fficult in the streets of downtown or the moving ambulance speeding down Main Street (Caroline, ix). Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics were first recognized as an allied health organization in 1975. The recognition issued by the American Medical Organization opened the door for accredited entry-level educational programs geared for professional careers in EMS (EMS Programs, 45). In 1975, the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development established pilot programs for another scope of practice termed limited advanced life support. Those operating in that field were labeled EMT-II's. The lower level of training required being an EMT-II opened the opportunity for smaller, poorer communities to spend the money on the less expensive training programs. There are several differences between the level of training of an EMT-II and a Paramedic. EMT-II can administer eleven fewer drugs. Additionally there are certain airways, cardiac, and defibrillation maneuvers that an EMT-II cannot perform. Traditionally the EMT-II's worked in the rural area while the Paramedics worked in the urban areas. This meant that EMT-II's were spending more time in the ambulance en route to the hospital. It seemed paradoxical that the superior level of care available in the urban areas was not being used to its full potential. This led to a decline in EMT-II's. The EMT-II classification still exists today although it is difficult to find training or employment. The superior level of care able to be provided by a Paramedic, in the end, outweighed the cost of training (Bishop 2-28). Seeing the progression of EMS and the necessity to pass laws protecting and governing it, the governor of Michigan passed the Emergency Personnel Act in 1976. The act addressed not only the EMT, but also the EMT-Paramedic. The purpose of the new Michigan law was to license and regulate the emergency medical personnel practicing in that state. It also limited their liabil...
