Above and Beyond

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and EMS World Magazine, in conjunction with the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) and the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE), established the National EMS Awards of Excellence program to recognize outstandinI cg achievement in the EMS profession. The nomination period for the 2012 is now open. Click here to enter. 

NAEMT is pleased to announce its 2011 National EMS Award recipients: The NAEMT Paramedic of the Year is Anne Edwards, NREMT-P, of Indianapolis, IN. The NAEMT EMT of the Year is William (Bill) Rise, EMT-I, of Milbank, SD. The awards will be presented on Tuesday, August 30, at the NAEMT Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with EMS World Expo 2011, and at the EMS World Expo Opening Keynote on August 31. The NAEMT Paramedic of the Year Award is sponsored by EMS World, and the NAEMT EMT of the Year Award is sponsored by Braun Industries. Award recipients receive a $1,000 award stipend, a three-day core program registration to EMS World Expo, plus $1,000 for travel and lodging to attend EMS World Expo and the NAEMT Annual Meeting.

NAEMT Paramedic of the Year: Anne Edwards, NREMT-P

   Anne Edwards, a paramedic with Indianapolis EMS, "will step up when others shy away," says Michael Thralls, NR/CCEMT-P, PI, FP-C, CMO, operations commander for Indianapolis EMS. He describes her as always giving 100%.

Building EMS Knowledge

   Edwards trains new employees, as well as paramedic students, in the Indiana University School of Medicine.

   "Anne provides them with the structure and guidance they need to build a great foundation for their future field practice. She spends time after her shift to work with students, helping them prepare for the next day, an exam, or difficult concepts," Thralls says.

   In fact, Edwards was nominated by Silvia Alba, FF/EMT-P, whom she precepted during the ambulance rotation portion of the class.

   "I knew only that she was on Medic 10, one of the busier ambulances in Indianapolis, seeing its fair share of trauma and serious medical calls. Little did I know that she would become more than a preceptor; over the course of the rotation she proved herself to be a role model for patient advocacy, a patient and fair teacher, level-headed in the midst of chaos and the voice of encouragement," Alba says.

   "Anne is always willing to explain concepts, do post-incident analysis of runs, share resources to aid learning and encourage when she sees the need, and she genuinely wants to help students become good medics, capable of thinking critically and clinically," Alba adds. "She gives feedback to her students in private and makes sure they understand and learn from each experience. She herself is quick to ask medical directors questions to increase her knowledge and share it with her students."

   She notes that Edwards models her strong work ethic and conscientiousness when she unfailingly and thoroughly checks her ambulance at the beginning of each shift, anticipates a possible inability to get back to station for more supplies in case of back-to-back calls, and immediately addresses any issues that may interfere with patient care. "Anne is not one to stand on the sidelines when she can do something to make things better."

Providing Excellent Patient Care

   When the agency teamed up with the MESH Coalition to build a disaster team capable of deploying to the MAST-F, a 25-bed mobile tent hospital system, Thralls says Edwards quickly stepped up to volunteer her services and has become a team leader instrumental in developing policy and deploying missions. Additionally, to help unify EMS services within the county, Edwards has provided her expertise in developing a new field training program, policies and procedures. "She has put in hundreds of hours with the focus of making the service better for our future patients," says Thralls.