Sponsored by:
Senator DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes certain paramedics with expired certifications to be temporarily reactivated during communicable disease outbreaks.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning emergency medical services and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section, "advanced life support," "mobile intensive care paramedic," and "mobile intensive care unit" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 1 of P.L.1984, c.146 (C.26:2K-7).
b. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, during a declared disaster or during an outbreak of a communicable disease occurring among the general public in any area of the State, a mobile intensive care unit or other provider of advanced life support services may employ a mobile intensive care paramedic with an expired professional certification if:
(1) the mobile intensive care paramedic has no criminal history or pending criminal charges referenced in N.J.A.C.8:41A-5.2;
(2) the mobile intensive care paramedic is assessed and deemed competent to work as a paramedic by the medical director of the mobile intensive care unit or the medical director of the provider of advanced life support services; and
(3) the mobile intensive care paramedic works under the supervision of a professionally certified mobile intensive care paramedic or physician-directed registered professional nurse.
c. A mobile intensive care paramedic employed pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be permitted to continue to work as a paramedic for a period of six months following the end of the declared disaster or the outbreak of a communicable disease. Following the end of the six-month period, a mobile intensive care paramedic's authorization to work as paramedic pursuant to this section shall terminate unless the paramedic has completed his or her professional certification requirements.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits the employment of uncertified paramedics under certain circumstances.
The bill provides that during a declared disaster or during an outbreak of a communicable disease occurring among the general public in any area of the State, a mobile intensive care unit or other provider of advanced life support services may employ a paramedic with an expired professional certification if: 1) the paramedic has no criminal history or pending criminal charges referenced in N.J.A.C.8:41A-5.2; 2) paramedic is assessed and deemed competent to work as a paramedic by the medical director of the mobile intensive care unit or the medical director of the provider of advanced life support services; and 3) the mobile intensive care paramedic works under the supervision of a professionally certified paramedic or physician-directed registered professional nurse.
P.L.1984, c.146 (C.26:2K-7) defines "mobile intensive care unit" to mean a specialized emergency medical service vehicle staffed by mobile intensive care paramedics or registered professional nurses trained in advanced life support nursing and operated for the provision of advanced life support services under the direction of an authorized hospital.
Under the bill, a paramedic employed pursuant to the bill's provisions is to be permitted to continue to work as a paramedic for a period of six months following the end of the declared disaster or the outbreak of a communicable disease. Thereafter, a mobile intensive care paramedic's authorization to work as paramedic is to terminate unless the paramedic has completed his or her professional certification requirements.