38-1217. Rules and regulations.

The board shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to:

(1) Create licensure requirements for advanced emergency medical technicians, community paramedics, critical care paramedics, emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics and, until December 31, 2025, create renewal requirements for emergency medical technicians-intermediate. The rules and regulations shall include all criteria and qualifications for each classification determined to be necessary for protection of public health and safety;

(2) Provide for temporary licensure of an emergency care provider who has completed the educational requirements for a licensure classification enumerated in subdivision (1) of this section but has not completed the testing requirements for licensure under such subdivision. A temporary license shall allow the person to practice only in association with a licensed emergency care provider under physician medical direction and shall be valid until the date on which the results of the next licensure examination are available to the department. The temporary license shall expire immediately if the applicant has failed the examination. In no case may a temporary license be issued for a period extending beyond one year. The rules and regulations shall include qualifications and training necessary for issuance of such temporary license, the practices and procedures authorized for a temporary licensee under this subdivision, and supervision required for a temporary licensee under this subdivision. The requirements of this subdivision and the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to this subdivision do not apply to a temporary license issued as provided in section 38-129.01;

(3) Provide for temporary licensure of an emergency care provider relocating to Nebraska, if such emergency care provider is lawfully authorized to practice in another state that has adopted the licensing standards of the EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact. Such temporary licensure shall be valid for one year or until a license is issued and shall not be subject to renewal. The requirements of this subdivision do not apply to a temporary license issued as provided in section 38-129.01;

(4) Set standards for the licensure of basic life support services and advanced life support services. The rules and regulations providing for licensure shall include standards and requirements for: Vehicles, equipment, maintenance, sanitation, inspections, personnel, training, medical direction, records maintenance, practices and procedures to be provided by employees or members of each classification of service, and other criteria for licensure established by the board;

(5) Authorize emergency medical services to provide differing practices and procedures depending upon the qualifications of emergency care providers available at the time of service delivery. No emergency medical service shall be licensed to provide practices or procedures without the use of personnel licensed to provide the practices or procedures;

(6) Authorize emergency care providers to perform any practice or procedure which they are authorized to perform with an emergency medical service other than the service with which they are affiliated when requested by the other service and when the patient for whom they are to render services is in danger of loss of life;

(7) Provide for the approval of training agencies, provide for disciplinary or corrective action against training agencies, and establish minimum standards for services provided by training agencies;

(8) Provide for the minimum qualifications of a physician medical director in addition to the licensure required by section 38-1212;

(9) Provide for the use of physician medical directors, qualified physician surrogates, model protocols, standing orders, operating procedures, and guidelines which may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Emergency Medical Services Practice Act. The model protocols, standing orders, operating procedures, and guidelines may be modified by the physician medical director for use by any emergency care provider or emergency medical service before or after adoption;

(10) Establish renewal and reinstatement requirements for emergency care providers and establish continuing competency requirements. Continuing education is sufficient to meet continuing competency requirements. The requirements may also include, but not be limited to, one or more of the continuing competency activities listed in section 38-145 which a licensed person may select as an alternative to continuing education. The reinstatement requirements for emergency care providers shall allow reinstatement at the same or any lower level of licensure for which the emergency care provider is determined to be qualified;

(11) Create licensure, renewal, and reinstatement requirements for emergency medical service instructors. The rules and regulations shall include the practices and procedures for licensure, renewal, and reinstatement;

(12) Establish criteria for emergency medical technicians-intermediate, advanced emergency medical technicians, emergency medical technicians, community paramedics, critical care paramedics, or paramedics performing activities within their scope of practice and as determined by a licensed health care practitioner as defined in section 38-1224; and

(13) Establish model protocols for compliance with the Stroke System of Care Act by an emergency medical service and an emergency care provider.

Source:Laws 1997, LB 138, § 7; Laws 1999, LB 498, § 2; Laws 2001, LB 238, § 1; Laws 2002, LB 1021, § 87; Laws 2002, LB 1033, § 1; R.S.1943, (2003), § 71-5178; Laws 2007, LB463, § 501; Laws 2009, LB195, § 13; Laws 2016, LB722, § 10; Laws 2017, LB88, § 48; Laws 2018, LB1034, § 20; Laws 2020, LB1002, § 30.

Cross References