The modern EMT program in the United States began as part of the “Alexandria Plan” in the early 70’s. Emergency medicine (EM) as a medical specialty is a very new idea. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s, hospital emergency departments were generally staffed by physicians on staff at the hospital on a rotating basis, among them general surgeons, internists, psychiatrists, and various other types of specialty doctors. What the system lacked was specialized triage type care from the moment the victim is engaged. There was no system to manage Pre-Emergency care. EMS and EMT’s as a specialty occurred as it became increasingly proven that time is the most important factor in a good result after an emergency. Physicians in training (interns and residents), medical graduates from other countries and sometimes nurses also staffed the Emergency Department but the systematic evaluation of the modern Emergency Room and Pre-Emergency room care is a more modern phenomenon.
Emergency Medicine was born as a specialty in order to more efficiently fill the time commitment required by physicians on staff to work in the increasingly disorganized emergency departments (EDs) of the time. During this period, groups of physicians began to emerge who had left their respective practices in order to devote their work completely to the ED. It became abundantly aware that a new system of providing more than just ‘ambulance drivers’ but that instituting a group of EMT’s trained to evaluate and treat victims as well as stabilizing patients in order that doctor’s on the scene in the emergency room can be well informed and treat the most traumatized victims quickly and effectively. In effect the culture of the EMS/EMT was born.
It was not until the establishment of American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), the recognition of emergency medicine training (EMT) programs by the AMA and the AOA, and in 1979 a historical vote by the American Board of Medical Specialties that EMT’s and EM became a recognized medical specialty. The earliest EMT’s were from the Alexandria plan working as Emergency Care Technicians serving in the Alexandria Hospital Emergency Room. The training for these technicians was modeled after the established “Physician Assistant” training program and later restructured to meet the basic needs for emergency pre-hospital care.
Along with the recognition of this new medical specialty from major medical associations came the need for these new medical professionals to have a distinctive uniform as they worked in the field along side other public safety personnel. There was a need for these ems workers to be differentiated from the other law enforcement and fire officials by the use of unique emt uniforms. These emt uniforms are now very recognizable by the common public as we are very familiar with ems professionals in our daily lives.
