Which Way From Here?

     The subject of recruiting and retaining paramedics is on the agenda of many in EMS today. Agency leaders are wondering how, in the face of a shrinking workforce and growing demand for service, they will maintain enough staff to meet the needs of the communities they serve. EMS educators are looking for ways to fill classes. Working paramedics hope their agencies' vacant positions get filled, so overtime will diminish. Labor officials wonder when the law of supply and demand will kick in, resulting in higher wages as employers compete for employees.

     I've spent a lot of time talking with EMS professionals about this topic. Most of them love what they do, and would like nothing more than to have had interesting and diverse careers in EMS. But although most love patient care, those past the 10-year mark are often burned out from performing the same ambulance medic duties they've done since getting certified. Many have started to look for more interesting and stimulating alternatives that might provide brighter economic futures. For many, that means leaving EMS for other public safety or healthcare disciplines. What a loss! Why has the EMS community failed to provide depth and breadth to career opportunities for its people?

A FLAWED SYSTEM

     EMS agencies in the United States are part of a system that badly needs change. The bad news is that we built much of this system, and have become so invested in it that we may be threatened by the needed changes. Our basic faiths will be challenged. Here are some design features of a system that keeps us in a maze with no discernable endpoint.