Florida Senate - 2011 SB 1358
By Senator Oelrich
14-01054A-11 20111358__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency medical services;
3 amending s. 381.0034, F.S.; deleting the requirement
4 for emergency medical technicians and paramedics to
5 complete an educational course on the modes of
6 transmission, infection control procedures, clinical
7 management, and prevention of human immunodeficiency
8 virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome;
9 amending s. 401.23, F.S.; redefining the term “basic
10 life support” for purposes of the Raymond H.
11 Alexander, M.D., Emergency Medical Transportation
12 Services Act; amending s. 401.24, F.S.; requiring the
13 Department of Health to develop and revise a
14 comprehensive state plan every 5 years for basic and
15 advanced life support services, the emergency medical
16 services grants program, trauma centers, the injury
17 control program, and medical disaster preparedness;
18 amending s. 401.27, F.S.; revising the requirements
19 for certification or recertification as an emergency
20 medical technician or paramedic; revising the
21 requirements for certification for an out-of-state
22 trained emergency medical technician or paramedic;
23 amending s. 401.2701, F.S.; revising requirements for
24 an institution that conducts an approved program for
25 the education of emergency medical technicians and
26 paramedics; revising the requirements that students
27 must meet in order to receive a certificate of
28 completion from an approved program; providing an
29 effective date.
30
31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32
33 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 381.0034, Florida
34 Statutes, is amended to read:
35 381.0034 Requirement for instruction on HIV and AIDS.—
36 (1) As of July 1, 1991, the Department of Health shall
37 require each person licensed or certified under chapter 401,
38 chapter 467, part IV of chapter 468, or chapter 483, as a
39 condition of biennial relicensure, to complete an educational
40 course approved by the department on the modes of transmission,
41 infection control procedures, clinical management, and
42 prevention of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune
43 deficiency syndrome. Such course shall include information on
44 current state Florida law on acquired immune deficiency syndrome
45 and its impact on testing, confidentiality of test results, and
46 treatment of patients. Each such licensee or certificateholder
47 shall submit confirmation of having completed the said course,
48 on a form provided by the department, when submitting fees or
49 application for each biennial renewal.
50 Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 401.23, Florida
51 Statutes, is amended to read:
52 401.23 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term:
53 (7) “Basic life support” means treatment of medical
54 emergencies by a qualified person through the use of techniques
55 such as patient assessment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),
56 splinting, obstetrical assistance, bandaging, administration of
57 oxygen, application of medical antishock trousers,
58 administration of a subcutaneous injection using a premeasured
59 autoinjector of epinephrine to a person suffering an
60 anaphylactic reaction, and other techniques described in the
61 Emergency Medical Technician Basic Training Course Curriculum or
62 the National EMS Education Standards of the United States
63 Department of Transportation as approved by the department. The
64 term “basic life support” also includes other techniques that
65 which have been approved and are performed under conditions
66 specified by rules of the department.
67 Section 3. Section 401.24, Florida Statutes, is amended to
68 read:
69 401.24 Emergency medical services state plan.—The
70 department is responsible, at a minimum, for the improvement and
71 regulation of basic and advanced life support programs. The
72 department shall develop and biennially revise a comprehensive
73 state plan every 5 years for basic and advanced life support
74 services, the emergency medical services grants program, trauma
75 centers, the injury control program, and medical disaster
76 preparedness. The state plan shall include, but need not be
77 limited to:
78 (1) Emergency medical systems planning, including the
79 prehospital and hospital phases of patient care, and injury
80 control effort and unification of such services into a total
81 delivery system to include air, water, and land services.
82 (2) Requirements for the operation, coordination, and
83 ongoing development of emergency medical services, which
84 includes: basic life support or advanced life support vehicles,
85 equipment, and supplies; communications; personnel; training;
86 public education; state trauma system; injury control; and other
87 medical care components.
88 (3) The definition of areas of responsibility for
89 regulating and planning the ongoing and developing delivery
90 service requirements.
91 Section 4. Subsections (4) and (12) of section 401.27,
92 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
93 401.27 Personnel; standards and certification.—
94 (4) An applicant for certification or recertification as an
95 emergency medical technician or paramedic must:
96 (a) Have completed an appropriate training course as
97 follows:
98 1. For an emergency medical technician, an emergency
99 medical technician training course equivalent to the most recent
100 National EMS Education Standards emergency medical technician
101 basic training course of the United States Department of
102 Transportation as approved by the department;
103 2. For a paramedic, a paramedic training program equivalent
104 to the most recent national standard curriculum or National EMS
105 Education Standards paramedic course of the United States
106 Department of Transportation as approved by the department;
107 (b) Certify under oath that he or she is not addicted to
108 alcohol or any controlled substance;
109 (c) Certify under oath that he or she is free from any
110 physical or mental defect or disease that might impair the
111 applicant’s ability to perform his or her duties;
112 (d) Within 2 years 1 year after course completion have
113 passed an examination developed or required by the department;
114 (e)1. For an emergency medical technician, hold either a
115 current American Heart Association cardiopulmonary resuscitation
116 course card or an American Red Cross cardiopulmonary
117 resuscitation course card or its equivalent as defined by
118 department rule;
119 2. For a paramedic, hold a certificate of successful course
120 completion in advanced cardiac life support from the American
121 Heart Association or its equivalent as defined by department
122 rule;
123 (f) Submit the certification fee and the nonrefundable
124 examination fee prescribed in s. 401.34, which examination fee
125 will be required for each examination administered to an
126 applicant; and
127 (g) Submit a completed application to the department, which
128 application documents compliance with paragraphs (a), (b), (c),
129 (e), (f), (g), and, if applicable, (d). The application must be
130 submitted so as to be received by the department at least 30
131 calendar days before the next regularly scheduled examination
132 for which the applicant desires to be scheduled.
133 (12) An applicant for certification who is an out-of-state
134 trained emergency medical technician or paramedic must provide
135 proof of current emergency medical technician or paramedic
136 certification or registration based upon successful completion
137 of the United States Department of Transportation emergency
138 medical technician or paramedic training curriculum or the
139 National EMS Education Standards as approved by the department
140 and hold a current certificate of successful course completion
141 in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or advanced cardiac life
142 support for emergency medical technicians or paramedics,
143 respectively, to be eligible for the certification examination.
144 The applicant must successfully complete the certification
145 examination within 1 year after the date of the receipt of his
146 or her application by the department. After 1 year, the
147 applicant must submit a new application, meet all eligibility
148 requirements, and submit all fees to reestablish eligibility to
149 take the certification examination.
150 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and subsection
151 (5) of section 401.2701, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
152 401.2701 Emergency medical services training programs.—
153 (1) Any private or public institution in Florida desiring
154 to conduct an approved program for the education of emergency
155 medical technicians and paramedics shall:
156 (a) Submit a completed application on a form provided by
157 the department, which must include:
158 1. Evidence that the institution is in compliance with all
159 applicable requirements of the Department of Education.
160 2. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a hospital
161 that has an emergency department staffed by at least one
162 physician and one registered nurse.
163 3. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a current
164 Florida-licensed emergency medical services provider that is
165 licensed in this state. Such agreement shall include, at a
166 minimum, a commitment by the provider to conduct the field
167 experience portion of the education program.
168 4. Documentation verifying faculty, including:
169 a. A medical director who is a licensed physician meeting
170 the applicable requirements for emergency medical services
171 medical directors as outlined in this chapter and rules of the
172 department. The medical director shall have the duty and
173 responsibility of certifying that graduates have successfully
174 completed all phases of the education program and are proficient
175 in basic or advanced life support techniques, as applicable.
176 b. A program director responsible for the operation,
177 organization, periodic review, administration, development, and
178 approval of the program.
179 5. Documentation verifying that the curriculum:
180 a. Meets the course guides and instructor’s lesson plans in
181 the most recent Emergency Medical Technician-Basic National
182 Standard Curricula or the National EMS Education Standards for
183 emergency medical technician programs and paramedic Emergency
184 Medical Technician-Paramedic National Standard Curricula for
185 paramedic programs as approved by the department.
186 b. Includes 2 hours of instruction on the trauma scorecard
187 methodologies for assessment of adult trauma patients and
188 pediatric trauma patients as specified by the department by
189 rule.
190 c. Includes 4 hours of instruction on HIV/AIDS training
191 consistent with the requirements of chapter 381.
192 6. Evidence of sufficient medical and educational equipment
193 to meet emergency medical services training program needs.
194 (5) Each approved program must notify the department within
195 30 days after of any change in the professional or employment
196 status of faculty. Each approved program must require its
197 students to pass a comprehensive final written and practical
198 examination evaluating the skills described in the current
199 United States Department of Transportation EMT-Basic or EMT
200 Paramedic, National Standard Curriculum or the National EMS
201 Education Standards as approved by the department. Each approved
202 program must issue a certificate of completion to program
203 graduates within 14 days after of completion.
204 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.