title: An Historical Examination of the Development of Emergency Medical Services Education in the US through Key Reports (1966-2014).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) approach to emergency prehospital care in the United States (US) has global influence. As the 50-year anniversary of modern US EMS approaches, there is value in examining US EMS education development over this period. This report describes US EMS education milestones and identifies themes that provide context to readers outside the US.
  
  
  METHODS
  As US EMS education is described mainly in publications of federal US EMS agencies and associations, a Google search and hand searching of documents identified publications in the public domain. MEDLINE and CINAHL Plus were searched for peer reviewed publications. Documents were reviewed using both a chronological and thematic approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-eight documents and 685 articles were screened, the full texts of 175 were reviewed, and 41 were selected for full review. Four historical periods in US EMS education became apparent: EMS education development (1966-1980); EMS education consolidation and review (1981-1989); EMS education reflection and change (1990-1999); and EMS education for the future (2000-2014). Four major themes emerged: legislative authority, physician direction, quality, and development of the profession.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Documents produced through broad interprofessional consultations, with support from federal and US EMS authorities, reflect the catalysts for US EMS education development. The current model of US EMS education provides a structure to enhance educational quality into the future. Implementation evaluation of this model would be a valuable addition to the US EMS literature. The themes emerging from this review assist the understanding of the characteristics of US EMS education.
authors.affiliation: 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine,Nursing and Health Sciences,Monash University,Clayton,Victoria,Australia.
authors.forename: Ingrid A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3296-7569
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: 2Division of Emergency Medicine,University of Washington,Seattle,WashingtonUSA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0322-3181
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sayre
authors.affiliation: 3Disaster Resilience Initiative,Monash Injury Research Institute,Monash University,Clayton,Victoria,Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6967-3444
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: 3Disaster Resilience Initiative,Monash Injury Research Institute,Monash University,Clayton,Victoria,Australia.
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Archer
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000266:history*; D016730:Program Development; D014481:United States
keywords: CAAHEP Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; CAHEA Commission on Allied Health Education Accreditation; DOT Department of Transportation; EMS Emergency Medical Services; EMT Emergency Medical Technician; EMT-A Emergency Medical Technician-Ambulance; EMT-I EMT-Intermediate; EMT-P EMT-Paramedic; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Medical Technicians/education; IOM Institute of Medicine; NASEMSO National Association of State EMS Officials; NHSB National Highway Safety Bureau; NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; NREMT National Registry for EMT’s; NSC National Standard Curricula; United States