1973: When EMS Earned a Place in Healthcare

In 1973, a series of seemingly unrelated developments converged to transform Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from a loosely organized transportation function to a recognized component of the U.S. healthcare system.

It was the year the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act of 1973 was signed into law, officially establishing EMS as a federal program under the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW). But perhaps just as significant—if less celebrated—was EMS’s inclusion for the first time in the Health Resources Statistics report published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

This 600-page federal document had long served as a comprehensive catalog of the U.S. healthcare workforce, listing licensed and accredited health professions, from physicians to dietitians and physical therapists. But prior to 1973, there was no mention of EMS.

That changed with Chapter 39: Ambulance Services.

The inclusion may seem minor in hindsight, but it marked a cultural and structural recognition that EMS had earned a seat at the healthcare table. The report described ambulance services, EMTs, and the growing patchwork of state laws regulating emergency response. It even captured a detail that seems unthinkable today:

🛠️ Building the Profession: Licensure, Accreditation, and the AMA

While EMS had gained legislative standing and statistical visibility, it was still missing a critical element of professionalization: accreditation.

At the time, all recognized allied health education programs—such as respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, and surgical technology—were under the purview of the American Medical Association’s Council on Medical Education. According to the Allied Medical Education Fact Sheet published by the AMA in 1972, no EMS or paramedic programs were listed among the recognized allied health professions.

That absence posed a serious problem. Without formal recognition and a clear pathway to accreditation, EMS education cannot be standardized or treated as equivalent to other healthcare disciplines. There would be no eligibility for federal education grants. No institutional recognition by community colleges or academic medical centers. And no structured pipeline for workforce development.

Recognizing this gap, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) formally petitioned the American Medical Association in 1975 to recognize the EMT-Paramedic as an allied health profession. This move required the support of both the AMA and the American Association of Junior Colleges. But the AMA had one major condition: before recognition, the EMT-Paramedic program would have to be accredited by the same system as other health professions.

This led to the inclusion of EMS under what is now the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)—establishing a foundational structure that remains in place today.

🔍 Why Licensure and Accreditation Matter

The 1973 Health Resources Statistics report also provided an early federal definition of licensure that remains relevant:

At the time, EMS was still catching up to that standard. While many states had begun passing legislation to regulate ambulance services and personnel, there was no national consensus on what it meant to be a “licensed” EMT or paramedic. Standards varied dramatically from state to state. Some had no licensing law at all.

But the inclusion of EMS in the 1973 federal health workforce report—and the concurrent passage of the EMS Systems Act—served as the spark that ignited coordinated national progress.

By 1975, more states were enacting licensing laws. By 1978, AMA-recognized accreditation pathways for paramedics were in place. By the early 1980s, EMS had begun to be widely viewed as a legitimate allied health profession—an identity that continues to evolve.

🚑 Legacy and Looking Forward

Today’s EMS clinicians—whether they identify as EMTs, paramedics, flight medics, or critical care providers—operate in a professional environment shaped by those foundational years. Much of what we now take for granted: licensure, certification, national education standards, clinical scopes of practice—had to be built from the ground up.

1973 was not the finish line. But it was a turning point.

It marked the moment when ambulance services stopped being seen as a function of funeral homes and began to be viewed as a legitimate, clinical profession.

It marked the beginning of a long journey toward the full recognition, integration, and professional respect that EMS continues to earn every day.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Health Resources Statistics: Health Manpower and Health Facilities, 1972–73. Washington, D.C.: June 1973.

• American Medical Association. Council on Medical Education: Allied Medical Education Fact Sheet. Chicago: September 1972.

• National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Historical correspondence and petitions, 1975–76.