"Do I Lead or Just Get Out of the Way?" Exploring Paramedic Student Leadership

Emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential component of the healthcare delivery framework. Leadership skills have become increasingly important as a dynamic field experiencing rapid change secondary to expectations for improved quality outcomes and controlling costs. Moreover, emergency medical services personnel function in unpredictable environments, often as members of complex interdisciplinary teams where the stakes are high. Medical knowledge and task performance, while important, are not enough to deliver effective, quality care to patients. Leadership abilities are paramount to bringing calm to chaos, gathering data and quickly analyzing it, and orchestrating the care of critically ill or injured patients. Are your students ready to answer the call to be EMS leaders?