PRINTER'S NO. 4097
No. 2991 Session of 1992
INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA, FARGO, LEH, NYCE, CARLSON, BUNT, BUSH,
NOYE, KREBS, FAIRCHILD, HASAY, NICKOL, JAROLIN, S. H. SMITH,
M. N. WRIGHT, DEMPSEY, LESCOVITZ, B. SMITH, CESSAR, JOHNSON,
MELIO, KING, CLARK, SCHEETZ, BROWN, TRELLO, MERRY, SAURMAN,
D. W. SNYDER, McCALL, GERLACH AND SERAFINI, NOVEMBER 16, 1992
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, NOVEMBER 16, 1992
AN ACT
1 Providing for paramedic and emergency medical technician
2 standards; implementing procedures for insuring competency;
3 providing programs for continuing medical education;
4 providing for certification and recertification and for
5 competency-based assessment; and making repeals.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Short title.
9 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Paramedic and
10 Emergency Medical Technician Standards Act.
11 Section 2. Definitions.
12 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14 context clearly indicates otherwise:
15 "Active status." A paramedic or emergency medical technician
16 with medical command, actively practicing and functioning as a
17 paramedic or emergency medical technician.
18 "Competency-based assessment." Evaluation of the mechanical,
1 technical, practical and assessment standards of skill, ability
2 and knowledge required by United States Department of
3 Transportation Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic National
4 Standard Curriculum, in the case of paramedics, the United
5 States Department of Transportation Emergency Medical Technician
6 National Standard Curriculum, in the case of emergency medical
7 technicians, and Department of Health regulations.
8 "Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
9 "Diagnosis." Recognizing emergencies, either medical or
10 trauma, through knowledge of signs and symptoms.
11 "Division." The Division of Emergency Medical Services in
12 the Department of Health.
13 "Emergency medical technician." An individual who is trained
14 to provide emergency medical services and is certified as such
15 by the Department of Health in accordance with United States
16 Department of Transportation Emergency Medical Technician
17 National Standard Curriculum and Department of Health
18 regulations.
19 "Medical command." Any voice order or medical protocol given
20 to a paramedic or emergency medical technician by an authorized
21 medical command physician.
22 "Medical command facility medical director." A physician
23 responsible for the medical direction and control of medical
24 command physicians at an accredited medical command facility.
25 "Medical command physician." A licensed physician approved
26 by the Department of Health to oversee and supervise
27 implementation of approved medical protocols, interventions and
28 practice of paramedic procedures.
29 "Medical protocols." Written prescribed emergency medical
30 procedures approved by the Department of Health.
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1 "Orders." Direct verbal or telephonic medical instructions
2 supervised and implemented by a medical command physician.
3 "Paramedic." An emergency medical technician trained to
4 provide advanced life support services in accordance with United
5 States Department of Transportation Emergency Medical Technician
6 Paramedic National Standard Curriculum and Department of Health
7 regulations.
8 "Practice of professional paramedicine." The services
9 performed in responding to the perceived needs of an individual
10 for immediate medical care in order to prevent loss of life or
11 aggravation of physiological or psychological illness or injury,
12 delivered in a prehospital, interhospital or hospital emergency
13 care setting.
14 "Treatment." The management of recognized emergencies
15 through selection and performance of measures, protocols and
16 execution of procedures prescribed by a medical command
17 physician.
18 Section 3. Certification and recertification.
19 (a) Paramedic and emergency medical technician
20 certification.--Paramedics and emergency medical technicians
21 shall be certified for a period of three years by the department
22 in accordance with United States Department of Transportation
23 Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic National Standard
24 Curriculum, in the case of paramedics, the United States
25 Department of Transportation Emergency Medical Technician
26 National Standard Curriculum, in the case of emergency medical
27 technicians, and department regulations.
28 (b) Recertification.--
29 (1) Paramedics and emergency medical technicians shall
30 be recertified on active status by the department upon
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1 receipt of a competency-based assessment statement verified
2 by an approved medical command facility medical director.
3 Active status recertification shall be valid for a period of
4 three years.
5 (2) Any paramedic or emergency medical technician
6 certified under this act who fails to satisfy the
7 requirements for active status recertification shall be
8 automatically and involuntarily placed on inactive status.
9 Any paramedic or emergency medical technician certified under
10 this act may request application for inactive status.
11 Application for inactive status shall be completed and
12 returned to the department. Upon receipt of each application,
13 the applicant shall be maintained on inactive status
14 indefinitely and shall be entitled to apply for reactivation
15 to active status at any time. Any paramedic or emergency
16 medical technician who requests active status who has been in
17 inactive status for a period of more than six months shall,
18 prior to receiving active status, be issued a temporary
19 practice permit pending competency-based assessment approval.
20 (3) Any paramedic or emergency medical technician
21 certified under this act who is called to active military
22 service shall retain their certification unexpired during the
23 period within which they are on active military service.
24 (c) Temporary recertification.--A paramedic or emergency
25 medical technician may be granted temporary recertification for
26 a period not exceeding six months pending completion of
27 competency-based assessment requirements at the discretion of an
28 approved medical command physician.
29 Section 4. Competency-based assessment.
30 (a) Approval.--Paramedic and emergency medical technician
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1 recertification, temporary recertification or reciprocity shall
2 be accompanied by a competency-based assessment statement from
3 an approved medical command physician. Competency-based
4 assessment of paramedics shall include verification of not less
5 than 20 hours per year of accredited continuing medical
6 education and competency-based assessment of emergency medical
7 technicians shall include verification of not less than ten
8 hours per year of accredited continuing medical education. When,
9 upon request, a medical command physician does not approve a
10 competency-based assessment statement, he shall submit written
11 documentation to the department outlining the reasons for
12 refusing to issue a statement.
13 (b) Continuing medical education.--The department shall
14 establish and maintain procedures for evaluating and approving
15 continuing medical education programs utilized as criteria for
16 competency-based assessment.
17 (c) Appeal.--Any applicant who does not receive a
18 competency-based assessment statement may appeal to the
19 department for a competency evaluation hearing.
20 (d) Hearings.--All competency-based assessment evaluation
21 hearings shall be initiated within 60 days of the request and
22 resolved within 120 days. Witnesses as may be deemed necessary
23 to a resolution shall be allowed to testify, either in person,
24 by deposition or by affidavit.
25 (e) Disposition.--Upon conclusion of the hearing, the
26 department shall issue a certificate of renewal or a temporary
27 certificate or refuse to issue a certificate.
28 Section 5. Reciprocity and temporary practice permits.
29 (a) Reciprocity.--In order to obtain reciprocity to practice
30 and engage in professional paramedicine for a one-year period, a
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1 person who holds a current and valid license or certification
2 issued by any other state, territory or possession of the United
3 States or the Dominion of Canada, and who presents to the
4 department a competency-based assessment or its equivalent from
5 his most recent practice, may be issued by the department a
6 temporary practice permit which is nonrenewable and valid for a
7 period of one year, and during such additional period as the
8 department may in each case especially permit. The temporary
9 practice permit shall expire if the person fails to meet the
10 standards and requirements for certification provided under
11 section 3. Persons issued a temporary practice permit may be
12 granted inactive status by the department, and shall be governed
13 by the inactive status procedure when applying for active
14 status. Persons issued a temporary practice permit under this
15 subsection shall be required to be accompanied by an approved
16 active status paramedic.
17 (b) Temporary practice permit.--
18 (1) In order for a paramedic or emergency medical
19 technician to practice and engage in professional
20 paramedicine for the one-year period from the completion of
21 his education program, the department may issue a temporary
22 practice permit, upon presenting to the department
23 verification of course completion and a statement of
24 competency-based assessment from an approved service medical
25 director where the paramedic or emergency medical technician
26 intends to practice. This permit shall be nonrenewable and
27 valid for a period of one year, and during such additional
28 period as the department may in each case especially permit,
29 except that the permit shall expire and terminate if the
30 person fails to meet the standards of the certification
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1 examination. Holders of temporary practice permits must be
2 accompanied by an approved active status paramedic until such
3 time as they pass the certification examination and obtain
4 active medical command status; or the permit expires or is
5 terminated.
6 (2) A temporary practice permit shall also be issued by
7 the department to any paramedic or emergency medical
8 technician who requests to return to active status from
9 inactive status. The permit shall remain valid for a period
10 of one year, or until medical command is received from an
11 approved service or medical director. Any paramedic or
12 emergency medical technician not receiving medical command
13 shall revert back to inactive status. Holders of temporary
14 practice permits, pending medical command, must be
15 accompanied by an approved active status paramedic.
16 Section 6. Director of Paramedic and Emergency Medical
17 Technician Affairs.
18 The department shall select and appoint a full-time Director
19 of Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician Affairs, who shall
20 be a certified and an actively practicing paramedic in this
21 Commonwealth.
22 Section 7. Use of title by certified paramedics and emergency
23 medical technicians.
24 (a) Certified paramedics.--Any person who holds a
25 professional paramedic certificate in this Commonwealth shall
26 have the right to use the title "Certified Paramedic" and the
27 abbreviation "C.P.". No other person may engage in the practice
28 of professional paramedicine or use the title "Certified
29 Paramedic" or the abbreviation "C.P." to indicate that the
30 person is a certified paramedic. No person may sell or
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1 fraudulently obtain or fraudulently furnish any paramedic
2 diploma, certification, record of registration or aid or abet
3 therein.
4 (b) Certified emergency medical technician.--Any person who
5 holds an emergency medical technician certificate in this
6 Commonwealth shall have the right to use the title "Emergency
7 Medical Technician" and the abbreviation "E.M.T.". No other
8 person may engage in the practice of technical emergency
9 services or use the title "Emergency Medical Technician" or the
10 abbreviation "E.M.T." to indicate that the person is a certified
11 emergency medical technician. No person may sell or fraudulently
12 obtain or fraudulently furnish any emergency medical technician
13 diploma, certification, record of registration or aid or abet
14 therein.
15 Section 8. Applicability.
16 (a) Retroactivity.--The provisions of section 3, relating to
17 recertification, shall apply retroactively and be applicable to
18 all paramedics and emergency medical technicians certified in
19 Pennsylvania on the effective date of this act.
20 (b) Expired certification.--Paramedics and emergency medical
21 technicians whose certification expired after January 1, 1985,
22 shall be eligible to apply for inactive certification status in
23 accordance with the provisions of section 3(b)(2).
24 Section 9. Repeals.
25 All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar as they are
26 inconsistent with this act.
27 Section 10. Effective date.
28 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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