This internship abstract summarizes Betty Kui's analysis of the confidence levels of new emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in conducting basic life support and responding to medical emergencies. Through surveys of 14 EMTs, the study found that new EMTs felt most comfortable handling medical equipment and filling out paperwork, but less comfortable with skills like triaging, taking vitals, and patient assessment. Over 70% reported that their discomfort was due to lack of experience. The study recommends restructuring EMT crews to ensure an experienced EMT is always present, and implementing additional training sessions focused on the skills new EMTs reported feeling least confident, to improve competency and patient care outcomes.

1. Internship Abstract
Title: EMT Skills Improvement Assessment
Name: Betty Kui
Preceptors: George Antonelli, Captain of Madison Park First Aid Squad
Agency: Madison Park First Aid Squad
Purpose: To analyze the confidence levels of new emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in conducting
basic life support and responding to medical emergencies in order to propose methods of improving
EMTs’ skills competency in patient quality care.
Significance: Getting experience for EMTs can be problematic when first responders cannot selectively
choose how many and the type of medical emergencies to respond to. Consequently, some EMTs may be
incompetent in specific skill sets such as utilizing medical equipment, taking vitals, and basic life support
(BLS). This study is intended to identify the types of skills new and prospective EMTs within the
organization need improvement on. Any significant outcomes may serve as a basis to develop future
training programs for new recruits to effectively respond to medical emergencies.
Method/Approach: A survey study conducted with fourteen members of Madison Park First Aid
measured the comfort level of new EMTs (active EMTs with license of 5 years or less) and prospective
EMTs (active volunteers without an EMT license). Comfort level was measured by subjects selecting
EMT skills they can and cannot perform independently. I documented improvements in skills competency
with EMTs and volunteers I regularly supervised on calls and interviewed a EMS medical director to gain
insight on the development of future EMT training, research,and education.
Outcomes: Of the sample size cohort (n=14), the skills participants felt most comfortable performing on
calls were handling medical equipment with eleven respondents (78.57%) followed by filling out PCRs
with ten subjects (71.42%). Six subjects (42.85%) listed triaging as a skill they felt uncomfortable
performing independently. Taking vitals, patient assessment,and delivery of oral report to nurses were
equally followed as second highest in discomfort with five subjects (35.71%). Ten participants (71.42%)
responded the reason for this discomfort was due to lack of experience. Six respondents (42.85%) claimed
on average they did not go on call with an EMT with more than five years of experience and twelve
respondents (85.71%) said yes to participating in future EMT refresher training sessions.
Evaluations: Nearly half of new and prospective EMTs (42.85%) did not run with an EMT with more
than 5 years of experience opening to the possibility of restructuring crews to have at least one
experienced EMT (5+ years of experience). This along with conducting EMT trainings will help to
address the 71.42% of new members who state that their discomfort in certain skills was due to lack of
experience. Training sessions can focus on skills such as triaging, taking vitals, patient assessment,and
delivery of oral reports as these were the top skills new members listed to be least confident in. Honing
these skills can improve EMTs competency and result in better outcomes for pre-hospital care.