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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
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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 

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

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