Emergency medical technician-basic : national standard curriculum (instructor's course guide)

NHTSA · 1994 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This document presents the *Emergency Medical Technician-Basic: National Standard Curriculum*, an instructor’s course guide developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1994. The project was motivated by the need to update the 1984 EMT-Ambulance curriculum to align with the Highway Safety Act of 1966 and recommendations from a 1990 NHTSA Consensus Workshop. The revision aimed to establish a core curriculum of minimum required information, focusing on assessment-based care rather than diagnostic-based care, emphasizing primary skills such as airway management and ABCs, and integrating pediatric care and automated defibrillation. The goal was to create a standardized, high-quality training program that prepares EMT-Basics to provide competent prehospital care while allowing for local customization. The curriculum was developed through a collaborative process involving a Curriculum Development Group, a Medical Oversight Committee, and a Principal Investigator. Content was refined based on input from national EMS organizations and peer-reviewed studies. To validate the design, pilot tests were conducted in Ekalaka, Montana, representing rural settings, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, representing urban environments. These pilots involved 30 students total and informed modifications to the final document. The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians contributed to the design of examinations and skill sheets. The resulting curriculum is structured as a 110-hour core program comprising 46 lessons across seven modules, with an optional eighth module for advanced airway techniques. The instructional design is organized into modules covering Preparatory topics, Airway management, Patient Assessment, Medical/Behavioral Emergencies and Obstetrics, Trauma, Infants and Children, and Operations. Each lesson includes cognitive, affective, and psychomotor objectives, with specific time allocations and evaluation criteria. The curriculum emphasizes an integrated, situational approach, requiring students to demonstrate competency in skills such as scene size-up, vital sign assessment, bleeding control, and medication administration under medical direction. It also mandates instruction on rescuer safety, infection control, and hazardous materials worker protection. The educational model places patient assessment at the center, flanked by medical and trauma information, and is surrounded by continuing education components to support lifelong learning. The significance of this curriculum lies in its role as the cornerstone of national EMS prehospital training. By standardizing the EMT-Basic level, it ensures that providers possess the essential skills to serve as a vital link in the healthcare team. The document underscores the importance of medical direction and quality improvement in maintaining high standards of care. It provides a framework for instructors to deliver consistent, evidence-based training, thereby improving the quality of emergency medical care delivered to patients across diverse geographic and operational settings.

Key finding

The curriculum development process incorporated pilot testing with thirty students across rural and urban sites to validate and modify the 110-hour EMT-Basic training program.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 30

Provenance

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• post crash care delays