across the country? Another option is to contact your EMS-related service director, local or regional EMS council, state EMS office, and even your local or state political officers, and discuss these issues and potential solutions with them. Public opinion is a very strong tool, which, if used wisely, can alter the direction of certain issues.