Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study
Abstract Objective There is growing concern with the strength and stability of the emergency medical services (EMS) workforce with reports of workforce challenges in many communities in the United States. Our objective was to estimate changes in the EMS workforce by evaluating the number of clinicia...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12975 |
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| author | Jordan D. Kurth Jonathan R. Powell Christopher B. Gage Alix Delamare Fauvel Remle P. Crowe Rebecca E. Cash Ashish R. Panchal |
| author_facet | Jordan D. Kurth Jonathan R. Powell Christopher B. Gage Alix Delamare Fauvel Remle P. Crowe Rebecca E. Cash Ashish R. Panchal |
| author_sort | Jordan D. Kurth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective There is growing concern with the strength and stability of the emergency medical services (EMS) workforce with reports of workforce challenges in many communities in the United States. Our objective was to estimate changes in the EMS workforce by evaluating the number of clinicians who enter, stay, and leave. Methods A 4‐year retrospective cohort evaluation of all certified EMS clinicians at the emergency medical technician (EMT) level or higher was conducted for 9 states that require national EMS certification to obtain and maintain EMS licensure. The study spanned 2 recertification cycles (2017–2021) for 2 workforce populations: the certified workforce (all EMS clinicians certified to practice) and the patient care workforce (the subset who reported providing patient care). Descriptive statistics were calculated and classified into 1 of 3 categories: EMS clinicians who entered, stayed in, or left each respective workforce population. Results There were 62,061 certified EMS clinicians in the 9 included states during the study period, and 52,269 reported providing patient care. For the certified workforce, 80%–82% stayed in and 18%–20% entered the workforce. For the patient care workforce, 74%–77% stayed and 29%–30% entered. State‐level rates of leaving each workforce ranged from 16% to 19% (certified) and 19% to 33% (patient care). From 2017 to 2020, there was a net growth of both the certified (8.8%) and patient care workforces (7.6%). Conclusions This was a comprehensive evaluation of both the certified and patient care EMS workforce dynamics in 9 states. This population‐level evaluation serves as the first step for more detailed analyses to better understand workforce dynamics in EMS. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9a41b86b77dd4ed6ae220fb8fcfd4602 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2688-1152 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-9a41b86b77dd4ed6ae220fb8fcfd46022025-08-20T02:20:13ZengElsevierJournal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open2688-11522023-06-0143n/an/a10.1002/emp2.12975Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate studyJordan D. Kurth0Jonathan R. Powell1Christopher B. Gage2Alix Delamare Fauvel3Remle P. Crowe4Rebecca E. Cash5Ashish R. Panchal6National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Columbus Ohio USANational Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Columbus Ohio USANational Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Columbus Ohio USADepartment of Emergency Medicine The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio USAESO Inc Austin Texas USADepartment of Emergency Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USANational Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Columbus Ohio USAAbstract Objective There is growing concern with the strength and stability of the emergency medical services (EMS) workforce with reports of workforce challenges in many communities in the United States. Our objective was to estimate changes in the EMS workforce by evaluating the number of clinicians who enter, stay, and leave. Methods A 4‐year retrospective cohort evaluation of all certified EMS clinicians at the emergency medical technician (EMT) level or higher was conducted for 9 states that require national EMS certification to obtain and maintain EMS licensure. The study spanned 2 recertification cycles (2017–2021) for 2 workforce populations: the certified workforce (all EMS clinicians certified to practice) and the patient care workforce (the subset who reported providing patient care). Descriptive statistics were calculated and classified into 1 of 3 categories: EMS clinicians who entered, stayed in, or left each respective workforce population. Results There were 62,061 certified EMS clinicians in the 9 included states during the study period, and 52,269 reported providing patient care. For the certified workforce, 80%–82% stayed in and 18%–20% entered the workforce. For the patient care workforce, 74%–77% stayed and 29%–30% entered. State‐level rates of leaving each workforce ranged from 16% to 19% (certified) and 19% to 33% (patient care). From 2017 to 2020, there was a net growth of both the certified (8.8%) and patient care workforces (7.6%). Conclusions This was a comprehensive evaluation of both the certified and patient care EMS workforce dynamics in 9 states. This population‐level evaluation serves as the first step for more detailed analyses to better understand workforce dynamics in EMS.https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12975 |
| spellingShingle | Jordan D. Kurth Jonathan R. Powell Christopher B. Gage Alix Delamare Fauvel Remle P. Crowe Rebecca E. Cash Ashish R. Panchal Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| title | Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study |
| title_full | Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study |
| title_short | Evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce: A preliminary multistate study |
| title_sort | evaluating changes in the emergency medical services workforce a preliminary multistate study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12975 |
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