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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 14, 2021 10:28 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Brad Roae |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Increasing the Number of EMT’s and Paramedics in Pennsylvania |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation that will potentially increase the number of EMT's and paramedics in Pennsylvania. My legislation would require the PA Department of Health to once again create state written and/or computer examinations for EMT’s, EMR’s and paramedics in order to be licensed by the state which was done prior to 2013. In 2013, the state exam was eliminated and students had to start taking the National Registry exam. PA students have a lower passing rate on the National Registry exam because the scope of practice nationally is greater that what PA laws and regulations allow. Some instructors are not teaching students to do things they cannot legally do in PA but there are still questions on the National Register exam on those skills. For example, in other states EMT’s can start an IV but in PA they cannot. However, PA students still have to answer questions about starting an IV when taking the National Register exam. A PA Department of Health exam would only include questions about things that EMT’s in PA can actually do. Virtually every EMS provider in the state, both career and volunteer, are in the need of more emergency responders. Having test questions limited to what EMT’s, EMR’s and paramedics in PA are actually allowed to do should increase the exam passing rate and increase the number of emergency responders. I would greatly appreciate your co-sponsorship of this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2579