EMS was officially recognized as an EM subspecialty by the American Board of Medical Specialities on September 23, 2010!
Residency programs have already implemented EMS Fellowship Training Programs to provide physicians with specialty training in prehospital care, medical direction, and research in the prehospital arena. The development of this new subspecialty was a collaborative effort between the National Association of EMS Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine. The first certification exam is tentatively scheduled to be administered in 2013. Click here to see the announcement.
Prehospital care is one of the most challenging aspects of EM. Factors that make it challenging include the limited resources, possibly dangerous work environment, and the unpredictable patients.
Congratulations to all those involved with the past, present, and future of EMS!
