The state of Arkansas could soon have a system in place to ensure that the people who deliver emergency medical care are properly trained.

Arkansas Department of Health, state legislators, medical organizations and others are working to establish a program for certifying emergency medical responders.

“The biggest problem that we have in the state of Arkansas is that there is no (oversight) for medical first responders,” said Dwayne Aalseth, president of the Arkansas Emergency Medical Technicians Association, which is spearheading the effort.

The state licenses and regulates paramedics and EMTs, but there is no similar system for emergency medical responders. EMRs, who lack the level of expertise required of EMTs but have been trained to deliver basic trauma care, play a particularly vital role in rural parts of the state, where an ambulance may be 30 minutes or more away. The requirements for EMRs are determined locally and vary widely from county to county.

There is no statewide criteria to determine if EMRs are properly trained or if their training is up to date. This can lead to gaps in the quality of emergency medical treatment, Aalseth said.

Read more of this story at WriteForArkansas.org.

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