Emergency medical services education and licensure--a road map for the future

Fragmentation exists nationwide in regards to Emergency Medical Services (EMS). This fragmentation is evident throughout the EMS system in the way we educate, train, certify, and recertify the pre-hospital professional. In Louisiana EMS, there are two facets of our education system: the training/education institution and the instructors who facilitate the education. However, there is no mandated credentialing of the institution doing the teaching. Currently, the State of Louisiana utilizes both the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians computer-based written examination as well as their practical examination. Louisiana has four provider levels of EMS professionals: First Responder (FR), Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B), EMT-Intermediate/85 (EMT-I/85), and EMT-Paramedic. Creating consistency in the levels of EMS will enhance both education and patient care ensuring that all citizens of the state will receive the most appropriate and up to date pre-hospital care. Louisiana will also be adopting the National Registry's Accreditation Policy, which will require all advanced level education (Paramedic) to be conducted by CoAEMSP (Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Profession) institutions. Louisiana's challenge will exist with the adoption of the Scope of Practice Model levels and the movement of our current certification system to a licensure system. The goal is to create an EMS system in Louisiana that is substantiated by a national curriculum, national accreditation, a national scope of practice and the passage of a national examination.