April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 23
The National Association of Emergency
Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is the na-
tion’s only organization solely dedicated to
representing the professional interests of all
EMS practitioners, including paramedics,
emergency medical technicians, emergency
medical responders and other professionals
working in pre-hospital emergency medi-
cine.
Formed in 1975, NAEMT was creat-
ed to represent the modernized profession of
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – an in-
dustry that included paramedics and emer-
gency medical technicians. “Until the early
1970s, EMS was not perceived a distinct
profession,” says Pamela Lane, NAEMT Ex-
ecutive Director.
“In the 1970s, the group of individu-
als who were practicing at the time said, ‘We
need to create an association to help the
public understand and recognize the field of
EMS and to speak on behalf of those in the
profession,’” she says.
Lane joined the association in 2007
and has a background in associationmanage-
ment working for groups such as Rotary In-
ternational, the Institute of Real Estate Man-
agement and the National Parent Teacher
Association.
REPRESENT AND SERVE
The mission of the National Association of
Emergency Medical Technicians is to repre-
sent and serve its 32,000-plus member base
through advocacy, educational programs and
research. NAEMTmembers work in all sec-
tors of EMS including government agencies,
fire departments, hospital-based ambulance
services, private companies, industrial and
special operations settings and the military.
Lane says one of the most valuable ser-
vices NAEMT provides is EMS education,
and NAEMT members benefit significantly
through NAEMT’s continuing education
discounts. One of the association’s most rec-
ognized educational programs is PreHospi-
tal Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), which
is well-known nationally and globally. Over
50,000 students take the course each year.
NAEMT is also valuable for the role
it plays in getting the word out about the in-
dustry, Lane adds. “We increase awareness
among the public about the valuable role
that paramedics and EMTs play in their lo-
