Honoring the Best in EMS: 2014 National EMS Awards of Excellence

EMS World and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) established the National EMS Awards of Excellence program to recognize outstanding achievement in the EMS profession.
The 2014 awards will be presented on Monday, November 10, at the NAEMT Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN, held in conjunction with EMS World Expo 2014, and at the EMS World Expo Opening Keynote on Tuesday, November 11.

We would like to thank the following sponsors of this year’s awards: NAEMT/Nasco Paramedic of the Year Award sponsored by Nasco; NAEMT/Braun Industries EMT of the Year Award sponsored by Braun Industries; NAEMT/Jones & Bartlett Learning Educator of the Year sponsored by Jones & Barlett Learning; Dick Ferneau Paid EMS Service of the Year sponsored by Ferno; and the Impact Volunteer EMS Service of the Year sponsored by Impact Instrumentation.

Award recipients receive a monetary award, a three-day core program registration to EMS World Expo, plus $1,100 for travel and lodging to attend EMS World Expo and the NAEMT Annual Meeting.

The nomination period for next year’s awards will open in early 2015. Visit EMSWorld.com/awards for more information.

NAEMT Paramedic of the Year: Susan Bailey, NREMT-P, Denham Springs, LA. Award sponsored by Nasco.

Susan Bailey began her career as an EMT in rural Louisiana, also volunteering as a CPR and First Responder instructor until receiving her paramedic certification and later, bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude). She worked as a National Registry examiner and was elected to the Louisiana Association of Nationally Registered EMTs (LANREMT) Board of Directors. Bailey held positions at East Baton Rouge Parish EMS, earning recognition for educating instructors; bringing pediatric and geriatric education to the state; and hosting at least 20 visiting field interns in her home. As chair of LANREMT’s Educational Conference, Bailey also serves as the LANREMT representative on the NAEMT Affiliate Advisory Council and as the NAEMT State Advocacy Coordinator for Louisiana. “Susan works tirelessly to promote the EMS profession,” says LANREMT President Evon Smith, NRP. “She does not ask for money when students stay at her house for weeks at a time, and is not compensated for work as the conference chair or legislative liaison. She does all of these things because she loves being a paramedic and loves the EMS profession.”

NAEMT EMT of the Year: Brandon Pruitt, EMT, Searcy, AR. Award sponsored by Braun Industries.

Brandon Pruitt has been an EMT with NorthStar EMS in Searcy, AR, since 2007. He oversees the agency’s Field Training Officer program, supports hazmat efforts and attends local emergency planning committee meetings. In addition to teaching CPR and first responder classes, Pruitt is an honor guard and has worked as a hospital emergency department technician. Jeffery Steele, MD, worked with Pruitt at White County Medical Center and says, “I have never had cause to question Mr. Pruitt’s clinical knowledge, judgment or skills. I have worked with him extensively, and I have been impressed with him professionally. Perhaps more important, however, is this: Brandon is a good person. He treats his job as a calling.” Pruitt is also involved in several community projects that raise awareness and support for charities. He was nominated “without hesitation,” says Tonia Hale, NorthStar director of operations. “I believe there is more to being a good EMT than just skills; you also have to give back to communities that you serve.”

NAEMT Educator of the Year: Melissa Doak, NREMT-P, Williamsburg, VA. Award sponsored by Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Melissa Doak is a dedicated EMS instructor, mentor and avid researcher. She started her 30-year career as an EMT, then became a paramedic. Known for her innovation, Doak is an educator at York County Department of Fire and Life Safety, in Yorktown, VA. She teaches NAEMT’s EMS Safety course and promotes EMS practitioner safety. She has presented training at EMS conferences around the country; contributed content for the National Registry Intermediate test; and assisted in the development of training materials used around the world. She serves on several committees, including the Virginia Office of EMS Symposium Committee, and Protocols, Policies and Procedures Committee of the Peninsulas Emergency Medical Services Council, and has been involved with several projects and organizations. Robert Ditch, EdD, recipient of last year’s educator award, says, “Having attended her classes as a student and witnessed her dynamic instructional skills as an academic peer, Melissa Doak is the finest EMS educator I have witnessed in my more than 40 years in EMS and 30 years as an EMS instructor and professor.”

Dick Ferneau Paid EMS Service of the Year: Christian Hospital Emergency Medical Services (CHEMS), St. Louis, MO. Award sponsored by Ferno.

The third-busiest 9-1-1 provider in the state of Missouri is Christian Hospital Emergency Medical Services (CHEMS), which provides 9-1-1 and interfacility transportation to the St. Louis metropolitan area, serving more 250,000 people and responding to approximately 46,000 calls annually.

But go beyond call volume to everything else CHEMS is involved in and it’s hard to fathom how any agency is busier. Whether its launching a successful mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) program this year, partnering with other organizations on a number of research projects, promoting a variety of community education campaigns, or making it easier for employees to further their education and improve their wellness, CHEMS is expanding the scope of what EMS means throughout the communities it serves.

CHEMS’ fleet consists of 22 ambulances and two command/triage vehicles staffed by 80 full-time first responders and 40 on-call responders. In addition, there are eight full-time dispatchers providing services for CHEMS and Alton Memorial EMS. But that’s just a snapshot of what CHEMS is. According to Chief of EMS Chris Cebollero, CHEMS is leading the way in hospital-based mobile integrated healthcare.

“There are a number of different programs in action presently,” Cebollero says. “The Community Health Access Program (CHAP) is dedicated to improving the overall health and wellness of our community. We work with patients who utilize EMS and the ER for non-medical emergencies. Using the Omega designation of the priority dispatch system, we not only send a responding unit but also an advanced practice paramedic (APP) to the same call. Patients receive a full medical screen and at that time we determine if a medical emergency exists. If a medical emergency does exist the patient will go to the hospital as normal. If a medical emergency does not exist the APP, in coordination with the patient, will choose one of several options,” all of which are designed to keep the patient out of the hospital and connect them with a primary care physician (PCP).
“To date we have decreased EMS non-emergent volume by 11% and ER non-emergent volume by 11%,” says Cebollero. “More impressively, we have assisted 52 patients with finding their very own PCP since our February 3, 2014 implementation.”

Other CHEMS MIH programs include its High Utilizer Program, Length of Stay (LOS) Program and Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Program, all aimed toward reducing hospital visits and stays, and saving money. Since the February 3 implementation of the High Utilizer Program, for instance, high utilizers needing EMS and the ER have decreased by 63%. And though the LOS and ACO programs are both too new to have reportable data, Cebollero says, early signs already point to substantial savings.

CHEMS has also been active in several research projects. Cebollero says CHEMS is one of few EMS agencies in the country whose medics are all trained under the Collaborative Institution Training Initiative (CITI) Human Subjects Research Program. The world-renowned program teaches best practices in human research subjects’ protections. The completion of CITI training programs enables CHEMS to conduct human clinical trials in EMS.

One of the organization’s current projects includes assisting with enrolling patients into a Fall Risk Assessment Project. This program is designed to identify potential fall risks in the home and at workplaces. Then, with the help of occupational and physical therapists, the project helps mediate fall risks for citizens, says Cebollero.

CHEMS is also working in coordination with the Washington University School of Medical Research on a possible grant. “During this time we are researching employee wellness and the lifting equipment used in the career field,” explains Cebollero. “In addition to CHEMS and Wash U., we are working with the Occupational Health, Compliance and Ergonomics departments at Christian Hospital. To date we have identified all work injuries related to lifting from 2013–14, completed an anonymous survey of the department to measure employee wellness, and all 2013 patient care records have been searched for times when lifting equipment has been used.”

If CHEMS is selected for the grant, Cebollero says it would use the resources to increase education to its workforce and ensure there was good data as to which equipment works best to minimize employee injury.

CHEMS prides itself on taking a proactive approach to continuing education. According to Cebollero, every year employees take a 100 question general knowledge/protocol exam to determine base knowledge. From there individual development plans (IDPs) are created for each employee based on scores. This gives the department and employee the opportunity to work on challenges and turn them into strengths. In addition, CHEMS also takes into account individual IV and intubation success rates. Individuals who fall below the system average will be placed in busy hospital areas to assist with developing needed skills.

CHEMS also offers Web-based training and podcasts for EMS employees and system first responders. The training includes skills of the month, protocol of the week, and any other education needed as deemed by their CQI process. This additional method of education delivery allows the CHEMS department to keep a great flow of education streaming regardless of the day or hour.

The training opportunities don’t stop there either. Christian Hospital developed a partnership with St. Louis University in which EMS employees wishing to go to college to achieve a degree are given the opportunity via online or classroom learning. The students do not have to worry about payment, Cebollero says, as the agreement allows for St. Louis University to bill tuition benefits directly. Thirty-seven percent of department personnel are enrolled in completing their degree, and 100% of the leadership team members are pursuing advanced degrees.

“Christian Hospital and its EMS managers have put forth tremendous effort to make CHEMS a fulfilling and enviable place to work.” Cebollero says.

To that end, the organization offers a comfortable and progressive workplace where an open-door management style benchmarks mutual respect and a willingness to listen to new ideas and issue resolution from field members’ perspective.
Most recently, the leadership began promoting its new philosophy of “servant leadership,” whereby employees are empowered to work alongside the leadership team, in an environment where leaders are humble stewards of their organization’s resources. In fact, according to an annual employee satisfaction survey, 86% of Christian Hospital EMS employees are satisfied with their jobs. Additionally, CHEMS has an employee turnover rate of just 5%.

In addition to providing flu shots and free health screenings for employees through the hospital, CHEMS also conducts a Biggest Loser-style weight loss competition every three months and all employees have access to yoga classes provided by the hospital. And, Cebollero says, CHEMS reduced the number of provider back injuries due to lifting patients by 22% last year through a number of back injury prevention initiatives.

Impact Volunteer Service of the Year: Rice University Emergency Medical Services, Houston, TX. Award sponsored by Impact Instrumentation, Inc.

College campuses are interesting places to practice EMS.

Much like in a small community, campus EMS providers often know their patients. But these EMS providers aren’t just their neighbors—they’re also their classmates, teammates and friends.

Rice University Emergency Medical Services (REMS) serves an urban campus set on 300 acres in Houston, TX, across the street from the world’s largest medical center. Total undergraduate enrollment at Rice University is about 4,000, with an additional graduate student population of more than 2,500.

Since 1996, Rice EMS has operated as an advanced life support first responder organization with a staff of 53 undergraduate volunteers, 20 alumni members, six volunteer physicians and one staff person.

“For an undergraduate student, being involved in a collegiate EMS agency as a young person is a tangible way they can participate in service to the university community, while learning and applying skills of working with a team, the challenges of caring for peers and balancing volunteering with their rigorous academic loads—skills that help build them into community leaders no matter what their majors or future educational plans,” says Lisa Basgall, EMS director for REMS. And, she notes, the volunteers become a tight-knit family.

“Rice EMS has a team of six physician medical directors, five of whom are graduates of Rice EMS who returned to provide medical leadership and mentoring to the undergraduates currently participating in the program,” explains Basgall. “This is an invaluable resource for our service. The physicians all assist with providing online medical command, and each helps in additional ways. Two physicians are involved with supervising the students in the research course; one assists with EMT and AEMT class instruction; one regularly comes to campus to help with continuing education for the ongoing staff; one oversees quality assurance and chart review for the service. All of these amazing physicians work with students in the program when they come to the ER for clinical rotations through the EMS courses. The student leadership team all participate in ongoing clinical rotations at the ER, taking a shift at least once a month to keep clinical skills sharp.”

And those skills are definitely put to the test. In the 2013–14 academic year, REMS responded to 590 campus emergencies, provided 1,968 hours of special event coverage at 170 events, offered 39 CPR classes to almost 500 people—at no charge—and offered three EMS certification courses.
Continuing education is a vital component of all EMS services, but for REMS, being set on a college campus provides ample opportunities for ongoing educational opportunities.

“Rice EMS offers EMT and Advanced EMT certification courses annually,” says Basgall. “These are offered as undergraduate science elective courses at the university. All courses are run in compliance with Texas Department of State Health Services standards, and Rice EMS is recognized by DSHS as an agency allowed to offer advanced life support certification courses. Offering the AEMT course as a hybrid course has ensured the undergraduates enrolled in the course are able to fit more than 130 hours of clinical rotations into the semester concurrent with the didactic portion of the course. The robust clinical rotations allow for increased competency in patient care upon completion of the certification, and better prepared providers for service within Rice EMS.”

According to Basgall, this year REMS also offered an undergraduate EMS research course, partnering students with physician faculty from Baylor College of Medicine to participate in prehospital and emergency medicine research. The projects the students were involved with helped increase the students’ insight into the process of evidence-based medicine and protocol development, and allowed for greater collaboration between the EMS service and the faculty physicians at the EMS agencies where they serve, as well as in hospital.

“The research course was a big step for EMS to take,” Basgall says. “Many people enter college hoping to attend medical school in the future, but participating in prehospital and/or emergency medicine research as an undergraduate is an opportunity we hope will help our service—and others—in the understanding and development of evidence-based protocols for the future.”

Because of frequent turnover in the student population, REMS has had to get creative in order to stay consistent in its level of service. “The need for consistency in training, efficiently welcoming and orienting new members, and thorough record keeping, is essential for any collegiate EMS agency where the most experienced and proficient staff graduate and leave annually,” Basgall explains. “Rice EMS has worked to meet these challenges through working with the university’s Information Technology Department, developing shared storage options that allow student administrators to collect and store job descriptions, training manuals, resources, and other key information to pass on to the next student who takes on leadership positions in the same functional area in the future. Implementing electronic medical records has increased exponentially the access the medical director team has to patient care records, and allows them to give prompt feedback to the EMS providers. While these steps may seem elementary, they have made a large impact in our organization in reducing the need to design a training program, or make public education materials, for instance, allowing more time for the personal connections involved in the ongoing recruitment and training of new members essential for collegiate EMS agencies to flourish.”

And the campus setting is beneficial in a number of other ways. Basgall says REMS works in collaboration with personnel from the university’s Environmental Health & Safety Department when responding to all calls involving lab accidents. And its unique access to other departments makes for some excellent partnerships. The Rice Counseling Center provides a program on QPR—Question, Persuade and Refer—a suicide-prevention program for all EMT students. Leaders from the counseling and well-being offices are also willing and able to provide drop-in times for EMS staff who have been on a high-stress call.

“Amazingly, this service is run by young adults—college students who join together to maintain the proud history of the service, and help it grow for the future,” Basgall says. “Collegiate EMS is a unique niche in the EMS community, but provides unparalleled opportunities for new EMS volunteers to attain proficiency as care providers and learn what it means to be a community volunteer and leader.”