History of EMR

In 1966, the committees on Trauma and Shock of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council published a report titled “Accidental Death and Disability.” This report brought attention to the inadequate emergency care being provided
throughout much of the country. To help alleviate this problem, the Department of Transportation (DOT) developed nationally standardized curriculums for the training of prehospital care providers. The first curriculum developed (and cornerstone of all the prehospital care training) is the Emergency Medical Responder - Basic. This curriculum was revised in 1998, known as the EMR-Basic National Standard Curriculum, and revised again most recently in 2009 as the National EMS Education Standards where the title of EMR-Basic was changed to Emergency Medical Responder.

Primary Focus of EMR

The primary focus of the Emergency Medical Responder is to provide basic emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. This individual possesses the basic knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation.

Emergency Medical Responders function as part of a comprehensive EMS response, under medical oversight. Emergency Medical Responders perform interventions with the basic equipment typically found on an ambulance. The Emergency Medical Responder is a link from the scene to the emergency health care system.