Dateline: February 22, 2007

Hospital board agrees to pay EMTs

The Associated Ambulance Authority has changed its status from a volunteer service to a paid service following a decision by the Donley County Hospital Board last Tuesday.

Licensed EMTs for the ambulance service will now have the option of being considered as PRN employees of the hospital district – subject to all the policies and procedures of the district and the authority but with the freedom to determine when they want to work.

Ambulance Director Anna Howard said she likes the new arrangement.

“I’m thrilled,” she said. “Everyone seems happy, I haven’t had any complaints, and we’ve got the shifts covered.”

The ambulance service will now pay all PRN EMTs $2 per hour to be on call. EMT-Basics will be paid $10 per hour per transport, and EMT-Intermediates will receive $12 per hour per transport.

“They clock in for a run and clock out when they finish the work on that run,” said District Administrator Vicky Robertson.

PRN employees must commit to 60 hours of service per quarter and are not eligible for any employee benefits through the district.

PRN is an abbreviation for pro re nata – a Latin phrase commonly used in the medical community to mean “as needed.”

As of Monday nine EMTs had signed up for the new PRN status, and seven had chosen to remain strictly volunteers and will be paid $10 for a no-transport call and $25 for a transport.

The new status affects how the ambulance service is licensed by the state but does not impact the level of service the authority provides, Robertson said.

The board’s action came at the recommendation of a special committee comprised of Robertson, Howard, and three board members. It is expected to have a minimal impact on the district’s budget.

The Associated Ambulance Authority currently has two full-time paramedics, Robertson said.

“We need to hire another full-time paramedic, and we’d like to hire two EMT-Basics.”

Howard, who was serving as the interim director of the ambulance authority, was selected by Robertson to be the new director last Wednesday.

She succeeds Anita Aaron, who resigned January 30 over the issue of how best to staff and compensate EMTs for the service.