Emergency medical services: paramedics: discipline.

Under existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, the Emergency Medical Services Authority is responsible for establishing training, scope of practice, and continuing education for emergency medical technicians and other prehospital personnel, including Emergency Medical Technician-I (EMT-I) , Emergency Medical Technician-II (EMT-II) , and Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P) designations. The act authorizes an employer of an EMT-I or EMT-II to conduct investigations and take disciplinary action against an EMT-I or EMT-II who is employed by that employer for specified conduct, and authorizes the authority to, among other things, deny, suspend, or revoke any EMT-P license for the same specified conduct. Existing law requires an EMT-P's employer to report in writing to the local EMS agency and the authority within 30 days of specified disciplinary action being taken with regard to an EMT-P. This bill would require the authority to develop and adopt guidelines for disciplinary orders, temporary suspensions, and conditions of probation for EMT-P licenseholders. The bill would also integrate and conform the procedures for investigating misconduct of EMT-P licenseholders with those of EMT-I and EMT-II certificate holders, including requiring notification of disciplinary action with regard to an EMT-P to be given to the local EMS agency and the authority within 3 days. Existing law authorizes the medical director of the local EMS agency to evaluate information that comes to his or her attention that appears to constitute grounds for disciplinary action against an EMT-P and to make a recommendation to the authority for further investigation or discipline. Existing law also authorizes the temporary suspension, in specified circumstances, of an EMT-P license. This bill would require the medical director of the local EMS agency, if he or she makes a recommendation to the authority for further investigation or discipline, to notify the EMT-P's employer within 3 days. The bill would additionally require notification of the EMT-P's employer when there is a temporary suspension of an EMT-P's license.