Section 515.550  Scope of Practice − Licensed EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, and Paramedic

a)         Any person currently licensed as an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic may only perform emergency and non-emergency medical services in accordance with his or her level of education, training and licensure, the standards of performance and conduct prescribed in this Part, and the requirements of the EMS System in which he or she practices, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that System.  The Director may, by written order, temporarily modify individual scopes of practice in response to public health emergencies for periods not to exceed 180 days. (Section 3.55(a) of the Act)

b)         EMS Personnel who have successfully completed a Department-approved course in automated external defibrillator operation and who are functioning within a Department-approved EMS System may use an automated external defibrillator according to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the Department in this Part, and the requirements of the EMS System in which they practice, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that System.  (Section 3.55(a-5) of the Act)

c)         An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic who has successfully completed a Department-approved course in the administration of epinephrine shall be required to carry epinephrine with him or her as part of the EMS Personnel medical supplies whenever he or she is performing official duties, as determined by the EMS System. (Section 3.55 (a-7) of the Act)

d)         An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic may only practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic license in pre-hospital or inter-hospital emergency care settings or non-emergency medical transport situations, under the written or verbal direction of the EMS MD. For purposes of this Section, a "pre-hospital emergency care setting" may include a location, that is not a health care facility, which utilizes EMS Personnel to render pre-hospital emergency care prior to the arrival of a transport vehicle. The location shall include communication equipment and all of the portable equipment and drugs appropriate for the EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic's level of care, and the protocols of the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the approval and under the direction of the EMS MD.

e)         This does not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic from practicing within an emergency department or other health care setting for the purpose of receiving continuing education or training approved by the EMS MD.  This also does not prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic license and utilizing such credentials to work in emergency departments or other health care settings under the jurisdiction of that employer.  (Section 3.55(b) of the Act)

f)         A student enrolled in a Department-approved EMS Personnel program, while fulfilling the clinical training and in-field supervised experience requirements mandated for licensure or approval by the System and the Department, may perform prescribed procedures under the direct supervision of a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches, a qualified RN or a qualified EMS Personnel, only when authorized by the EMS MD.  (Section 3.55(d) of the Act)

g)         An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or Paramedic may transport a police dog injured in the line of duty to a veterinary clinic or similar facility if there are no persons requiring any medical attention or transport at that time. (Section 3.55(e) of the Act) EMS Systems that choose to transport police dogs injured in the line of duty shall develop written policies or procedures for all of the following:

1)         Basic level first aid and safe handling procedures for injured police dogs, including the use of a box muzzle, developed in consultation with a local veterinarian.  The provision of Intermediate and Advanced Life Support care is not authorized and shall not be permitted unless the individual EMS provider is also appropriately licensed under the Illinois Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act [225 ILCS 115];

2)         Identification of local veterinary facilities that will provide emergency treatment of injured police dogs on short notice;

3)         Proper and complete decontamination of stretchers, the patient compartment, and all contaminated medical equipment, when a police dog has been transported by ambulance or other EMS vehicle; and

4)         The disinfection of the interior of an ambulance, including complete sanitizing of all allergens and disinfecting to a standard safe for human transport before being returned to human service.

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 16159, effective November 1, 2024)