The biggest challenges facing the EMS industry include staffing (finding the next generation of employees and retaining existing employees) and reducing stress. A 2023 EMS Trend Survey of more than 3,100 paramedics, EMTs, and EMS leaders has shed more light on these topics that are most concerning to emergency service professionals.
The survey shows that EMS managers must prioritize their employees' mental and physical health and safety due to chronic understaffing and the demanding nature of the job, which are having a more significant impact than ever before.
While the nature of the job will always create a stressful environment, managers need to look for small ways to reduce their employees' physical and mental stress. Improving how these critical care providers go about their day and finding logistical improvements can help. In turn, this will help to address the industry’s retention challenge along with leading to better patient outcomes.