| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to medical telecommunications and |
| 3 | transportation; amending s. 381.0034, F.S.; deleting the |
| 4 | requirement that any person who applies to be certified or |
| 5 | is certified as an emergency medical technician, |
| 6 | paramedic, 911 emergency dispatcher, emergency medical |
| 7 | technician, or paramedic must complete an educational |
| 8 | course approved by the Department of Health regarding the |
| 9 | human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune |
| 10 | deficiency syndrome; amending s. 401.2701, F.S.; deleting |
| 11 | a requirement that an institution seeking approval of a |
| 12 | program for the education of emergency medical technicians |
| 13 | and paramedics show documentation of the inclusion of |
| 14 | instruction in HIV/AIDS training in its curriculum; |
| 15 | providing an effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Section 381.0034, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 20 | to read: |
| 21 | 381.0034 Requirement for instruction on HIV and AIDS.- |
| 22 | (1) As of July 1, 1991, the Department of Health shall |
| 23 | require each person licensed or certified under chapter 401, |
| 24 | chapter 467, part IV of chapter 468, or chapter 483, as a |
| 25 | condition of biennial relicensure, to complete an educational |
| 26 | course approved by the department on the modes of transmission, |
| 27 | infection control procedures, clinical management, and |
| 28 | prevention of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune |
| 29 | deficiency syndrome. Such course shall include information on |
| 30 | current state Florida law on acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| 31 | and its impact on testing, confidentiality of test results, and |
| 32 | treatment of patients. Each such licensee or certificateholder |
| 33 | shall submit confirmation of having completed the said course, |
| 34 | on a form provided by the department, when submitting fees or |
| 35 | application for each biennial renewal. |
| 36 | (2) Failure to complete the requirements of this section |
| 37 | shall be grounds for disciplinary action contained in the |
| 38 | chapters specified in subsection (1). In addition to discipline |
| 39 | by the department, the licensee or certificateholder shall be |
| 40 | required to complete the said course specified in subsection |
| 41 | (1). |
| 42 | (3) The department shall require, as a condition of |
| 43 | granting a license under the chapters specified in subsection |
| 44 | (1), that an applicant making initial application for licensure |
| 45 | complete an educational course acceptable to the department on |
| 46 | human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency |
| 47 | syndrome. An applicant who has not taken a course at the time of |
| 48 | licensure shall, upon an affidavit showing good cause, be |
| 49 | allowed 6 months to complete this requirement. |
| 50 | (4) The department may shall have the authority to adopt |
| 51 | rules to administer carry out the provisions of this section. |
| 52 | (5) Any professional holding two or more licenses or |
| 53 | certificates subject to the provisions of this section shall be |
| 54 | permitted to show proof of having taken one department-approved |
| 55 | course on human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune |
| 56 | deficiency syndrome, for purposes of relicensure or |
| 57 | recertification for the additional licenses. |
| 58 | Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 401.2701, Florida |
| 59 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 60 | 401.2701 Emergency medical services training programs.- |
| 61 | (1) Any private or public institution in this state |
| 62 | Florida desiring to conduct an approved program for the |
| 63 | education of emergency medical technicians and paramedics shall: |
| 64 | (a) Submit a completed application on a form provided by |
| 65 | the department, which must include: |
| 66 | 1. Evidence that the institution is in compliance with all |
| 67 | applicable requirements of the Department of Education. |
| 68 | 2. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a hospital |
| 69 | that has an emergency department staffed by at least one |
| 70 | physician and one registered nurse. |
| 71 | 3. Evidence of an affiliation agreement with a current |
| 72 | Florida-licensed emergency medical services provider. Such |
| 73 | agreement shall include, at a minimum, a commitment by the |
| 74 | provider to conduct the field experience portion of the |
| 75 | education program. |
| 76 | 4. Documentation verifying faculty, including: |
| 77 | a. A medical director who is a licensed physician meeting |
| 78 | the applicable requirements for emergency medical services |
| 79 | medical directors as outlined in this chapter and rules of the |
| 80 | department. The medical director shall have the duty and |
| 81 | responsibility of certifying that graduates have successfully |
| 82 | completed all phases of the education program and are proficient |
| 83 | in basic or advanced life support techniques, as applicable. |
| 84 | b. A program director responsible for the operation, |
| 85 | organization, periodic review, administration, development, and |
| 86 | approval of the program. |
| 87 | 5. Documentation verifying that the curriculum: |
| 88 | a. Meets the course guides and instructor's lesson plans |
| 89 | in the most recent Emergency Medical Technician-Basic National |
| 90 | Standard Curricula for emergency medical technician programs and |
| 91 | Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic National Standard |
| 92 | Curricula for paramedic programs. |
| 93 | b. Includes 2 hours of instruction on the trauma scorecard |
| 94 | methodologies for assessment of adult trauma patients and |
| 95 | pediatric trauma patients as specified by the department by |
| 96 | rule. |
| 97 | c. Includes 4 hours of instruction on HIV/AIDS training |
| 98 | consistent with the requirements of chapter 381. |
| 99 | 6. Evidence of sufficient medical and educational |
| 100 | equipment to meet emergency medical services training program |
| 101 | needs. |
| 102 | (b) Receive a scheduled site visit from the department to |
| 103 | the applicant's institution. Such site visit shall be conducted |
| 104 | within 30 days after notification to the institution that the |
| 105 | application was accepted. During the site visit, the department |
| 106 | must determine the applicant's compliance with the following |
| 107 | criteria: |
| 108 | 1. Emergency medical technician programs must be a minimum |
| 109 | of 110 hours, with at least 20 hours of supervised clinical |
| 110 | supervision, including 10 hours in a hospital emergency |
| 111 | department. |
| 112 | 2. Paramedic programs must be available only to Florida- |
| 113 | certified emergency medical technicians or an emergency medical |
| 114 | technician applicant who will obtain Florida certification prior |
| 115 | to completion of phase one of the paramedic program. Paramedic |
| 116 | programs must be a minimum of 700 hours of didactic and skills |
| 117 | practice components, with the skills laboratory student-to- |
| 118 | instructor ratio not exceeding six to one. Paramedic programs |
| 119 | must provide a field internship experience aboard an advanced |
| 120 | life support permitted ambulance. However, a portion of the |
| 121 | field internship experience may be satisfied aboard an advanced |
| 122 | life support permitted vehicle other than an ambulance as |
| 123 | determined by rule of the department. |
| 124 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |