EMS News Archive

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services has completed review of EMS Workforce for the 21st Century: A National Assessment, which will be available to the public this summer.

 

The assessment was conducted by NHTSA and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Emergency Medical Services for Children program under an agreement with the University of California at San Francisco. The goal of the assessment was to identity EMS workforce issues through extensive data and research to guide future EMS strategies, specifically the EMS Workforce Agenda for the Future.

 

The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Kentucky Director, Ken Knipper, represented the NVFC and all volunteer providers as one of 16 stakeholders that participated along side a steering committee to construct the assessment. Knipper applauds the assessment as a “microscopic look at EMS” and believes, “it is a very valuable study of our [EMS] current position, and what we will learn will guide us in making decisions for the future. It will give us direction and clear objectives so we know where exactly to put our efforts.”

 

EMS Workforce is an ongoing, three-phase project designed to map out the future and meet the challenges of the emergency medical services. Their web site, www.emsworkforce.com, provides interested parties with more information as well as several outlets that allow for feedback and questions.