HB 909

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

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.