Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

210 ILCS 50/3.55

(210 ILCS 50/3.55)

Sec. 3.55. Scope of practice.

(a) Any person currently licensed as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I,
A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may perform emergency and non-emergency medical
services as defined in this Act, in accordance with his or her level of
education, training and licensure, the standards of
performance and conduct prescribed by the Department in
rules adopted pursuant to this Act, 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 exceeding 180 days.

(a-5) EMS personnel who have successfully completed a Department approved
course in automated defibrillator operation and who are functioning within a
Department approved EMS System may utilize such automated defibrillator
according to the standards of performance and conduct prescribed by the
Department
in rules adopted pursuant to this Act and the requirements of the EMS System in
which they practice, as contained in the approved Program Plan for that
System.

(a-7) An EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, 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. The epinephrine may be administered  from a glass vial, auto-injector, ampule, or pre-filled syringe.

(b) An EMR, EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may practice as an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or Paramedic or utilize his or her EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, 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 Medical Director.
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 EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or Paramedic's
 level of care, as required by this Act, rules adopted
by the Department pursuant to this Act, and the protocols of
the EMS Systems, and shall operate only with the approval
and under the direction of the EMS Medical Director.

This Section shall not prohibit an EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, 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 Medical
Director.  This Section shall also not prohibit an EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic from seeking credentials other than his or her EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic
license and utilizing such credentials to work in emergency
departments or other health care settings under the
jurisdiction of that employer.

(c) An EMT,
EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, or Paramedic may honor Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders and powers
of attorney for health care only in accordance with rules
adopted by the Department pursuant to this Act and protocols
of the EMS System in which he or she practices.

(d) 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
registered professional nurse, or qualified EMS personnel, only when
authorized by the EMS Medical Director.

(e) An EMR, EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, PHRN, PHAPRN, PHPA, 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 medical attention or transport at that time. For the purposes of this subsection, "police dog" means a dog owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the course of the department or agency's work, including a search and rescue dog, service dog, accelerant detection canine, or other dog that is in use by a county, municipal, or State law enforcement agency.

(f) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, Paramedic, or PHRN  from completing an initial Occupational Safety and Health Administration Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire on behalf of  fire service personnel, as permitted by his or her EMS System Medical Director.

(Source: P.A. 102-79, eff. 1-1-22.)