Managing the Personnel Crisis in EMS

The future of EMS hangs in the balance and few seem to appreciate that the crisis is no longer looming-it's arrived. Over the past several years, we've witnessed the convergence of workforce shortages, decreasing reimbursement, increasing bills associated with EMS transportation and worsening budget constraints which threaten the longevity of this "third" emergency service. We've seen ad after ad for top-tier EMS systems in a perpetual hiring phase. Increased pay, sign-on bonuses and relocation support often help entice prospective paramedics to come to a new home. Why do we continue to struggle to recruit and retain our workforce in this exciting field? Some will say that pay appropriate to the demands of the job remains lacking. Though many advocate for advancement of formal education requirements in order to justify significant salary increases for "clinician" paramedics, there's also pressure to maintain the "technician" model of care. The Challenge Some arguments focus on ease of recruitment and affordability of a less skilled workforce. The workforce itself is divided on the issue, with some EMTs and paramedics focused on holding onto the public safety identity rather than accepting that the role of EMS is transitioning to one of healthcare delivery. The public safety model entices the workforce through the hope of advancements in administrative hierarchy, while the healthcare delivery model focuses on advancement of the clinical practice l...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Columns Administration and Leadership Source Type: news