About 10 years ago, Scott Adams put these words into the mouth of Dilbert and captured the sentiments of most everyone. If change is good and necessary to growth and life, why do we human beings regularly resist it?

There are many directions this post could take from looking at how our brains react to the stress of change, the impact of change and transformation on organizations, or the three key elements of successfully navigating change. But, I’d like to answer the first question with a second, “Do we know what should change and what should remain constant?”

I would argue that our core values and principles should remain constant. In my observation, EMS providers, whether service director or attendant, are committed to exceptional patient care and to supporting their communities through delivering 365/7/24 care. As a community member, I hope that this commitment remains constant and is passed from generation to generation in the State of Kansas.

So what should adapt and change? Our day-to-day practices adapt and change . . . sometimes by decade and sometimes by the hour. When I was growing up, the local funeral home director provided transportation to the hospital in a vehicle that doubled as an ambulance and a hearse. This vehicle was the only one in town where a person could be loaded up in the back and rushed to the hospital with a whirling light atop. In fact, my mother was was taken to the hospital in the hearse/ambulance following a vehicle accident. In the late 1970′s, the town purchased an ambulance, staffed by trained volunteers. Then, in the mid-1990′s a full-time, 365/7/24, paramedic service appeared on the scene . . . big and significant changes.

Now in 2009, I’m observing the scope of practice for Kansas EMS changing and adapting to the circumstances across the state, to current research, and to better align with the national scope of practice. While I am involved in the curriculum development process, at some level, I will remain an outsider who sincerely hopes that in the midst of growth and transition of day-to-day practices, the core values and principles of Kansas EMS will remain constant, strong, and evident.