RURAL OPERATIONS
fication (BCCTPC) has developed a test that was
beta-tested at EMS World Expo in September. This
test is based on analysis of the jobs performed in
MIH programs as well as from practicing commu-
nity paramedics. It will lend further credibility to
the level of education and skill of the providers giv-
ing this care. The certification does not mean you
can practice in any given state but will be a basis
of competency that could be utilized for a state
endorsement or certification.
Flexibility
One other idea often heard is that para-
medics don't want to do this, or they'd be
nurses. The fact is, most paramedics and
EMTs would like more of a role in disease
prevention and health promotion;
9
they just don't
know how to accomplish it. Through education and
practice paramedics can be taught this role and fulfill
it effectively. Community paramedicine expert Dan
Swayze, DrPH, of the Center for Emergency Medicine
of Western Pennsylvania, often opines that EMTs and
paramedics are natural helpers and already accepted
in their communities, which makes them a natural
fit for this type of work.
The rural CP program must be flexible and open to
change. In Eagle County we lost our diabetes educator,
sponsored by the hospital, six months after starting our
program. Our CPs went and received further education
in diabetes education and teach-back. We then took on
that role for our community's physicians. It has been a
great benefit for our program and the patients we serve
to be flexible and create new programs as needed. It
is also important to be willing to drop programs that
don't have much participation or need. This will allow
providers to focus their time in more beneficial areas.
Conclusion
With a rural CP program, your providers will know
more about the community. They will learn of
resources and become more flexible in all areas of
medicine. CPs can be the eyes and ears of physicians
in patients' homes while at the same time providing
an excellent resource for the 9-1-1 system.
For more resources on starting a community para-
medic program, go to www.communityparamedic.
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22 OCTOBER 2015 | EMSWORLD.com
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