2014 critical care transport workplace and salary survey.

This 2014 survey polled critical care transport industry leaders, programs, and caregivers about workplace and salary information. Beyond descriptive information and salary data, the article details specific experience, education, and scope of practice within the critical care transport industry.

Impact of ambulance crew configuration on simulated cardiac arrest resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of both two paramedic and single paramedic ambulance crews, there is little evidence regarding differences between these two staffing configurations in the delivery of patient care. OBJECTIVES: To determine potential differences in care provided by each of these ambulance configurations in the resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim in ventricular fibrillation. METHODS: Fifteen paramedic-paramedic and 15 paramedic-EMT crews were recruited to perform resuscitation on a high-fidelity human simulator (Laerdal SimMan). Errors and their nature, time to critical interventions, and compliance with continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were captured by the simulator and videotape. RESULTS: Two paramedic crews averaged 0.7 +/- 0.5 more errors of commission, 0.5 +/- 0.4 more errors of sequence, and 0.8 +/- 0.8 more total errors per resuscitation (+/- 95% CI; p = 0.008, 0.017, and 0.036, respectively). For all interventions analyzed, only time required to achieve intubation differed between the two configurations, with two paramedic crews intubating 63.9 +/- 45.8 seconds more quickly (p = 0.009). CPR compliance was highly variable, and a meaningful statistical difference could not be determined, although performance overall was poor, with both configurations averaging less than 50% compliance. CONCLUSION: Two paramedic crews were more error-prone and did not perform most interventions more rapidly with the exception of intubation. These data do not support the proposition that two paramedic crews provide higher quality cardiac care than paramedic-EMT crews in a simulated ventricular fibrillation arrest.

Organizational policy and other factors associated with emergency medical technician seat belt use.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with seat belt usage among Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). METHODS: As part of biennial re-registration paperwork, nationally registered EMTs completed a survey on the safety and health risks facing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers. Respondents were asked to describe their seat belt use while in the front seats of an ambulance. They were categorized as "high" in seat belt use if it had been more than a year since they had not worn their seat belt or "low" in seat belt use if they had not worn their seat belt at least once within the past 12 months. A logistic regression model was fit to estimate the association between seat belt use, organizational seat belt policy, type of EMS organization worked for, EMT certification level, and the size of community where EMS work is performed. RESULTS: Of the 41,823 EMTs that re-registered in 2003, surveys were received from 29,575 (70.7%). A significant interaction between organizational seat belt policy and type of EMS organization was found to exist. Participants reporting no organizational seat belt policy had lower odds of seat belt usage when compared to individuals that do have a seat belt policy. Odds Ratios ranged from 0.20 (95% CI 0.10-0.40) for military organizations to 0.59 (95% CI 0.38-0.93) for private EMS organizations. Paramedics and those working in rural areas also had lower odds of seat belt use. CONCLUSION: Several factors were found to be associated with seat belt usage among EMTs while in the front compartment of an ambulance. However, it appears that only one, organizational policy, is a modifiable characteristic.

Compensation of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this paper is to identify factors associated with compensation for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics and assess whether these associations have changed over the period 1999-2008. METHODS: Data obtained from the Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographic Study (LEADS) surveys, a mail survey of a random, stratified sample of nationally certified EMT-Basics and Paramedics, were analyzed. For the 1999-2003 period, analyses included all respondents providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS). With the addition of a survey in 2004 about volunteers, it was possible to exclude volunteers from these analyses. RESULTS: Over 60% of EMT-Basics reported being either compensated or noncompensated volunteers in the 2004-2008 period. This was substantially and significantly greater than the proportion of EMT-Paramedic volunteers (<25%). The EMT-Paramedics earned significantly more than EMT-Basics, with differentials of $11,000-$18,000 over the course of the study. The major source of earnings disparity was type of organization: respondents employed by fire-based EMS agencies reported significantly higher earnings than other respondents, at both the EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic levels. Males also earned significantly more than females, with annual earnings differentials ranging from $7,000 to $15,000. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of factors associated with compensation disparities within the EMS profession. These include type of service (ie, fire-based vs. other types of agencies) and gender. The reasons for these disparities warrant further investigation. Studnek JR . Compensation of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(Suppl. 1):s87-s95.

JEMS' 1997 Provider Income Survey.

Each year the JEMS salary survey presents the organizational perspective of salaries, benefits and working conditions in EMS. In 1997, JEMS editors wanted to know whether an individual provider's financial perspective changed meaningfully when their non-EMS income was also considered. That question led to the provider income survey, which accompanied last November's feature on salaries. For a review of the most interesting trends and tidbits on EMS provider income, read on.

Safety and health compliance for hazmat. The "HAZWOPER" (Worker Protection Standards for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) standard.

With as many as 1.8 million workers at risk for hazardous-materials exposure, OSHA and the EPA have recently published rules regulating hazmat safety operations. This article summarizes these rules, commonly referred to as HAZWOPER, and addresses their impact on EMS agencies and employees.

1991 EMS salary survey.

Does money make the EMS world go around? This fourth annual survey looks at nationwide compensation levels according to 13 different career positions in EMS.