Females and Minority Racial/Ethnic Groups Remain Underrepresented in Emergency Medical Services: A Ten-Year Assessment, 2008–2017

Crowe, Remle P.; Krebs, W. D.; Cash, Rebecca E.; Rivard, Madison K.; Lincoln, Erin W.; Panchal, Ashish R.

doi:10.1080/10903127.2019.1634167

Cited by 45 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…There are sparse data on the characteristics of US paramedic education programs, and their geographic distribution remains unclear. Furthermore, it is unknown if the distribution of paramedic programs might pose a barrier and limit access for some, such as minority groups that are underrepresented in EMS (15). A better understanding of where existing paramedic programs are located, and the characteristics of the communities in which they are located, can be used when developing new program locations or alternative educational strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic Distribution of Accredited Paramedic Education Programs in the United States

Cash¹,

Clay²,

Leggio³

et al. 2021

Prehospital Emergency Care

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Background: The geographic distribution and access to paramedic education programs is unclear but often cited as a reason for emergency medical services (EMS) workforce shortages. Our aims were: 1) to examine the spatial distribution of accredited paramedic programs, and 2) to compare characteristics of communities with and without existing programs. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of US paramedic education programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs as of April 2020. Program locations were geocoded to county, and population estimates from the US Census Bureau were used to determine the adult population within the program's potential catchment area (30, 50, 100 miles). Clustering of programs was examined using Moran's I. We compared community characteristics obtained from the 2018 American Community Survey, 2018-2019 Area Health Resources Files, and 2018 National Emergency Department Inventory between counties with and without programs. Logistic regression models were used to determine associations of community characteristics and existence of a paramedic program, controlling for urbanicity. Results: There were 790 paramedic program locations in the US, located in 596/3142 (19%) counties. Every state, except Rhode Island and Washington, DC, had at least one paramedic program site. The population within potential catchment areas ranged from 182 million (30 miles) to 248 million (100 miles), representing 73% to 99% of the US adult population, respectively. However, among counties classified as rural (n=644), this decreased to 22% (30 miles) to 95% (100 miles). There was significant clustering of programs (p<0.001). There were significantly higher odds of having a paramedic program for counties classified as metro compared to non-metro (OR 4.42, 95% CI 3.60-5.42) and with the presence of healthcare resources (e.g., emergency department in the county: OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.87-3.14). Conclusions: Approximately 73% of the US adult population lives within 30 miles of an existing paramedic education program; however, this decreases to 22% in rural areas. Geographic barriers to accessing paramedic education remain a challenge for ongoing efforts to address the rural EMS workforce shortage.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic Distribution of Accredited Paramedic Education Programs in the United States

Cash¹,

Clay²,

Leggio³

et al. 2021

Prehospital Emergency Care

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“…Thus far, literature has confirmed the long-standing underrepresentation of females entering the US EMS workforce compared to the percentage of females in the US population. 9 Of the individuals who obtained an initial national EMS certification in 2017, only 35% of those achieving emergency medical technician (EMT) certifications and 23% of those achieving paramedic certifications were female. 9 Although the proportion of females entering the EMS workforce has improved over the last decade, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics as compared to EMTs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Of the individuals who obtained an initial national EMS certification in 2017, only 35% of those achieving emergency medical technician (EMT) certifications and 23% of those achieving paramedic certifications were female. 9 Although the proportion of females entering the EMS workforce has improved over the last decade, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics as compared to EMTs. 9 The "leaky pipeline effect" is used to describe the reduction in females at each advancing level of training, academic promotion, or leadership within a particular field of medicine or science.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Although the proportion of females entering the EMS workforce has improved over the last decade, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics as compared to EMTs. 9 The "leaky pipeline effect" is used to describe the reduction in females at each advancing level of training, academic promotion, or leadership within a particular field of medicine or science. [10][11][12] It encompasses inequalities in the ratio of females entering into a specialty, as well as the subsequent disproportionate attrition of females leaving a specialty.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disparity in Gender Representation of Speakers at National Emergency Medical Services Conferences: A Current Assessment and Proposed Path Forward

Davic

Carey

Lambert

et al. 2021

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction: Gender disparities between Emergency Medicine physicians with regards to salary, promotion, and scholarly recognition as national conference speakers have been well-documented. However, little is known if similar gender disparities impact their out-of-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) colleagues. Although there have been improvements in the ratio of women entering the EMS workforce, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics compared to emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Since recruitment, retention, and advancement of females within a specialty have been associated with the visibility of prominent, respected female leaders, gender disparity of these leaders as national conference speakers may contribute to the “leaky pipeline effect” seen within the EMS profession. Gender representation of these speakers has yet to be described objectively. Study Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine if disparity exists in gender representation of speakers at well-known national EMS conferences and trade shows in the United States (US) from 2016-2020. The secondary objective was to determine if males were more likely than females to return to a conference as a speaker in subsequent years. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of programs from well-known national conferences, specifically for EMS providers, which were held in the US from 2016-2020 was performed. Programs were abstracted for type of conference session (pre-conference, keynote, main conference) and speakers’ names. Speaker gender (male, female) was confirmed via internet search. Results: Seventeen conference programs were obtained with 1,709 conference sessions that had a total of 2,731 listed speaker names, of whom 537 (20%) were female. A total of 30 keynote addresses had 39 listed speaker names of whom six (15%) were female. No significant difference was observed in the number of years males returned to present at the same conference as compared to females. Conclusion: Gender representation of speakers at national EMS conferences in the US is not reflective of the current best estimate of the US EMS workforce. This disparity exists not only in the overall percent of female names listed as speakers, but also in the percent of individual female speakers, and is most pronounced within keynote speakers. Online lecture platforms, as an unintentional consequent of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with intentional speaker development and mentorship initiatives, may reduce barriers to facilitating a new pipeline for more females to become speakers at national EMS conferences.

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“…Furthermore, female paramedics can be more empathetic to their patients, which can elevate the quality of patient care (13). The trend for increasing female paramedic education and certification is changing in countries such as the US and Australia (14,15). There is an underlying need for the inclusion of female paramedics in EMS workforce training and clinical practice, specific to the requirements of the Saudi EMS industry (16).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Study of Saudi Arabian Emergency Medical Services Professional Profiles: An Inferential Analysis

Alshammari

Jennings

Williams

2019

Australasian Journal of Paramedicine

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IntroductionInternationally, emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential access point to the healthcare system. Building an understanding of the professional, educational and demographic profiles of an EMS workforce is important. The aim of this study is to statistically test the professional profiles of EMS providers against the Saudi ParamEdic Competency Scale (SPECS) model factors.MethodsHealthcare providers working for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) were surveyed using a cross-sectional study design with purposive sampling technique. The independent variables were tested against the five SPECS model factors of ‘Professionalism’, ‘Preparedness’, ‘Communication’, ‘Clinical’ and ‘Personal’.ResultsOf the 1260 surveys distributed, 909 surveys were returned (72.14% response rate). A total of 927 EMS healthcare professionals contributed to the study of whom 866 (93.4%) were male and 61 (6.6%) female. Of the participants, 552 (59.5%) were aged 29–39 years and 508 (54.8%) had 5–9 years’ experience. ConclusionThis is the first national study to explore and contextualise the diverse professional stakeholders in Saudi EMS. The study was able to employ the professional profiles of the participants in understanding the different perceptions of the SPECS model. We recommend that future research address the specific differences identified in the demographic, professional and educational aspects of this study.

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Females and Minority Racial/Ethnic Groups Remain Underrepresented in Emergency Medical Services: A Ten-Year Assessment, 2008–2017

Cited by 45 publications

References 18 publications

Geographic Distribution of Accredited Paramedic Education Programs in the United States

Geographic Distribution of Accredited Paramedic Education Programs in the United States

Disparity in Gender Representation of Speakers at National Emergency Medical Services Conferences: A Current Assessment and Proposed Path Forward

National Study of Saudi Arabian Emergency Medical Services Professional Profiles: An Inferential Analysis

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