The purpose of this handbook and the accompanying training program is to aid both new and experienced medical directors as they strive to provide the highest quality of out-of-hospital emergency medical care to their communities and foster excellence within their agencies.

For the new medical director, these resources provide a fundamental orientation to the roles that define the position. The handbook is also a useful reference tool for the experienced medical director.

This package explores the nuances found in the EMS industry–a challenge to describe in generalities due to the tremendous amount of diversity among EMS agencies and systems across the United States. The handbook does not intend to serve as an operational medical practice document, but seeks to identify and describe the critical elements associated with the position.