A global definition of a community paramedic  "A community paramedic provides person-centred care in a diverse range of settings that address the needs of the community. Their practice may include provision of primary health care, health promotion, disease management, clinical assessment and needs based interventions. They should be integrated with interdisciplinary health care teams which aim to improve patient outcomes through education, advocacy, and health system navigation." This definition was published in Paramedicine, an international peer reviewed journal based on a Delphi study ..read more

Many of the leaders we hear from describe their young employees as having a sense of entitlement, i.e., expecting everyone to conform to their wishes, they lack a good work ethic, and are not able to communicate effectively which is usually blamed on texting and social media. They see this as a hot button issue causing unique challenges to having a well functioning team. Many of you are likely nodding your head in agreement as you read the above paragraph.  Consider this quote: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders a ..read more

Emotional Intelligence is the key to personal and professional growth as an EMS leader. Many have obtained their position through IQ, which is insufficient for growth as a leader of an organization.  Richard Boyatzis, professor emeritus of Case Western Reserve University, and Daniel Goleman have written extensively on this topic for over 35 years, and have published research on these four domains of EI.  HBR article: Emotional Intelligence Has 12 Elements. Which Do You Need to Work On?  https://hbr.org/2017/02/emotional-intelligence-has-12-elements-which-do-you ..read more

Here are 10 ways to enhance communication, culture, and leadership development within an EMS organization and are essential for growth and success. Open Channels of Communication: - Ensure that there are multiple channels available for team members to voice their concerns, share their ideas, or seek feedback. This could be through regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, suggestion boxes, or digital communication platforms.   How do we have less drama, improve communication and have more cooperation? Foster a Culture of Feedback:- Encourage both top-down and bottom-up feedback ..read more

In our line of work, we see it every day.  We know time is limited, but do we live consistent with that fact? Ask yourself: Is your life (or your organization) the most ideal you had imagined, or are you living by default? Life by default? Wait, whaaat? If you don't take different actions, your future will likely look similar to how it looks now. That's life by default. That's an organization designed by default. Life is full of choices, of distraction, full of endless diverging roads -- as Robert Frost has said. What the default future life looks like is approaching those diverging road ..read more

5 Unstoppable Leadership Tips 1. Become Discouragement-ProofDiscouragement only exists within our own thinking. The more we can embrace a learner’s mindset, and get curious, the less control frustration / overwhelm / discouragement has over our internal state of mind.2. Stop Doing It All Yourself The key to addressing chaos of organizations and reducing overwhelm is to delegate. Delegate not to burden others but to develop others. Learn to ask for help and give people an opportunity to amaze themselves and you. It’s the path to sustainable leadership and thriving organizations. 3. Being Rather ..read more

What you are about to read is an opportunity for every EMS leader from around the country, and the world, to connect with their law enforcement colleagues and work together towards safe and consistent methods of treatment that will no doubt reduce the amount of deaths in custody. 9News in Denver, Colorado spent a year in search of an answer to a question: Why do people continue to die underneath the elbows, knees and bodies of officers?  As the above video discusses, nearly 50% of deaths in custody had some type of mental health complaint. Regardless of the etiology of someone's del ..read more

"A retrospective study of prehospital care records in Oregon showed black patients were 40% less likely to get pain medications than their white peers, as well as disparities in the Asian and Hispanic populations." Kennel J, Withers E, Parsons N, Woo H. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pain Treatment: Evidence From Oregon Emergency Medical Services Agencies. Med Care. 2019 Dec;57(12):924-929. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001208. PMID: 31730566. NPR news affiliate, Oregon Public Broadcasting, interviews paramedics and care providers about this study and the response. The question many are asking ..read more

July 15, 2023 - PBS Newshour's reporter, Ali Rogin, featured an interview with Nick Nudell, American Paramedic Association, discusses the challenges facing rural America in access to ambulance services.  With only a few states in the US recognizing EMS as an essential service, coupled with low pay, Nudell answers the question what other factors are at play causing a workforce shortage. "With elected officials really just kicking the can down the road and not owning the problem of funding." Nudell continues, "That leaves the service provision to the volunteers and other community members ..read more

Aidan O'Connor, Jr., FP-C presented at the 1st Annual EMS Leadership Summit We're sharing a featured presentation from the first EMS Leadership Summit in 2019 with Aidan O'Connor. He passionately and eloquently explains how we can all be advocates in his talk The ABCs of Change: Advocacy Before Complaining The ABCs Of Change: A Nonpartisan Guide To EMS Leadership And Advocacy (00:00 - 05:10) Advocating to Government and Public Officials for Change (05:10 - 10:09) The Benefits of Lobbying: Understanding the Power of Educating Elected Officials (10:09 - 16:03) Advocating for Impactful ..read more