The new emergency medical technician-paramedic and emergency medical technician-intermediate curricula: History, changes, and controversies

Abstract

In recent years there has been considerable change and improvement in pediatric prehospital education. The evolution of ENIS (emergency medical services) for children has paralleled the evolution of EMS hat with a laf of several years. The most recent advance has been the release of the new paramedic and emergency medical technician intermediate (EMT-I) national standard curricula. The new curricula represent a major improvement in the training of EMTs and paramedics in the care of sick or injured children. In fact, what this new curriculum represents is the incorporation of the many continuing medical education efforts that have been developed, produced, and taught by the emergency medical services for children community over the past 15 years. This new curriculum now focuses on assessment-haled medicine that is in-line with the rest of emergency care. In addition, this new curriculum now provides an educational fornmt similar to that undertook by most pediatric continuing medical education courses in an effort to overcome common educational barriers. This curriculum provides significant hands-on training through both skill, practice , and casebased learning. This will hopefully give paramedics basic knowledge, an understanding of disease processes of the child and skills that will allow them to provide care for ill and injured children with confidence. The curriculum also provides a more directed focus on the importance of maintaining an airway and breathing in the child and that a deficiency in these are usually the root of most pediatric emergencies. In addition, it covers relevant topics in pediatric care as well as topics which are of concern to the paramedic student. Although the new curriculum incorporates changes in all we know about pediatric care, to further overcome barriers in pediatric education there trust he better teaching modalities for the EMT and the paramedic, an increase in their experience in dealing with sick and injured children from a multitude of settings, and development of better training models.