An emergency medical services curriculum for emergency medicine residencies

Knowledge and experience in emergency medical services (EMS) are essential objectives for residency training in emergency medicine (EM). Although a need exists for competent physician EMS leaders, opportunities for educating emergency physicians in this aspect of emergency care have been few. We describe a curriculum for training EM residents in EMS. The purpose of this training is to assure competency in both on-line and off-line medical control. The former requires a working knowledge of the local system policies and the ability to respond appropriately to paramedic radio calls. Additional education prepares the resident for a much broader role in EMS, including off-line medical control.