Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 847 - OREGON MEDICAL BOARD › Division 35 - EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDERS AND SUPERVISING PHYSICIANS › Section 847-035-0030 - Scope of Practice

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) The Oregon
			 Medical Board has established a scope of practice for emergency and
			 nonemergency care for emergency medical services providers. Emergency medical
			 services providers may provide emergency and nonemergency care in the course of
			 providing prehospital care as an incident of the operation of ambulance and as
			 incidents of other public or private safety duties, but is not limited to
			 "emergency care" as defined in OAR 847-035-0001.
(2) The scope of practice for emergency
			 medical services providers is the maximum functions which may be assigned to an
			 emergency medical services provider by a Board-approved supervising physician.
			 The scope of practice is not a set of statewide standing orders, protocols, or
			 curriculum.
(3) Supervising
			 physicians may not assign functions exceeding the scope of practice; however,
			 they may limit the functions within the scope at their discretion.
(4) Standing orders for an individual
			 emergency medical services provider may be requested by the Board or Authority
			 and must be furnished upon request.
(5) An emergency medical services provider,
			 including an Emergency Medical Responder, may not function without assigned
			 standing orders issued by a Board-approved supervising physician.
(6) An emergency medical services provider,
			 acting through standing orders, must respect the patient's wishes including
			 life-sustaining treatments. Physician-supervised emergency medical services
			 providers must request and honor life-sustaining treatment orders executed
			 pursuant to ORS 127.663 through 127.684 if available. A patient with
			 life-sustaining treatment orders always requires respect, comfort and hygienic
			 care.
(7) Whenever possible,
			 medications should be prepared by the emergency medical services provider who
			 will administer the medication to the patient.
(8) An
Emergency Medical
			 Responder
may:
(a) Conduct primary and
			 secondary patient examinations;
(b)
			 Take and record vital signs;
(c)
			 Utilize noninvasive diagnostic devices in accordance with manufacturer's
			 recommendation;
(d) Open and
			 maintain an airway by positioning the patient's head;
(e) Provide external cardiopulmonary
			 resuscitation and obstructed airway care for infants, children, and
			 adults;
(f) Provide care for
			 musculoskeletal injuries;
(g)
			 Provide hemorrhage control;
(h)
			 Provide emergency moves for endangered patients;
(i) Assist with prehospital
			 childbirth;
(j) Complete a clear
			 and accurate prehospital emergency care report form on all patient contacts and
			 provide a copy of that report to the senior emergency medical services provider
			 with the transporting ambulance;
(k) Administer medical oxygen;
(L) Maintain an open airway through the use
			 of:
(A) A nasopharyngeal airway
			 device;
(B) An oropharyngeal airway
			 device;
(C) A pharyngeal suctioning
			 device;
(m) Operate a
			 bag mask ventilation device with reservoir;
(n) Provide care for suspected medical
			 emergencies, including administering liquid oral glucose for
			 hypoglycemia;
(o) Prepare and
			 administer aspirin by mouth for suspected myocardial infarction (MI) in
			 patients with no known history of allergy to aspirin or recent gastrointestinal
			 bleed;
(p) Prepare and administer
			 epinephrine by automatic injection device for anaphylaxis;
(q) Prepare and administer naloxone via
			 intranasal device or auto-injector for suspected opioid overdose;
(r) Perform cardiac defibrillation with an
			 automated external defibrillator; and
(s) Perform other emergency tasks as
			 requested if under the direct visual supervision of a physician and then only
			 under the order of that physician.