Emergency Medical Care Program, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA.
Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Jun;27(3):245-51. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X12000787. Epub 2012 Jun 7.
Ensuring a stable Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce is a growing concern, and effective recruiting strategies are needed to expose young adults to the EMS profession. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure of high school allied health students to EMS as a career option, as well as measure their attitudes and beliefs about the EMS profession. Hypothesis Few high school allied health students are exposed to EMS educational and career opportunities.
A convenience sample of allied health students in a rural high school system was surveyed about exposure to EMS, career intentions, factors impacting career decisions, and attitudes and beliefs about EMS. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and intention to pursue an EMS career was modeled using logistic regression.
Of 171 students enrolled in allied health courses across six high schools, 135 (78.9%) agreed to participate; 85.2% were female. Almost all (92.6%) respondents intended to pursue a health career, but only 43.0% reported that their allied health course exposed them to EMS as a profession. Few participants (37.7%) were knowledgeable about EMS associate degree or baccalaureate degree (27.4%) programs. Only 20.7% of the respondents intended to pursue EMS as a career, although 46.0% wanted to learn more about the profession. Most (68.2%) students expressed interest in an emergency medical technician (EMT) course if one were offered, and 80.0% were interested in a ride-along program. Independent predictors of pursuing an EMS career included exposure to EMS outside of high school (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 1.7-30.4); media influence on career choice (OR = 9.6, 95% CI = 1.8-50.1); and the belief that EMS was mentally challenging (OR = 15.9, 95% CI = 1.1-216.6). Negative predictors included the beliefs that an EMS career was stimulating (OR = 0.05, 95% CI = 0.00-0.53) and physically challenging (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.00-0.63); as well as prior exposure to an EMS job advertisement (OR = 0.14, 0.03-0.53).
Overall, there was a lack of exposure to career and educational options in EMS among allied health students in the school system studied, and few students intended to pursue an EMS career after graduation. However, the majority of students indicated they would like to learn more about EMS, and would enroll in an EMT course and ride-along program if available. These findings suggest that, with exposure to the profession, more allied health students could choose EMS as a career.
确保紧急医疗服务（EMS）人员队伍的稳定是一个日益受到关注的问题，需要制定有效的招聘策略，让年轻人接触 EMS 职业。本研究的目的是评估高中联合健康学生接触 EMS 作为职业选择的情况，并衡量他们对 EMS 职业的态度和信念。假设很少有高中联合健康学生接触到 EMS 教育和职业机会。
对农村高中系统的联合健康学生进行了一项便利抽样调查，调查内容包括接触 EMS、职业意向、影响职业决策的因素以及对 EMS 的态度和信念。计算了描述性统计数据，并使用逻辑回归模型对从事 EMS 职业的意向进行建模。
在六所高中的 171 名联合健康课程学生中，有 135 名（78.9%）同意参与；85.2%为女性。几乎所有（92.6%）的受访者都打算从事健康相关的职业，但只有 43.0%的人表示他们的联合健康课程让他们接触到了 EMS 职业。很少有参与者（37.7%）了解 EMS 副学士学位或学士学位（27.4%）课程。只有 20.7%的受访者打算从事 EMS 作为职业，尽管 46.0%的人希望更多地了解该职业。大多数（68.2%）学生表示如果提供急救技术员（EMT）课程，他们有兴趣参加，并且 80.0%的学生对乘车实习计划感兴趣。从事 EMS 职业的独立预测因素包括高中以外接触 EMS（OR = 7.4，95%CI = 1.7-30.4）；媒体对职业选择的影响（OR = 9.6，95%CI = 1.8-50.1）；以及 EMS 具有挑战性的信念（OR = 15.9，95%CI = 1.1-216.6）。负面预测因素包括认为 EMS 职业具有刺激性（OR = 0.05，95%CI = 0.00-0.53）和身体挑战性（OR = 0.06，95%CI = 0.00-0.63）；以及先前接触过 EMS 工作广告（OR = 0.14，95%CI = 0.03-0.53）。
总的来说，在所研究的学校系统中，联合健康学生对 EMS 职业的就业和教育选择缺乏了解，毕业后很少有学生打算从事 EMS 职业。然而，大多数学生表示他们希望更多地了解 EMS，如果有 EMT 课程和乘车实习计划，他们会报名参加。这些发现表明，通过接触该职业，更多的联合健康学生可以选择 EMS 作为职业。
