NASEMSO Reports
Prehospital Emergency Care Air Medical Article Appendices (2007) "Air Medical Services: Future Development as an Integrated Component of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System," a guidance document by the Air Medical Task Force of the National Association of State EMS Officials, National Association of EMS Physicians, and Association of Air Medical Services, will be published in Prehospital Emergency Care. The appendices to this article are published here, to
provide readers with complete resource documents at their fingertips.
National EMS Scope of Practice Model (2007) The National EMS Scope of Practice Model is a continuation of the commitment of the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Health Resources and Services
Administration to the implementation of the EMS Agenda for the Future. It is part of an
integrated, interdependent system, first proposed in the EMS Education Agenda for the
Future: A Systems Approach which endeavors to maximize efficiency, consistency of
instructional quality, and student competence. Many organizations were included on the National Review Team, including NASEMSO. Also, many NASEMSO members, NASEMSO Executive Director Elizabeth Armstrong, and other NASEMSO staff members played critical roles in the areas of task group representation, administration of the project, and in a technical advisory capacity.
The National EMS Scope of Practice Model supports a system of EMS personnel licensure that is common in other allied health professions and is a guide for States in developing their Scope of Practice legislation, rules, and regulation. States following the National EMS Scope of Practice Model as closely as possible will increase the consistency of the nomenclature and competencies of EMS personnel nationwide, facilitate reciprocity, improve professional mobility and enhance the name recognition and public understanding of EMS.
The National EMS Scope of Practice Model defines and describes four levels of EMS licensure: Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT (AEMT), and Paramedic. Each level represents a unique role, set of skills, and knowledge base. National EMS Education Standards will be developed for each level. When used in conjunction with the National EMS Core Content, National EMS Certification, and National EMS Education Program Accreditation, the National EMS Scope of Practice Model and the National EMS Education Standards create a strong and interdependent system that will provide the foundation to assure the competency of out-of-hospital emergency medical personnel throughout the United States.
State Trauma System Planning Guide (2006) NASEMSO published this companion document to the 2006 HRSA Model Trauma System Planning and Evaluation Document. This guide was made possible with FY 2005 support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Division of HealthcarePreparedness (DHP), Trauma-EMS Systems Program.
The Status of State EMS Funding (2006) This NASEMSO report was supported in part by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Injury Response (DIR) as part of CDC's TIIDE Project (Terrorism Injuries: Information, Dissemination and Exchange).
Planning Emergency Medical Communications
- Volume 1, "State Level Planning Guide" (June 2005)
- Volume 2, "Local/Regional Level Planning Guide" (October 2005)
Developed by NASEMSO and supported through a contract with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Planning Emergency Medical Communications is presented in two volumes. Volume 1, "State Level Planning Guide," contains general background information and information regarding the two-tiered approach to EMS communications planning. The first-tier plan focuses on factors necessary to ensure proper compatibility, interface and coordination of local EMS communications within a statewide system. Volume Two, "Local/Regional Level Planning Guide," provides more specific information and directions for use by local planners in preparing detailed second-tier local emergency medical telecommunications plans.
It is impossible for a document such as this to convey all of the information needed
regarding emergency medical communications or to keep up with continuous change in
communications technology and regulations. Changes to the Federal Communications
Commission's Rules directly influence the system configurations and use of the radio
frequency spectrum. The types of equipment offered by manufacturers constantly change,
and there also are frequent changes in funding and federal, state and local policies. These
all influence the EMS communications-system-design philosophy. EMS communications,
as with most modern communications, are being constantly developed and improved.
Special Report: Implementation Status of the EMS Agenda for the Future (2005) This NASEMSO report was supported through a cooperative agreement between the EMS Division of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASEMSO. The report represents the findings of a study of the opinions of state EMS directors as to their
impressions about the extent to which the various elements of the EMS Agenda for the Future has been implemented in their respective jurisdictions. While this report is predicated upon the
opinions of these individuals, it must be acknowledged that there are no empirical and objective
measures for implementation. Since state EMS directors are uniquely and advantageously
positioned within their respective jurisdictions to observe and impact the whole of the EMS
system, their impressions should be given significant weight.
This survey project was conducted over calendar year 2004. A copy of the survey instrument is
included in the appendix. The target population of the project was the 56 state and territorial
directors of EMS systems. Of the 56 surveys sent out, 52 were returned for a response rate of
93%; however, all 50 states returned completed surveys.
State EMS Rural Needs Survey (2004) In April 2004, NASEMSO released the State EMS Rural Needs Survey. This survey was conducted as part of the development of the national Rural/Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future. It replicates part of Challenges of Rural Emergency Medical Services - An Opinion Survey of State EMS Directors, a report published by Bob Bailey, Inc. for the Office of Rural Health Policy in 2000. The portions replicated include the identification of needs and issues important to the provision of rural EMS, and the perceived need for capital budget items for the provision of rural EMS. Personnel recruitment/retention remains the single most significant issue or need in the provision of rural EMS, according to both the 2000 and 2004 surveys. Financing remained a prominently identified need through both surveys, while 24/7 coverage, communications and response time emerged as far greater concerns in the 2004 survey than in 2000. Communications equipment was the most often cited capital equipment/facility need in both surveys by slight margins. Training equipment, medical equipment and ambulances were also strong finishers in 2004.
Linkages of Acute Care and EMS with State and Local Prevention Programs (2003)
This NASEMSO report was supported in part by a grant from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Model Statute for the Regulation of Emergency Medical Dispatch Agencies and Emergency Medical Dispatchers (2001) This model EMS legislation document was approved by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch (NAEMD) Board of Trustees on June
1, 2001, and endorsed by the National Association of State EMS Officials.