EMS World Magazine is the most authoritative source in the world for clinical and educational material designed to improve the delivery of prehospital emergency medical care.
Issue link: https://emsworld.epubxp.com/i/53080
NEWS NETWORK Emergency leaders must sit at the bargaining table with others in the healthcare system to determine what elements are necessary and who will provide optimal service. An emergency system needs many good people, and thus a career ladder within the healthcare system. The EMT needs a pathway to paramedicine; to an associate degree program in an allied fi eld; to nursing; or to physician or physician-extender positions. Working conditions and wages should be attractive, and systems should be built that allow seniority to be accrued through moving up the ladder. A safe and satisfi ed workforce is the only pathway to a stable future. Many in our communities know EMS performs in heroic fashion and features outstanding patient care every day. They want EMS to be there and be effective. But a sound fi nancial base will be needed to survive. Funding of EMS systems remains a very local decision, and EMS funding is historically fragmented and hidden in the budgets of other agencies. In the new economic climate, it is diffi cult for local political and business leaders to provide adequate fi nancial support. Around the priority for patient care, the focus must remain on demon- strated effi ciencies. There will be horizontal and vertical affi liations, making the best of systems' capacities. Current EMS providers should be very proud of their fi rst 40 years of service. This is now the age of enlightenment for the EMS industry. In defi ning the future and solving its challenges, the new design of emergency care will be patient-focused. In moving to the future, EMS needs to return to the roots of its last 40 years, the patient. James J. Augustine, MD, FACEP, is medical advisor for Washington Township Fire Depart- ment in the Dayton, OH, area. He is director of clinical operations at EMP Management in Canton, OH, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, and a member of the EMS World editorial advisory board. Contact him at jaugustine@emp.com. TRB Plans EMS Transport Safety Summit Safety advocates from EMS and beyond will celebrate Leap Day with a special summit in Washington, D.C., focusing on EMS Safety Systems, Strategies and Solutions. The one-day Feb. 29 workshop is sponsored by the U.S. government's Transportation Research Board, which has a subcommittee devoted to EMS safety. It will present an interdisciplinary "state of the art" in transport safety issues and approaches, including technologies now available and under development, as well as covering human-factors issues and ongoing research and research needs. Proceedings will be broadcast by satellite to the concurrent EMS Today show in Baltimore. Past TRB EMS summits have involved representatives from NHTSA, the DOT's Event will focus on the "state of the art" in ambulance safety Intelligent Transportation Systems office, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Homeland Security and other top agencies and subject-matter experts, as well as state directors and other top EMS officials. For more information see www.objectivesafety.net/TRBSummit2012.htm. Line of Duty Deaths • EMT Timothy "Kyle" Southern, 21, of Priority Patient Transport in Harrisonburg, VA, died in January in an ambulance collision. The patient he was transporting also died. • EMT-B Bill Rose, 42, of Star EMS in Pontiac, MI, collapsed and died during a patient transport in December. Cause of death appeared to be natural. Visit our New Web Site & order online! For More Information Circle 60 on Reader Service Card TMS Medical Technologies 33 Steeplechase Drive Turnersville, NJ 08012 (800)374-9798 or (856)374-4359 www.TMSmedtec.com Finger Pulse Ox: $70 for T33 Only 25 units Available at this Price! Accurate even with hand tremors & cold fingers! Portable ECG: Sale: $169 Only 3.5oz & 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.8" View Stored ECGs. Ideal for ski patrol or bike EMS! Minimax CO Clip $150 Promo Avoid being exposed to Carbon Monoxide on Scene! Detects CO level in the Atmosphere for 2 years. Real Time Display & Alarms on high CO. No calibration Needed! Only 2.5 oz; 3.4 x 2 x 1.1" NIBP/SpO2 Monitors: SunTech NIBP & SpO2: $1,500 SunTech NIBP is Accurate even with patient movement & moving ambulance! Add: Temperature ECG with ST CO2 ! Defibrillator Mounts LP15-Zoll-MRx