This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit
Click here to watch a video of this week鈥檚 podcast!
In this EMS Week episode of Inside EMS, Cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson welcome Brian K. Hathaway, president/CEO of Spirit EMS, in Greenville, Ohio, who offers a free EMT training program. Hathaway shares his perspective on how EMS education has changed, and the creative ways Spirit is attracting, engaging and retaining recruits 鈥� from 2-year agreements, to giving away a car during training.
Together, they discuss:
- Why Hathaway is the Oprah Winfrey of EMT education
- How to engage and motivate the workforce
- What Hathaway is looking for when he evaluates student patient assessments
- How we deliver education to the newer generation
Memorable quotes from this episode
鈥淎s we educate in the classroom and make sure that people are comfortable and confident in their skills, and we鈥檙e making sure that we鈥檙e doing that good head-to-toe assessment on the patients 鈥� that that鈥檚 the ultimate important thing.鈥�
鈥淢emorizing 43 things on a skills sheet to make sure that we鈥檝e touched everything is not necessarily applicable to every patient that we鈥檙e taking care of.鈥�
鈥淢y concern is we鈥檝e got to get people involved and we鈥檝e got to continue to change with the times or it鈥檚 going to be a competition when I鈥檓 in the nursing home 25-30 years from now as to who鈥檚 going to get out of bed and respond to the call if we don鈥檛 do something now.鈥�
Additional resources
What skills should we test?
A simple framework for an EMT skills competency portfolio
Whatever will we do without the skill sheets?
NREMT is discontinuing the ALS psychomotor exam. That鈥檚 a good thing, if you let it be
About our Guest
Brian K. Hathaway is president/CEO of Spirit EMS, in Greenville, Ohio. Brian has been actively involved in Fire/EMS since 1996. Aside from his duties as an owner of Spirit, Brian is a 27-year veteran of the Union City Fire Department and continues to work part-time as a 911 dispatcher at the Darke County Sheriff鈥檚 Office where he has worked since 1999. Brian is a certified Advanced EMT, EMS continuing education instructor, volunteer firefighter, Certified Ambulance Coder, Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer and Certified Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Brian serves as education chairman and is a board member of the Ohio Ambulance and Medical Transportation Association, a member of the Four County Career Center advisory board, a member of the Darke County Chamber of Commerce, and attends the EUM Church in Greenville. Brian enjoys spending time with his wife Audrey as well as their daughter Naomi.
