Comparison of Volunteer and Paid EMS Professionals in the United States

Cash, Rebecca E.; Rivard, Madison K.; Chrzan, Kirsten; Mercer, C. F.; Camargo, Carlos A.; Panchal, Ashish R.

doi:10.1080/10903127.2020.1752867

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“… 29 Our approach focusing on those with a primary paid occupation of EMT or paramedic likely fails to capture the estimated 13% of the workforce that holds only an unpaid, volunteer job in EMS. 13 Thus, these estimates represent an imperfect description of the active EMS workforce despite using the most nationally representative data that are currently available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Basing workforce estimates on state or agency rosters may potentially overcount the many EMS personnel who hold multiple state certifications or work for multiple EMS agencies 29 . Our approach focusing on those with a primary paid occupation of EMT or paramedic likely fails to capture the estimated 13% of the workforce that holds only an unpaid, volunteer job in EMS 13 . Thus, these estimates represent an imperfect description of the active EMS workforce despite using the most nationally representative data that are currently available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4-year degree 14 (12,16) 14 (13,16) 14 (12,16) 16 (14,19) 16 (14,18) 18 (16,20) 15 (13,17) 17 (15,18) 18 (16,20) 3.1 (1.1, 5. 15 but it is similar to estimates from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (approximately 261,000 EMS personnel).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For many years EMS agencies have faced shortages of personnel, especially paramedics, and the COVID‐19 pandemic has exacerbated these shortages. 5 , 6 , 7 Prior descriptions of the magnitude of the EMS workforce have focused on single states, 8 , 9 the nationally certified population, 3 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 or have used surveys and state rosters 14 , 15 with potential duplication of personnel. Estimates vary widely, with the workforce size ranging from approximately 261,000–855,000 people.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011–2019

et al. 2022

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Background Describing the US emergency medical services workforce is important to understand gaps in recruitment and retention and inform efforts to improve diversity. Our objective was to describe the characteristics and temporal trends of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in the United States. Methods We performed a repeated cross‐sectional evaluation of US Census Bureau's American Community Survey 1‐year Public Use Microdata Sample data sets from 2011–2019. We included respondents working as an EMT or paramedic. Survey‐weighted descriptive statistics of demographic and employment characteristics were calculated. Trend analysis was conducted using joinpoint regression to estimate slope and annual percent change (APC). Results The total estimated number of EMTs and paramedics in the United States increased from 216,310 (95%CI 204,957–227,663) in 2011 to 289,830 (95%CI 276,918–302,743) in 2019 (APC 3.0%; 95%CI 1.4%, 4.7%). There was a slight increase in the proportion of females (2011, 31%; 2019, 35%). There was a significant decrease in proportion of non‐Hispanic whites (2011, 80%; 2019, 72%; APC −1.5%; 95%CI −2.0%, −0.9%) with concurrent increases in other racial/ethnic groups (e.g., Hispanics, 2011, 10%; 2019, 13%). About half worked >40 hours per week, with little change over time. Between 15% and 18% lived and worked in different states, and about 40% traveled ≥30 minutes to their workplace. Conclusions The number of EMTs and paramedics actively working in EMS as their primary paid occupation has increased over time. However, there have been only modest changes in their demographic diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011–2019

et al. 2022

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“…The difference in volunteer vs. non-volunteer EMS corps is compensation. EMS professionals who volunteer do not receive pay (or, in rare cases, nominal pay), but they can receive continuing education opportunities [26]. The level of services includes EMT-intermediate, EMT-paramedic, first responder, and other agency values (excluding physician and nurse).…”

Section: Response Time: Chute Time and Travel Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Statewide Ambulance Coverage of a Mixed Region of Urban, Rural and Frontier under Travel Time Catchment Areas

Lee

McDonald

O’Neill

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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This study examines the statewide service coverage of emergency medical services (EMS) in view of public health planners, policy makers, and ambulance service managers. The study investigates the statewide service coverage in a mixed region of urban, rural, and frontier regions to address the importance of ambulance service coverage at a large scale. The study incorporated statewide road networks for ambulance travel time, census blocks for population, and backup service coverage using geographic information systems (GIS). The catchment areas were delineated by the travel time after subtracting chute time for each Census Block as an analysis zone. Using the catchment areas from the ambulance base to the centroid of Census Block, the population and land coverage were calculated. The service shortage and multiple coverage areas were identified by the catchment areas. The study found that both reducing chute time and increasing the speed of emergency vehicles at the same time was significantly more effective than improving only one of two factors. The study shows that the service is improved significantly in frontier and urban areas by increasing driving time and chute time. However, in rural areas, the improvement is marginal owing to wider distribution than urban areas and shorter threshold response time than frontier areas. The public health planners and EMS managers benefit from the study to identify underserved areas and redistribute limited public resources.

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Should public safety shift workers be allowed to nap while on duty?

Patterson

Weaver

Guyette

et al. 2020

American J Industrial Med

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Fatigue and sleep deficiency among public safety personnel are threats to wellness, public and personal safety, and workforce retention. Napping strategies may reduce work‐related fatigue, improve safety and health, yet in some public safety organizations it is discouraged or prohibited. Our aim with this commentary is to define intra‐shift napping, summarize arguments for and against it, and to outline potential applications of this important fatigue mitigation strategy supported by evidence. We focus our discussion on emergency medical services (EMS); a key component of the public safety system, which is comprised of police, fire, and EMS. The personnel who work in EMS stand to benefit from intra‐shift napping due to frequent use of extended duration shifts, a high prevalence of personnel working multiple jobs, and evidence showing that greater than half of EMS personnel report severe fatigue, poor sleep quality, inadequate inter‐shift recovery, and excessive daytime sleepiness. The benefits of intra‐shift napping include decreased sleepiness and fatigue, improved recovery between shifts, decreased anxiety, and reduced feelings of burnout. Intra‐shift napping also mitigates alterations in clinician blood pressure associated with disturbed sleep and shift work. The negative consequences of napping include negative public perception, acute performance deficits stemming from sleep inertia, and the potential costs associated with reduced performance. While there are valid arguments against intra‐shift napping, we believe that the available scientific evidence favors it as a key component of fatigue mitigation and workplace wellness. We further believe that these arguments extend beyond EMS to all sectors of public safety.

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Comparison of Volunteer and Paid EMS Professionals in the United States

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011–2019

Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011–2019

Statewide Ambulance Coverage of a Mixed Region of Urban, Rural and Frontier under Travel Time Catchment Areas

Should public safety shift workers be allowed to nap while on duty?

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