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SBA Informational Session on OSHA Emergency Response Rule

As many of you are aware, OSHA has published the NPRM titled the Emergency Response Rule. This rule will have substantial impacts on EMS and Fire Emergency Service Organizations should all of the provisions be finalized.  OSHA will be hearing public testimony from stakeholders starting on November 12, 2024. The deadline to submit to testify has passed but it is important that any stakeholder group that will be testifying attend this free informational session being hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) on October 31, 2024 at 2:00E. A representative from OSHA will provide some information about the structure and format of the hearing.

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EMS.gov | Responding to Behavioral Health Emergencies

EMS News

Responding to Behavioral Health Emergencies

Don’t Miss this Virtual Symposium, August 2, 2024

The EMS community is increasingly tasked with responding to behavioral health emergencies. The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline and the emergence of dedicated behavioral health response teams have enhanced support for those in crisis, but also present unique challenges in building impactful, sustainable collaborations.

Hosted by Coalition Psychiatric Emergencies, APHA Medical Care Section, National Association of EMS Physicians and American College of Emergency Physicians, join your EMS colleagues for this important virtual symposium to help your EMS agency prepare for behavioral health emergencies.

Responding to Behavioral Health Emergencies
August 2, 2024
10 am – 4 pm ET

Register Here

This free symposium will examine the call, the response and the destination for behavioral health emergencies and explore lessons learned regarding 988 and dedicated behavioral health response teams.

Key Topics Include:

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Learn how it supports those in crisis, including what help is available and how the EMS community can promote 988 for accessing care.
  • Behavioral Health Response Teams: Discover their success factors and differences from traditional EMS responses.
  • De-escalation Techniques: Understand the process of managing behavioral health crises and removing individuals from the scene.
  • Emergency Room Treatment: Explore treatment options, barriers to care, and assessments for ER versus dedicated behavioral health facilities.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to help your agency prepare for behavioral health emergencies.

Sign up to receive the latest news from the Office of EMS, including webinars, newsletters and industry updates.

Contact Us

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
nhtsa.ems@dot.gov

NREMT Launches New Certification Examinations for Paramedics and AEMTs

From the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Launches New Certification Examinations for Paramedics and AEMTs

The examinations align the National Registry with other health-based professions while retaining the rigor needed for advanced-level Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians.   

(Columbus, Ohio) – Today, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians launched new certification examinations for Paramedics and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs), integrating new advancements in clinical practice, science, research, and technologies. These updates ensure that Paramedics and AEMTs are knowledgeable and prepared to manage emergency medical events.

“As the national certifying organization for emergency medical clinicians, it’s imperative that our examinations stay current with changes to our profession and evaluate candidates based on the best research and science available,” said Bill Seifarth, Executive Director at the National Registry. “Whenever someone calls 911, no matter where they are in the country, they trust that whoever arrives with the ambulance has the knowledge and skills to care for them. At the National Registry, we’re responsible for validating that trust by keeping our examinations up to date and ensuring all clinicians are competent to successfully respond to an emergency.”

To ensure the National Registry’s certification examinations measure current practice, the most recent National EMS Practice Analysis and its subsequent Addendum were conducted to identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and clinical judgment required for entry-level clinician competency. This information, coupled with the feedback from the EMS community and continuous collaboration with the National Registry’s accreditor, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), formed the foundation for these new examinations.

“The new Paramedic and AEMT certification examinations incorporate current EMS practices and use innovative item types that leverage interactive technology to evaluate candidates’ knowledge and clinical judgment in diverse ways beyond traditional multiple-choice or multiple-response formats,” explained Dr. Mihaiela Gugiu, Chief Assessment Officer at the National Registry. “These enhancements ensure a unified and thorough assessment process for all certification seekers.”

The new examinations allow candidates to take a single comprehensive examination on one date, reducing logistical challenges while preserving the examinations’ rigor, consistent with standards in other health-based professions.

Additional information about the examinations can be found online at https://nremt.org/Document/Get-Ready-For-The-New-Examinations or by listening to or watching the National Registry’s recently launched podcast, Registry Insider.

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HELPFUL LINKS

Online Press Release: nremt.org/News/National-Registry-of-Emergency-Medical-Technicians

New AEMT and Paramedic Certification Examination Information Page: nremt.org/Document/Get-Ready-For-The-New-Examinations

Registry Insider Vodcast (video); Episode 1 is all about the new examinations: nremt.org/Document/Registry-Insider

Registry Insider Podcast (audio); Episode 1 is all about the new examinations: registryinsider.buzzsprout.com

Happy Pride Month!

Happy Pride Month from the American Ambulance Association!

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OSHA Emergency Response Rule Comment Period Extended Again

From the OSHA Website on June 4, 2024

NEW Update: The deadline for comment submission has been extended a second time to July 22, 2024.

The Emergency Response proposed rule is here!

OSHA is happy to announce that the Emergency Response proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register and is now available for viewing.

OSHA welcomes and encourages the submission of public comments in response to this proposed rule. To allow additional time for those individuals interested in creating and submitting a comment, OSHA will be further extending the window for comment submission. The comment period now ends on July 22, 2024.

Comments can be submitted to the Emergency Response Docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OSHA-2007-0073.

OSHA will also be hosting a public hearing, the date of which has yet to be determined. To ensure access to the hearing for all interested members of the public, remote access will be provided.

Additional information on OSHA’s rulemaking process and how stakeholders can participate is available at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess.

EMS.gov | On-Demand: EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment

EMS News

Webinar Recap & Materials:
EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent EMS Focus Webinar on EMS Harm Reduction and SUD Treatment. If you were unable to join the live session or wish to revisit the discussions, we are pleased to announce that the webinar materials are now accessible online.

Now Available for Access:

  • Webinar Recording: Watch the session at your convenience to capture the full breadth of discussions.
  • Presentation Slides: Access the visual accompaniments to the webinar for a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered.
  • Transcript: Read the detailed transcript of the webinar for an in-depth review of the discussions
  • Q&A
Access Webinar Materials

About EMS Focus

EMS Focus provides a venue to discuss crucial initiatives, issues and challenges for EMS stakeholders and leaders nationwide. Be sure to visit ems.gov for information about upcoming webinars and to view past recordings.

Sign up to receive the latest news from the Office of EMS, including webinars, newsletters and industry updates.

Contact Us

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
nhtsa.ems@dot.gov

OSHA Proposed Rule Impact Survey

Attention EMS Leaders!

We are reaching out to gather your insights on the potential financial impact of the recent OSHA Proposed Rule concerning health and safety requirements in the EMS sector. Your feedback is invaluable and will play a crucial role in shaping our understanding and response to these proposed changes.

We have prepared a short survey to capture your perspectives and estimate the potential implications on your operations. The survey can be accessed here, and we would appreciate all responses be submitted by May 15, 2024.

Please note that the public comment period for these changes closes on June 21, 2024. We aim to include the data collected from this survey in the AAA’s public comment letter to ensure that our industry’s voice is heard.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this important initiative. Your participation is essential in helping us navigate these potential regulatory changes effectively.

Take the Survey

SURVEY | 2024 Ambulance Industry Employee Turnover Study

The American Ambulance Association is partnering with Newton 360, an ambulance industry partner and Human Resource support firm, to conduct our sixth annual industry turnover study. Our intent is to comprehensively collect and analyze ambulance industry employee turnover data so as to produce a report that provides useful and actionable data. We are inviting EMS organizations to participate in the study. The study will be conducted and managed by Dennis Doverspike, PhD, and Rosanna Miguel, PhD, who are associated with the Center for Applied Talent Analytics at John Carroll University. Each individual or organizational response will be strictly confidential.

The purpose of the study is to better quantify and understand the reasons for turnover at nearly every organizational level within the EMS Industry. Thank you very much for your time and support.
Take Survey Now

Laying the Groundwork for Reducing Employee Turnover

Why participate in the survey?

  1. Educate elected officials, municipalities, and healthcare clients. The insight gained from this survey can help influence the actions, practices, or decisions of officials regarding regulatory and funding policies at the federal, regional, or local level. Specifically, this important data can help validate the critical staffing challenges faced by the EMS industry.
  2. This study is critical to gaining insight into combating staff shortages. The AAA / Newton 360 2024 Ambulance Industry Employee Turnover Study aims to yield the information that organizations need to identify and benchmark their turnover challenges. Over the years this survey has been conducted, it has generated the largest response to a turnover survey ever published for the private EMS industry.
  3. Participating organizations will have full access to the final report at no charge. The comprehensive results of the study will be shared exclusively with each participating organization. Shorter write-ups and summaries of the results may be shared at conferences or published in relevant periodicals or journals.

Before You Start

It is recommended you gather information about your employees and about turnover before completing the questionnaire.

In this survey, we will be asking about headcount (filled and open positions), number of employees leaving the organization, and reasons for employees leaving. We will be asking these questions for each of the following job categories: supervisor, dispatch, EMT, part-time EMT, paramedic, and part-time paramedic. Headcount refers to the number of filled and open positions for each job category at the end of 2023. Filled positions refer to the number of employees in each job category that were on payroll at the end of 2023. For each job category, the number of filled positions should be added to the number of open positions at the end of 2023 to determine the total headcount.

The survey will open on March 18, 2024, and close at end of day, April 12, 2024. The survey can be accessed by following the link below. Word has an issue with some hyperlinks; this hyperlink is safe. If the hyperlink does not work when clicked, please copy the hyperlink ( https://johncarroll.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0qZ3r9Mqgp5GwZM ) and past it into your browser.

Take Survey Now

Thank you,

Scott Moore, Esq.
Newton 360
Workforce Dynamics, Inc.

JEMS | Adapting to Survive EMS Workplace Shortages, Part I

From the Journal of Emergency Medical Services on February 1, 2024

Why are females and individuals who identify as Black, indigenous and/or People of Color underrepresented in EMS?

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