Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T01:06:21.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Recruitment and Retention of New Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2016

Susan A. Chapman ,
Remle P. Crowe  and
Melissa A. Bentley
Susan A. Chapman
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
Remle P. Crowe*
Affiliation:
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Melissa A. Bentley
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
*
Correspondence: Remle P. Crowe, MS, NREMT National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians 6610 Busch Blvd Columbus, Ohio 43229 USA E-mail: rcrowe@nremt.org
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this paper is to describe factors important for the recruitment and retention of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and EMT-Paramedics new to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) field (defined as two years or less of EMS employment) through an analysis of 10 years of Longitudinal EMT Attributes and Demographic Study (LEADS) data.

Methods

Data were obtained from 10 years of LEADS surveys (1999-2008). Individuals new to the profession were identified through responses to a survey item. Their responses were analyzed using weights reflecting each individual’s probability of selection. Means, proportions, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined and used to identify statistically significant differences.

Results

There were few changes in the demographic characteristics of new EMT-Basics and Paramedics across survey years. New EMT-Basics tended to be older and less likely to have a college degree than new EMT-Paramedics. More new EMT-Basics than EMT-Paramedics worked in rural areas and small towns and reported that they were working as a volunteer. There were differences between new EMT-Basics and EMT-Paramedics in several of the reasons for entering the profession and in facets of job satisfaction.

Conclusions

The findings provide guidance for recruiters, educators, employers, and governmental EMS policy organizations and will provide better insight into how to attract and retain new entrants to the field.

ChapmanSA, CroweRP, BentleyMA. Recruitment and Retention of New Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basics and Paramedics. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(Suppl. 1):s70–s86.

Keywords

Emergency Medical Servicesparamedicprehospitalworkforce
Type
Research Article
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 31 , Supplement S1: The Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS): The First 10 Years and a Look at Public Perception of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) , December 2016 , pp. S70 - S86
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

References

1. United States Census Bureau 2010. News. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html. Accessed October 2, 2013.Google Scholar
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013. Chronic diseases and health promotion. http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm. Accessed October 2, 2013.Google Scholar
3. Institute of Medicine. Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2008.Google Scholar
4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2008. EMS workforce for the 21st century: a national assessment. http://www.ems.gov/workforce/index.html. Accessed October 2, 2013.Google Scholar
5. Patterson, PD, Probst, JC, Leith, KH, Corwin, SJ, Powell, MP. Recruitment and retention of emergency medical technicians: a qualitative study. J Allied Health. 2005;34(3):153-162.Google ScholarPubMed
6. McGinnis, KK. State EMS Rural Needs Survey 2004. Falls Church, Virgina USA: National Association of State EMS Directors; 2004.Google Scholar
7. Mueller, KJ, Zhang, W, Lucas, W. Current Issues and New Approaches: The EMS Survey in Nebraska. Omaha, NE: Nebraska Center for Rural Health Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center; 2001.Google Scholar
8. Becknell, J, Ostrow, LS. EMS in rural America. Emerg Med Serv. 2002;31(11):41-42.Google Scholar
9. Federiuk, CS, O’Brien, K, Jui, J, Schmidt, TA. Job satisfaction of paramedics: the effects of gender and type of agency of employment. Ann Emerg Med. 1993;22(4):657-662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Bowron, JS, Todd, KH. Job stressors and job satisfaction in a major metropolitan public EMS service. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1999;14(4):236-239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Brown, WE Jr., Dickison, PD, Misselbeck, WJ, Levine, R. Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attribute and Demographic Study (LEADS): an interim report. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2002;6(4):433-439.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Brown, WE Jr., Dawson, D, Levine, R. Compensation, benefits, and satisfaction: the Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Demographic Study (LEADS) Project. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2003;7(3):357-362.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Patterson, PD, Moore, CG, Sanddal, ND, Wingrove, G, LaCroix, B. Characterizing job satisfaction and intent to leave among nationally registered emergency medical technicians: an analysis of the 2005 LEADS survey. J Allied Health. 2009;38(3):84E-91E.Google Scholar
14. Chapman, S, Blau, G, Pred, R, Lopez, A. Correlates of intent to leave job and profession for emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Career Develop Int. 2009;14(5):487-503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Blau, G, Chapman, S, Pred, R, Lopez, A. Can a four-dimensional model of occupational commitment help to explain intent to leave the emergency medical service occupation? J Allied Health. 2009;38(3):177-186.Google ScholarPubMed
16. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010. Occupational employment projections. http://data.bls.gov:8080/oep/nioem/empiohm.jsp. Accessed October 2, 2013.Google Scholar
17. Maguire, BJ, Hunting, KL, Guidotti, TL, Smith, GS. Occupational injuries among emergency medical services personnel. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2005;9(4):405-411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Russell, J. Social networking: applications for health care recruitment. Nurs Econ. 2007;25(5):299-301.Google ScholarPubMed
19. Freeman, VA, Slifkin, RT, Patterson, PD. Recruitment and retention in rural and urban EMS: results from a national survey of local EMS directors. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2009;15(3):246-252.Google Scholar
20. Perkins, BJ, DeTienne, J, Fitzgerald, K, Hill, M, Harwell, TS. Factors associated with workforce retention among emergency medical technicians in Montana. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2009;13(4):456-461.Google Scholar