Webinars & Town Halls

In this virtual GR, Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed, the Division and Fellowship Program Director for Emergency Medical Services at the University of Iowa shared insights on the essential topic of reviewing and negotiating EMS contracts.

NAEMSP is here to help you navigate the EMS fellowship process—from applications to making your rank list. Attendees brought their questions for our panel of fellowship directors and current fellows, who talked about what makes a good EMS fellow, how to get the most out of a fellowship, how to job hunt afterwards, and anything else you may want to know about an EMS fellowship.

Every day, EMS encounters patients in crisis from opioid use disorder.  Communities rely upon EMS to be the safety net and also the bridge and connection for patients to receive appropriate care. In this webinar, Jose Cabanas, MD, MPH, FAEMS and Melody Glenn, MD, MFA, FASAM discuss the crucial roles of EMS in addiction medicine.  EMS is moving itself into a new area of influence where we collaborate with community resources as the frontline providers.  We have the opportunity to save lives and do a tremendous amount of good with patients who use drugs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the healthcare system and has highlighted the need for healthcare reform. As the world moves forward from the pandemic, it is likely that the future of healthcare will be shaped by the need for cost containment while continuing to shift the healthcare delivery system to a more value-based care model.

Although EMS provides an essential role, only 14 states currently recognize it as an essential service. Citizens in most of the U.S. take as a given that a call to 911 for a medical emergency will result in the timely arrival of skilled help and transport.

From 911 dispatch to hospital handoff, EMTs and paramedics are tasked with receiving a myriad of medical complaints and translating them into a diagnosis that impacts acute care, disposition, and hospital provider first impressions. As communities across the US grow and diversify, prehospital providers must learn to work most effectively across cultures in a manner that values the unique health disparities of a population and its direct impact on patient needs, healthcare compliance, and provider trust.

Many US EMS systems are experiencing unprecedented challenges in providing ambulance availability. Some of this appears directly related to the lingering effects of the pandemic on staffing and, more recently, overwhelmed hospital systems have no place to put our patients leading to extended “wall times” for our crews. NAEMSP is convening a series a Town Halls to bring together a geographically diverse group of EMS leaders to discuss the current state of affairs and approaches they have taken to deal with the crisis. Join us in this timely discussion, bring questions and solutions as you visit with this seasoned group of colleagues.