EMS Workforce for the 21st Century
Do you ever wonder if anyone really cares about EMS providers? Does anyone really understand what you love about EMS, or what makes the job so challenging? Does anyone really know what your needs and concerns are, as an EMS provider? National EMS leadership has voiced strong concern with the status of the EMS workforce, including the perception of increasing turnover, challenges with recruitment, and concern with worker wellness and safety.
To promote a sufficient, stable, and well-trained EMS workforce for the future NHTSA EMS and the Health Resources and Services Administration (part of the Department of Health and Human Services) are funding a project that will include a systematic assessment of the Nation’s EMS workforce. The goals of this project are to develop a consensus national EMS workforce policy agenda, and to develop priority action steps for assuring a robust EMS workforce.
The Center for the Health Professions at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is assisting NHTSA by conducting a literature search and reviewing reports, publications, unpublished materials, and Web site information relevant to the EMS workforce. They will also explore existing data sources and conduct interviews with national EMS experts to address multiple EMS workforce issues such as:
- size and demographic profile of the EMS workforce;
- training and educational pathways;
- vacancy and turnover rates;
- salary range by training, work setting, and geographic area;
- worker health and safety;
- factors related to job satisfaction by major workforce setting; and
- barriers to training and career development.
Recommendations based on gathered evidence will be shared with national EMS stakeholders, and an EMS Workforce Policy Agenda will be drafted along with a plan to implement the policy recommendations.
We need your input on this project. An “EMS Discussion Blog” site has been established by UCSF at www.emsworkforce.com. We would like input from a broad range of people involved in EMS. Please feel free to post your comments to any and all questions on this site. For more information on the EMS Workforce project, contact Gamunu Wijetunge.