To:
OSPA Members
Date: Feb. 18, 2007
RE: Minutes of 2/9/07 BME - EMERGENCY MEDICAL
TECHNICIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
These are my observations and recordings of the EMT
Committee meeting. It will likely be several months
before the actual minutes come out from the BME. If
there are any corrections or additions, I will send
those out.
Gary McLean, EMT-P
President, OSPA
====================================================================================
AGENDA
1. Approve minutes of the December 8, 2006 EMT
Advisory Committee meeting: Minutes were approved.
2. EMS Office Update & Senate Bill 162, Dr.
Grant Higginson, MD, MPH, Acting Director of EMS
& Trauma Dr. Higginson gave an update of the EMS
office and SB-162. He believes SB-162 will be
discussed in early March, possibly at Ways and Means
committee on March 1st and possibly again on March
2nd in Lincoln City. I would encourage anyone
interested in this bill to follow it themselves as
it progresses through Salem (www.leg.state.or.us).
Dr. Higginson noted that funding for SB-162 was
still in question as the majority of the funding
would come from an increase in the tobacco tax if
approved by the legislator. Dr. Rostykus discussed a
letter sent to the EMS office regarding SB-162 from
the committee and several recommendations.
3. Final review of OAR 847-035-0030 - (6) Scope of
practice - Adds "Physician
Assistants" to the list of health care
providers that can sign a life-sustaining
treatment order. It was noted that the actual BME
was in support of this, so
there was no controversy with this request.
Approved.
4. National Association of EMS Physicians - Annual
Meeting Report from Paul
Rostykus, MD
Dr. Rostykus gave a very good report on his
attendance at the NAEMSP meeting.
Items discussed at the meeting included Protocols,
Equipment, EMS System
Development and Quality. He also encouraged all EMS
agencies to get their
Supervising Physicians to participate with NAEMSP
and the Supervising
Physician's forum. The next Annual NAEMSP meeting is
in Phoenix, January 10-13,
2008. Have your SP contact Dr. Rostykus at: sharpa@mind.net
5. Supervising Physician Forum report - Dr.Rostykus
gave a report on the Oregon
EMS Supervising Physician's Forum that met on
January 29th from 10:30AM to 4PM.
They discussed the future of the forum and received
updates on the EMS Office
(Dr. Higginson), Selective Spinal Immobilization
(Dr. David Grant), Aeromedical
Services (Rick Lindquist), STEMI / CVA /AHA
Initiatives (Dr. Rostykus and
Kristen Eilers) and EMS Airway Management from Dr.
Rob Vissers. Again,
Dr.Rostykus encouraged EMS agencies to have their
Supervising Physicians join
the Forum. Contact Dr. Rostykus at: sharpa@mind.net
6. National (NHTSA) EMS Scope of Practice Model -
Dr. Rostykus gave a brief
explanation of a handout comparing the National
Scope of Practice with Oregon's
Scope of Practice. Overall they looked very close.
Oregon had a few items the
National Scope did not and visa versa. Example:
National includes "Mechanical
positive pressure ventilation" - Oregon does
not include this specific training
although Oregon's EMT-Basic scope includes
"Ventilate with a non-invasive
positive pressure delivery system." These could
be considered the same, maybe
not. There will be more discussion on this at future
EMT Committee meetings.
7. Request change EMT-I scope of practice from
'morphine' to 'Opioids.'
This item was discussed due to a request to add
fentanyl to the EMT-I scope so
EMT-Is can work closer with EMT-Ps. It was discussed
and considered too
controversial to change the EMT-I scope to read
"Opioids" versus listing
specific medications. It was also decided to wait
until at least the next BME-
EMT Committee meeting to consider adding fentanyl to
the EMT-I scope. The new
EMT-I level designers asked that nothing be added
for at least two years after
the program started so as to evaluate the program.
That two year date is this
fall (2007). When asked how this evaluation would
occur and who would be
responsible for the evaluation, there was not a
clear answer.
8. Other business:
Question presented: Now that it looks like th BME is
going to allow EMT-Basics,
under protocols approved by the Section, to give
Atropine and 2Pam in "the event
of organophosphate agents" being released, does
the Section have any approved
protocols already that EMS agencies can use? The
answer was 'No' or not know to
Dr. Higginson. It was recommended for agencies to
write up a protocol and
submit it to the Section for that approval.
BME EMT Committee Opening: It was noted that at the
next meeting, possibly two
positions will be coming open, the EMT-Basic and one
physician's spot. Anyone
interested in applying should consider starting that
process. There is no OAR
requirement that an EMT-Basic be a member of the EMT
Advisory Committee, so
anyone (EMT-B through EMT-P) interested should
apply. There will be more
information coming out on these openings soon.
9. Future meeting dates:
Tentatively scheduled for: May 11, 2007 and August
24, 2007.
I believe these to be a close, accurate and
un-biased recording. Hope so..... maybe
some spelling errors.
Gary McLean, RN, EMT-P
President, Oregon State Paramedic Association
Oregon Affiliate - National Association of EMTs
============================================================================================================
To:
OSPA Members
Date:
Feb. 8, 2007
OSPA's web site (www.OregonEMS.Org) now has an
employment page. Check out the ad for a
Paramedic/EMS Supervisor for the Wallowa County
Heath Care District in beautiful northeastern
Oregon.
If anyone hears of any other opening, let us know
and we will post them.
Stay safe out there.....
Gary McLean, RN, EMT-P
President, Oregon State Paramedic Association
Oregon Affiliate - National Association of EMTs
============================================================================================================
Date:
Sept. 5, 2006
To:
OSPA Members
RE:
Annual Meeting Agenda - DRAFT
2006
OSPA Annual Meeting Agenda
Here
is the draft for our annual meeting
held during the State EMS Conference.
It's pretty much the same as last
year's agenda.
I am still waiting for room
confirmation, but it will be held
downstairs in one of the training
rooms like last year.
If anyone has anything they would like
to add to the agenda, please let me
know.
These meetings are usually pretty
short, very relaxed, and open for any
EMT or First Responder to attend.
Please notice that elections of
officers are held at the annual
meeting, however you do NOT have to be
present to vote or run. If you
are interested in running for a
position, please let me know. I
believe you all have copies of the
OSPA by-laws, plus they are available
on the OSPA website.
All positions are open and I am
considering not running as President
for 2006-2007. I feel like I am not
giving the association the time and
energy it needs to grow. The
"OSPA Updates" are not
frequent enough, and you all deserve
better. Going to meetings, maintaining
the website, looking for sponsors,
etc, all takes a lot of time. Plus,
having four cardiac stents placed over
the last year and getting married
today (in about 10 hours), life just
keeps going faster and faster.
If you have any recommendations, I am
open to any ideas. This is your
organization.
Hope to see at the conference and at
the meeting.
Any OSPA members going to the NAEMT
conference in Las Vegas?
Any of you are free to contact me
anytime at my home: 503-668-3064.
Gary
====================================================
Oregon State
Paramedic Association
2006 Annual Meeting
Draft - Agenda - Draft
Date: September 21, 2006 -
Thursday
Location: Red Lion at Jantzen Beach -
Room to be announced
Time: 1800 - 1900 hours
1. WELCOME and INTRODUCTIONS:
{Article X: QUORUM: Section I: At
least two officers, two non-officers
Executive Committee members, and any
three OSPA Active members shall
constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business at the annual
meeting of the Association.}
{Article XII: Parliamentary Authority:
The rules contained in Robert's Rules
of Order (Revised) shall govern this
Association in all cases to which they
are applicable and in which they are
not inconsistent with these Bylaws.}
2. STATUS REPORT:
A. Address of the President:
1. Status of the Association:
2. Membership Status:
a. Membership
numbers
b. Membership
problems:
c. Suggestions to
increase membership:
3. NAEMT Affiliation:
a. Governor:
b. Vice-Governor:
4. Legislative, DHS-EMS and BME
Issues:
5. Website: Visits/month,
sponsorship, etc.
6. Proposed OSPA Direction:
7. Proposed legislative issues:
8. Election of OSPA officers:
(Anyone interested, please submit your
name and position. ALL positions are
open.)
B. Reports of the Officers:
1. VP/Secretary: {The Secretary
shall be accountable for record
keeping, reporting of meetings of
OSPA, and mailings and communication
to the general membership.}
2. Treasure's Report:
a. Financial
Status:
b. Income:
Membership, Sponsorship, Sales, etc.
c. Expenses:
Membership, Website, Patches, etc.
d. Recommendations
for 2006.
3. Committees: Recommendations
from the General Membership?
C. Proposed By-Law Additions/Changes:
Article XI: MEETINGS:
(New) Section I: Membership A.) OSPA
is established primarily as an
internet, web-based association having
limited meetings, but dealing with its
business via e-mail and the OSPA web
page forum/voting medium.
Article V: Executive Committee and
Committee Duties:
Section I: Membership
A. The Executive Committee shall
consist of the Association's Officers
and one member representing each First
Responder and EMT level.
==================================================================================================
Gary
McLean, EMT-P
President, Oregon State Paramedic
Association
Oregon Affiliate - National
Association of EMTs |
|
===========================================================================================================
To:
OSPA Members, Sept 4th, 2006
Just
a quick update on several matters.
I. NEXT BME Meeting!
BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS, 1500 SW 1st Ave, Suite
620, Portland, Oregon 97201
EMT ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Friday, September 8, 2006,
9:00 AM
- - - AGENDA - - -
1. Congratulations to Dr.
Rostykus for a second term, and Rose Howe, EMT I for
a first term.
2. Select a new
Chairperson.
3. Approve minutes of the
June 2, 2006 EMT Advisory Committee meeting
4. Final Review OAR
847-035-0030 Scope of Practice
A) delete
"percutaneous" cricothyrotomy,
allowing surgical cricothyrotomies with permission
of supervising physician
5. First review of OAR
847-035-0030 Scope of Practice
Add to
EMT-I scope of practice ability to administer
immunizations under certain conditions
6. Advisory Team Report on the
National Highway & Transportation Safety
Administration Reassessment of
EMS in Oregon (Available at the meeting)
7. Other business
8. Future meeting date
===========================================================================
II. At the BME's July 13th meeting the following OAR
change was made to the EMS Scope of Practice:
"The adopted rule change defines a cuffed
pharyngeal airway device under the EMT-B scope of
practice,
removes the specification of 1:10,000 from
epinephrine under the EMT-I scope of practice, and
moves
EKG monitoring and interpretation from the EMT-P to
the EMT-I scope of practice."
===========================================================================
III. DHS - EMS
The State EMS office is currently reviewing the OARs
affecting EMS.
Although we have no State EMS Director, Dr. Grant
Higginson is the acting EMS Director and is
attempting to continue the programs the EMS office
has been working on.
The big item is the OARs.
First: There is NO EMT-P recertification
200-question written exam next year! DHS-EMS has
pulled that items from the OARs.
Oone of the proposals: EMT Recertification hours.
Although it is a little more detailed than this, it
has been discussed to change the EMT Recert hours to
the following:
EMT-B: No change in hours, kept at 25.
EMT-I: Increase CME hours from the current 14 to 36,
with required topics.
EMT-P: Increase from the current 24 to 72, with
required topics.
Increasing the EMT-I hours from 14 to 36 makes sense
when you think about the increase in scope EMT-Is
are facing. There is nothing magic about the number
36, and it's just a guess. EMT-Is will be required
to be signed off on skills and all CME hours will be
available (hour-for-hour) via distributive training.
The increase in EMT-P hours from 24 to 72 was, in my
opinion, unjustified. Again the number 72 is just a
guess, and not a person at the OAR review meeting
could honestly say that our current standards are
breading incompetent EMT-Ps. The number 72 is to
make Oregon the same as NREMT. Does this benefit the
EMT-P? Yes, if that person wants to maintain their
NREMT-P status, but it does not 'benefit' an Oregon
EMT-P, except for more training. That's not a bad
thing. However, only 18 hours will be allowed to be
obtained through distributive CME. It was pointed
out that this would make it even more difficult for
rural and frontier EMT-Ps to obtain their CME
requirements. The answer heard by all, "There
aren't that many EMT-Ps in the rural and frontier
areas to be concerned about." I don't see this
as helping that number increase. It should be
pointed out that that the Oregon Fire Chief's
Association was not at the meeting and, thus did not
have a
comment. It should also be noted that an OVFA
representative was at the meeting and supported this
increase. That's a big difference between OSPA and
OVFA. I did not support the concept and would not
support the concept without a vote of our members.
OVFA, which I am a member of, doesn't ask their
members. To support an item that triples the CME
hours for EMT-Ps, many of whom have to pay for their
own CME, without asking them is, well, not what I
want in an organization that represents me. It
should also be noted that the majority of people at
the OAR meeting were not representing EMTs but EMS
agencies, several of which operate near the Oregon
border and as such see a benefit in having EMT-Ps
with NREMT certification. Not that I am paranoid,
but these agencies could require their EMT-Ps to
have that many CME hours now. However, if it is CME
required by the state, I believe the courts have
ruled that these are non-compensatory hours
(unpaid).
If the agency requires them, many agencies will have
to pay for those hours.. So, put the blame on the
state ("It's a state requirement."), get
more from your employees, and not pay for it. But,
OSPA was not created to look at labor issues, so
this is a bit of a touchy subject.
Stay tuned. There is another OAR meeting in
mid-September. I believe it is Sept 15th at the
State EMS building. I will let you all know the
actual date when I hear it. You are free to attend
and state your opinions.
QUESTION: Should OSPA support increasing the CME
hours for EMT-Is and EMT-Ps?
Gary McLean, EMT-P
President, Oregon State Paramedic Association
Oregon Affiliate - National Association of EMTs
Home: 503-668-3064
====================================================================================================
To:
OSPA Members
Date:
December 4, 2005
Subject:
Oregon EMS Related News
BME
EMT Advisory Committee - EMT Nominations.
The
next meeting of the Oregon Board of Medical
Examiner's EMT Advisory Committee is Friday,
December 9th. One of the primary topics
on the agenda will be the nomination of an EMT to
fill the vacancy of John Herbold, EMT-I from Klamath Falls.
Initially
there were three nominations received by the BME:
Kara Kohfield, Rose Howe and Terry Ney. Last
week, Terry Ney, who was being endorsed by OSPA,
removed his nomination.
I
sent an e-mail to both Kara and Rose asking them for
information to post of the OSPA web
site. As of today, I have not received a
response from Kara. However, I am attaching,
with her approval, a copy of the letter Rose
Howe sent to the OFMAA for their endorsement.
Please review Rose's letter and let the BME know of
your support for either Rose or Kara. The
individual chosen by the BME will represent all EMTs
regarding scope of practice issues for possibly the
next 6 years.
Gary McLean
Here
is Rose's letter: - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - -
Chris Benson
President
Oregon Fire Medical Administrator's Association
October 23, 2005
Dear Chris,
It was very nice to speak with you on the telephone
the other day and, as requested, I have compiled a
synopsis of my work and certain pertinent events
occurring during the time I have been involved with
EMS
in
Oregon
.
I would once again like to reiterate that it
is rather hard for me to go about tooting my own
horn, so thought it best to just follow your
"time line" suggestion.
Originally from
England
, I came to the
United States
in 1985 and have resided in this
area of
Eastern Oregon
for the past 9 years.
In 1999 I became part of an all volunteer
group of folks from the small
village
of
Monument
who comprise the Monument
Volunteer Ambulance.
We are under the auspices of Blue Mountain
Hospital Volunteer Ambulance service in
John Day
with TR Hilton being our
ambulance coordinator.
Although we are associated with
Blue
Mountain
Hospital
, the Monument Volunteer
Ambulance is an entity unto itself in many ways.
Below please
find a synopsis of my activities and accomplishments
since joining the
EMS
ranks in 1999.
March 1999
Successfully completed EMT-Basic course
June 2000
Successfully completed EMT-Intermediate
course
September
2000 Awarded
the "Most Dedicated EMT" award for
Grant
County
September
2001 Awarded
the "EMT Intermediate of the Year Award"
by the State of
Oregon
November
2001 Awarded
the "Most Inspirational EMT" award for
Grant
County
December
2001 Wrote and
received a grant from OHSU for radio and pager
equipment for the Monument EMT's
August 2002
Assigned Medical Unit Leader on the Flagtail/Malheur
Complex fire. A
40,000 acre wildfire, comprising of 1700 people with
15 EMT's under my direction.
September
2002 Taught a
First Responder Class in Monument in order to
encourage more people to join the Monument Volunteer
Ambulance crew
November
2002 Awarded
the "Dan Cary Award" which recognises an
EMT that "… does so much and asks so for so
little…"
December
2002 Wrote and
received a grant from OHSU for additional radios for
the Monument EMT's
May 2003
Wrote and received a grant from the State of
Oregon RAED
programme for assistance in the
purchase of a new Zoll defibrillator for the
Monument Ambulance.
Began PAD (Public Access Defibrillator)
programme for the Monument/Kimberly area of
Grant
County
(see note below)
June 2003
Invited to attend the NAEMSE/NHTSA Instructor
Development Course of which I successfully completed
October 2003 Awarded the "EMT Intermediate of the Year" and the
"Community Commitment" award for
Grant
County
November
2003 Invited
to teach, and successfully taught an EMT
Intermediate class in
Wheeler
County
.
This was through
Columbia
Gorge
Community College
, program administrator: Linda
Quackenbush
February
2004 Wrote and received a grant from the State of
Oregon RAED
programme for additional PAD's
for our area of
Grant
County
March 2004
Completed Course Director Update programme
November
2004 Awarded
the "Dan Cary Award" for
Grant
County
November
2004 Taught an
EMT Basic class in Monument.
This was through
Blue
Mountain
Community College
, program administrator: John
Wooten
In addition,
I became a CPR instructor and retain that
certification in order to provide our community and
other small communities the opportunity to benefit
from CPR training.
This I do on a voluntary basis as a fund
raising effort for the Monument Volunteer Ambulance.
I also have applied for, and received,
educational grants through NEOAHEC in order for the
EMT's in Monument and myself to attend annual
educational conferences and classes outside the
area. I
am one of the primary recertification training
officers for our local EMT's.
When at home, I am on call 24/7 for my
community.
I need to
clarify that I cannot take full credit for the
establishment of the PAD program in our area of
Grant County as TR Hilton, EMT-P, had started a PAD
program in the John Day area and was kind enough to
supply me with the necessary grant application and
procedure process. I
do however, regularly train the organisations where
the PAD devices we have purchased are housed, and it
is my hope to one day have at least three additional
PAD's situated around our area of the county.
In early
2004 I was invited to be part of the Committee
revising the Intermediate Curriculum for
Oregon
and it has been a tremendous
privilege to be involved in something so important
for EMT Intermediates in
Oregon
.
Although my heart is of course in the very
rural areas, I also see that the needs, fears and
aspirations of those EMT's from the more heavily
populated areas are often just as tenuous as are
those from the "frontier" of Oregon.
I feel rather strongly there should not be
"them" and "us"… only
"we".
That is
really all I can say about my duties and
accomplishments performed during my time as an EMT
Chris. I
feel very honoured, and humbled I might add, that
folks unbeknownst to me would consider me worthy of
a nomination for a position on the BME.
I am very fortunate in having a husband who
is extremely supportive of my EMT side of life as he
knows it is something very dear to my heart.
If there is any additional information you require
or clarification on any point in my narrative,
please do not hesitate to e-mail me or give me a
ring. Thank
you again for considering me worthy of this task.
Sincerely,
Rose
Rose Howe EMT-I
(
Monument
,
Oregon
)
===================================================================================================
To:
OSPA Members
Date:
Oct. 4, 2005
Subject:
Oregon EMS related news
-
State
EMS Awards Banquet
. Please see: http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ems/recognition
The
2005 State EMS & Trauma System’s EMS Awards
are posted on the EMS Office web site listed above.
However, I would like to give a brief report on the
awards banquet.
Having
attended a number of banquets in the past, I believe
this to be one of the nicest I’ve witnessed. It
started off with our new State EMS & Trauma
System’s Director, Mrs. Jeanne Arana, singing the
national anthem a cappella. She did a fantastic job
and I know crowd was impressed. I know I was. What
other state can claim that?
I’m
not sure where an actual copy of the EMS
awards booklet can be found, however it is probably
available through the State EMS Office. Parts
of it are posted on the DHS-EMS web site.
Last
Call: Rosemary Braniff, Dr. Leonard Rose, Richard
C. Seward, William M. Hesse, Jason Ohm, Mark Sundin.
Special
EMS Recognition: Dr. Leonard Rose, Dr. Edward
Press (OSPA Nomination)
Civilian
Service Medal: Emily Slayton, Gresham
Civilian
Service Medal: Cameron Cambell, Monmouth
Community
Service Medal: Eugene Strecker, EMT-P, Medic
Ambulance
Lifesaving
Medal: Arnold S. Deters, EMT-B, Boring RFPD
EMS
Unit Citation: Tillamook County Emergency
Communications District (911), Tillamook County
General Hospital Ambulance, Tillamook County Sheriff’s
Office, Garibaldi Fire Department.
EMS
Unit Citation: Jackson County Fire District #5,
Phoenix Fire Department, Asland Fire & Rescue.
EMS
Cross: Robert Omstead, EMT-P, Albany
First
Responder of the year: None awarded
EMT-Basic
of the Year: Patricia Matheson, Eagle Valley
EMT-Intermediate
of the Year: Leslie Ayhens, Eagle Valley
EMT-Paramedic
of the year: Kent Wadsworth, Portland
EMS
Educator of the Year: Wayne Endersby, Eagle
Valley
EMS
Medical Director of the Year: Dr. Paul Voeller,
Medix Ambulance
EMS
Administrator of the Year: Vern Bartley, Air
Life of Oregon
EMS
Impact Award: Jon Tardiff, EMT-P, Tillamook (OSPA
Nomination)
Director’s
Medal: Karen Whitaker Knapp, OHSU – Office
of Rural Health
Surprise
Special Award: Awarded by Jeanne Arana to the staff
of DHS - EMS & Trauma Systems for a job well
done over the last couple of years without a
department Director.
Years
of EMS Service & Educational Achievement
Recognition: See:
http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ems/recognition
Congratulations
to all the above for a job well done!
The
Special EMS Recognition award, nominated by OSPA and
presented to Dr. Leonard Rose and Dr. Edward Press,
was received by. Dr. Beatrice Rose. Dr. Leonard
Rose, her husband, died earlier this year and Dr.
Edward Press was in the hospital undergoing
treatment for lymphoma. In attendance with Dr. Rose
were her son and daughter-in-law, the three
individuals responsible for the first documented
cardiac save in the USA (downtown Portland, Or –
Dec. 1969): Roger Fox, Sandra Fox, and Don
Detweiller, and Dr. Don McNeil, responsible for
continuing the Oregon Coronary Ambulance Project.
-
Officer-Next-Door
Program
: Please see: http://www.hud.gov
For
those EMTs interested in purchasing a home at half
price, that’s right, HALF price, the US
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
has just expanded their Officer-Next-Door program to
include EMTs and Firefighters. It doesn’t mean you
have to live in a bad part of town as there were
apparently properties being offered in East
Clackamas County.
-
State
EMS OARs and ORS being reviewed for possible
change
:
The
State EMS & Trauma Systems office has organized
a committee to review Oregon’s administrative
rules and statues to see if any need to be modified.
This Committee is currently meeting and some of the
possibilities are listed below. These are ONLY
discussions at this time and everything is on the
table to be discussed. This ‘review’ occurs
every few years and is needed to keep our ORS/OARs
up to date with the changes in our training,
certification and scope of practice. I have placed
these on the OSPA web site under REGULATIONS. Please
review. Again, these are only discussions.
One
of the more interesting items being discussed is the
possibility of dropping the requirement for EMT-Paramedics
to retake their "State Boards" (the
written exam) every 4 years. In exchange, it
appears, will be the increase of CME hours at the
Paramedic level from 24 to 48 hours, in designated
medical topics and medical topics only. No more
taking administrative classes and using those hours
as CME.
PROPOSED
- ONLY BEING PROPOSED!
333-265-0130
EMT-Paramedic
Continuing Education Requirements for
Recertification
(1)
Beginning with the recertification cycle ending June
30, 2001, an EMT-Paramedic, regardless of
affiliation, is required to have completed the
following continuing education requirements to
retain his or her Oregon EMT-Paramedic
certification:
(a)
All requirements to obtain National Registry of EMT-Paramedic
reregistration as evidenced by submitting a copy of
their current National Registry of EMT-Paramedic
certificate to the Division; or
(b)
Obtain a total of 48hours of continuing education in
the following topics:
(A)
Preparatory 6 hours;
(B)
Airway Management & Ventilation 6 hours
(C)
Trauma 10 hours
(D)
Medical 18 hours
(E)
Special Considerations (pediatrics,
geriatrics, abuse, special needs etc.) 6
hours
(F)
Operations ( incident command, rescue, hazmat, ctime
scene, ambulance operations, etc.) 2 hours
(c)
or successfully complete a Division approved exam.
Again,
this is ONLY being discussed. There are huge
financial considerations to consider when requiring
the doubling of CME hours. Large agencies that are
required to pay their staff for training will have
major concerns with this proposal. Rural agencies
where EMTs will have to dive great distances to get
these ‘required topics’ will also have major
concerns.
Although
I have never personally seen any benefit in having
to take the State written exam every two years (they
gave us the answers, sometimes the wrong answers),
just adding hours to something that might not be
broke doesn’t appear to be the answer. If
something I broke, fix the break, but don’t
require all Paramedics to undergo a treatment not
personally needed. That isn’t good medicine.
There
is also the question of whether mandatory hours in
certain topics actually helps or hinders, and the
availability of those classes. Lastly, the question
of evidence based medicine will likely be asked. Is
there evidence that the current 24-hours isn’t
enough? Is there evidence that doubling those hours
to 48 is enough or too many? To just pick a number
(Why not 72 hours or 36?) isn’t how CME hours
should be picked. It should be based on demonstrated
need, EMT competency, and Supervising Physician
input.
-
EMT-Intermediate
"New Curriculum" Update
: The rollout
for the ‘new’ EMT-I Curriculum and bridge
course appears to be finally happening. The 32
hour, 2-weekend (6 day) Instructor Update course
will be held Oct. 28-30th and Nov 4-6th
in Bend. You are required to attend both training
sessions. For those interested in attending,
contact Leslie Huntington, Mobile Training Unit
Coordinator at mtu2@teleport.com.
I do not know if there is room in the class or not,
but it looks like a good class for those that can
attend. As the BME has already added a number of new
medications and skills to the EMT-Intermediate
level, I do not know what the specifics are for a
person (EMT-P, RN, MD, etc.) to teach an EMT-I ‘Upgrade
class" at their local EMS agency. Per the BME,
current EMT-Is do not have to take the upgrade
class, they can be signed off by their Supervising
Physician. However, it would be advantageous for all
EMT-Is in the State to have the same level of
upgrade class. At the last BME meeting, it was still
stated that the State EMS Office would like to see
all current EMT-Is attend the 32-hour upgrade class
before recertification in 2007. By my calendar, May
2007 is only 18 months away and training
approximately 2000 EMT-Is in a 32-hour course within
that time period doesn’t seem realistic. Remember,
EMT-Is currently need only 12 hours of CME in two
years. Now we are going to require them to attend a
structured class (32 hours) in 18 months. It’s
possible to achieve, but historically,
operationally, and logistically not realistic.
I
think that’s it for the update for now. Let me
know if there is more news to share and I’ll try
and get it out to you all as soon as possible.
Gary
McLean, EMT-P
President,
Oregon State Paramedic Association, 10/4/05
==============
Update:
October 4, 2005:
To: OSPA Members
Subject: 2005 Annual
Meeting Minutes - Report
A number of items have taken place in Oregon's
EMS over the last month. Here is my attempt to
update you on those items:
1. September 15th, 2005: OSPA's 2005
Annual Meeting, Lovejoy Room, Red Lyon - Jantzen
Beach Hotel.
Address of the President
: Building our
organization slowly and steadily, we are attempting
to be seen as cooperative, collaborative and as an
organization that is truly interested in improving
Oregon's EMS services from a street level
perspective. We are the only statewide EMS related
organization in Oregon that has instituted a one
person-one vote design, a design that NAEMT is now
considering. We are also one of the few EMS agencies
that do not take agency membership, but accept only
individuals as members.
BME and State EMS Office: OSPA continues to
work close with both the BME and the State EMS
Office, and to attend their EMT/EMS Committee
meetings. The EMS office seems happier and more
helpful than I have seen it in years. Although I saw
this change occurring prior to the new EMS &
Trauma Systems Director’s arrival (Mrs. Jeanne
Arana), it has become pleasant and positive
experience again in my dealings with the EMS office.
I hope you all find this to be the case.
Legislative Issues: OSPA participated in
several legislative issues this past year, including
HB-2787 (Rural Tax Credits for EMS Workers), HB-3482
(Requires AEDs in health clubs), SB-880 (Nurses to
have certain authority over EMTs) and SB-698
(Physician Assistant’s to have certain authority
over EMTs).
OSPA worked in collaboration with several other
EMS related groups (OVFA and the Oregon Ambulance
Association) to prevent these two pieces of
legislation from going forward. At the same time,
OSPA was the only EMS group that worked with ONA and
the Oregon Society of Physician Assistants to come
up with wording that addressed what these two groups
saw as a need and wording that maintained EMT
autonomy. In the end, both the ONA and the Physician
Assistant’s elected to drop their legislative
attempts. Because we offered to help and not just
block their attempts, OSPA has built a very close
working and trustworthy relationship both of ONA and
the Physician Assistant’s association. In dealing
on legislative issues, trust and the ability to work
with others is very important.
Membership Status: Our membership continues
to grow. With NAEMT affiliation now being official
and Oregon NAEMT members becoming honorary members
(non-voting) of OSPA, we now have over 450 members.
Suggestions of how to increase OSPA membership was
discussed with numerous possibilities proposed
(i.e., group membership discounts, multi-year
membership discounts, etc.). We will continue to
look into these possibilities. As OSPA officers
volunteer their time to OSPA, we are attempting to
find new ways for membership subscription, meetings,
etc., which is time efficient. One of those areas is
membership to NAEMT. How do we make it easy for
members to join OSPA and NAEMT at the same time and
receive the NAEMT $10 discount? This is not
currently possible on either the NAEMT or OSPA web
site.
NAEMT Affiliation: Oregon is one of the
latest states to acquire affiliation status with
NAEMT. As you are all aware, NAEMT is the EMTs voice
on national and international issues. I was
fortunate to be able to attend the NAEMT Annual
meeting last month at EMS-EXPO in New Orleans (the
weekend Katrina hit) with no cost to OSPA. While the
conference was excellent, attending the NAEMT Annual
meeting was a true professional honor.
Being able to meet and talk to national EMS leaders
and to find that Oregon's EMS situations, problems,
etc., are the same as many other states, was very
eye opening. Although there were many items on the
NAEMT agenda, including reports from various
national EMS related agencies on their last and next
year’s goals, two of the highlights of the NAEMT
Annual meeting were:
NAEMT is seriously considering following Oregon's
standard with our one member-one vote rule (NAEMT
sees this as giving its members more voice), and the
question of whether EMS should stay with the NHTSA
or move over to the Department of Homeland Security
was highly charged discussion.
OSPA Web site: We have a new sponsor: AFLAC
Insurance! I would like to thank Casey Shelton,
AFLAC of Oregon District Sales Coordinator, for his
interest and support. Please consider AFLAC’s
products and check out Casey’s web page on the
OSPA web site (under construction).
The OSPA web site (www.OregonEMS.Org)
continues to grow with sponsors and with visits.
Averaging over 1000 visits a month, the OSPA site is
constantly being upgraded to bring you the best we
can give. It's a lot of work to keep it up to date,
keep the links current, post news, etc. OSPA
requests its members send photos to OSPA for
placement on the site. The OSPA web site, although
owned by OSPA, belongs to all EMTs and First
Responders in Oregon. You don't have to be a member
to have your photo placed on the site. We might even
start a page called something like "Oregon EMS
in Action" to place photos on. Send any photos
you have to: Pres@OregonEMS.Org.
OSPA Direction/goals: Discussion resolved
around where OSPA should be headed, 2007 legislative
ideas, etc. Membership, continuing to work on Rural
EMS Tax Credits, availability and cost of training,
scope of practice, and keeping our members up to
date on Oregon EMS news were the items primarily
discussed. We will try to do our best… If you have
news you would like to share, send it to us and we
will post it.
Election of Officers: Nomination of Officers
took place as did reviewing names that were
submitted through e-mail solicitation of our
members.
Treasure’s Report: As of Aug. 31st,
OSPA had a total of $3,321.05 in the bank.(savings/checking).
Income is primarily from membership and sponsorship.
Expenses are primarily web site ISP charges
($15/month), State EMS Conference advertisement
($500) and vendor ($385) participation. Membership
and patch sales primarily are self-sustaining items.
There were no recommendations for the Treasure for
2005. It was noted that if web site sponsorship
could expand to the 8 sponsorship limit originally
discussed, OSPA could possible help send members to
the State EMS Conference, national meeting anl with
conference could be other than to attempt to
increase web site sponsorships.
Committees: As we have no Committee
assignments, we had no Committee reports.
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