The EMS Workforce

1
The EMS Workforce

• Gamunu Gam Wijetunge, NREMT-P
• Office of Emergency Medical Services
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

2
Overview

• Who is NHTSA-EMS?
• Overview of the UCSF/UW workforce project and
  other national efforts

3
Federal EMS Program Coordination
4
Federal EMSCooperation, not silos

• Excellent cooperation
• Joint project funding
• Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency
  Medical Services (FICEMS)
• Formal mechanism
• Long-term Federal EMS strategic planning

5
The EMS Workforce

• Who is the EMS Workforce?
• Multiple sources of data
• What are the major workforce issues?
• Recruitment and retention
• Wellness and safety
• Education
• Need for data-driven approach

6
Who is the EMS Workforce?

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.dol.gov/bls)
• LEADS
• Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographics Study

7
The Who, What, Where and Why
8
LEADS Project

• Track information about EMTs throughout the
  United States over 10 years or longer
• Scientifically-based, long term survey that
  permits unique longitudinal and cross sectional
  analyses

9
LEADS Survey Design

• Survey instrument
• Annual core
• Semi-annual snapshot
• Data collection
• Data analysis

10
Snapshot Surveys

• Focus on LEADS research questions
• Education (1999)
• Worklife (2000)
• Compensation (2001)
• Risk behavior (2002)
• Effects and preparedness post 9/11 (2003)
• Ambulance safety (2004)
• Sleep issues (2005)

11
Employment of EMTs before entering EMS

• Industry EMT-Basics Paramedics
• Health Care 14.4 11.2
• Student 11.2 19.2
• Government 8.1 3.4
• Manufacturing 7.9 10.1
• Retail/distribution 6.9 11.2
• Business services 6.7 4.8
• Military 4.6 5.2
• Agriculture/farming 4.3 5.4
• Other 19.2 14.4

12
Years of Service in EMS

• Median Years Worked in EMS
• EMT-Basics 2.17 years
• EMT-Paramedics 9.12 years
• Has worked in EMS in multiple states
• EMT-Basics 13.5
• EMT-Paramedics 14.7

13
Satisfaction

• Appreciation and recognition from their EMS
  organization
• 36 of EMT-Basics were dissatisfied
• 46 of EMT-Paramedics were dissatisfied
• Most felt the community is satisfied with the
  level of EMS care provided
• .76 on a scale of 0 to 1.0

14
LEADS Information
http//www.nremt.org/about/lead_survey.asp
15
EMS Workforce for the 21st Century Project

• UCSF Principal Investigator
• Susan Chapman, RN, PhD
• Schapman_at_thecenter.ucsf.edu
• www.emsworkforce.com
• UW Co-Investigators
• Sue Skillman, MS and Davis Patterson, PhD

16
Scope of the Project

• Multi-year project
• Conduct a comprehensive national assessment of
  the EMS Workforce, including focused research on
  the volunteer and rural workforces.
• Develop a consensus vision on the future of the
  EMS Workforce

17
3 Phase Approach

• Assessment
• UCSF/UW conducting in-depth analysis of the state
  of the prehospital workforce
• Policy Development
• EMS community will develop consensus vision for
  the future with scientific guidance from UCSF/UW
• Implementation
• Planning for making the vision a reality

18
The Economic Perspective

• Need
• Demand
• Supply

19
Goals

• Provide good science to policy makers.
• Use good policy to guide programs.
• Measure impact.
• Invest resources in what works!

20
So what?

• www.emsworkforce.com
• Project announcements and press releases
• EMS workforce blog
• Influence the research
• Stakeholders Meeting Sept. 11-12, 2006

21

• Gamunu Gam Wijetunge, NREMT-P
• U.S.DOT/NHTSA/OEMS
• Gamunu.Wijetunge_at_dot.gov
• W(202)493-2793
• F(202)366-7721