§ 3.55. Scope of practice.
(a) Any person currently licensed as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may perform emergency and non-emergency medical services as defined in this Act, in accordance with his or her level of education, training and licensure, the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act, and the requirements of the EMS System in which he or she practices, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that System. The Director may, by written order, temporarily modify individual scopes of practice in response to public health emergencies for periods not exceeding 180 days.
(a-5) EMS personnel who have successfully completed a Department approved course in automated defibrillator operation and who are functioning within a Department approved EMS System may utilize such automated defibrillator according to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the Department in rules adopted pursuant to this Act and the requirements of the EMS System in which they practice, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that System.
(a-7) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic who has successfully completed a Department approved course in the administration of epinephrine shall be required to carry epinephrine with him or her as part of the EMS personnel medical supplies whenever he or she is performing official duties as determined by the EMS System. The epinephrine may be administered from a glass vial, auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe.
(b) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license in pre-hospital or inter-hospital emergency care settings or non-emergency medical transport situations, under the written or verbal direction of the EMS Medical Director. For purposes of this Section, a “pre-hospital emergency care setting” may include a location, that is not a health care facility, which utilizes EMS personnel to render pre-hospital emergency care prior to the arrival of a transport vehicle. The location shall include communication equipment and all of the portable equipment and drugs appropriate for the EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or Paramedic's level of care, as required by this Act, rules adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act, and the protocols of the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the approval and under the direction of the EMS Medical Director.
This Section shall not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic from practicing within an emergency department or other health care setting for the purpose of receiving continuing education or training approved by the EMS Medical Director. This Section shall also not prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic license and utilizing such credentials to work in emergency departments or other health care settings under the jurisdiction of that employer.
(c) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may honor Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders and powers of attorney for health care only in accordance with rules adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act and protocols of the EMS System in which he or she practices.
(d) A student enrolled in a Department approved EMS personnel program, while fulfilling the clinical training and in-field supervised experience requirements mandated for licensure or approval by the System and the Department, may perform prescribed procedures under the direct supervision of a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches, a qualified registered professional nurse, or qualified EMS personnel, only when authorized by the EMS Medical Director.
(e) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may transport a police dog injured in the line of duty to a veterinary clinic or similar facility if there are no persons requiring medical attention or transport at that time. For the purposes of this subsection, “police dog” means a dog owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the course of the department or agency's work, including a search and rescue dog, service dog, accelerant detection canine, or other dog that is in use by a county, municipal, or State law enforcement agency.
(f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN from completing an initial Occupational Safety and Health Administration Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire on behalf of fire service personnel, as permitted by his or her EMS System Medical Director.
(g) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA shall be eligible to work for another EMS System for a period not to exceed 2 weeks if the individual is under the direct supervision of another licensed individual operating at the same or higher level as the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA; obtained approval in writing from the EMS System's Medical Director; and tests into the EMS System based upon appropriate standards as outlined in the EMS System Program Plan. The EMS System within which the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA is seeking to join must make all required testing available to the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA within 2 weeks after the written request. Failure to do so by the EMS System shall allow the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, PHRN, PHAPRN, or PHPA to continue working for another EMS System until all required testing becomes available.
Credits
P.A. 81-1518, Art. I, § 3.55, added by P.A. 89-177, § 5, eff. July 19, 1995. Amended by P.A. 90-440, § 50, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; P.A. 92-376, § 5, eff. Aug. 15, 2001; P.A. 98-973, § 25, eff. Aug. 15, 2014; P.A. 99-862, § 5, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; P.A. 100-108, § 5, eff. Jan. 1, 2018; P.A. 100-1082, § 5, eff. Aug. 24, 2019; P.A. 102-79, § 5, eff. Jan. 1, 2022; P.A. 103-547, § 5, eff. Aug. 11, 2023.