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EMS Medical Director

In Wisconsin emergency medical services (EMS), "Medical director" means a physician who trains, medically coordinates, directs, supervises, establishes standard operating procedures for, designates physicians for direction and supervision of, and reviews the performance of the service's emergency medical responders or emergency medical services practitioners and ambulance service providers, as required under Wis. Stat. § 256.15(8m).

Qualifications for a service provider medical director are in Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 110.49(1).

Responsibilities for a service provider medical director are in Wisconsin Admin. Code § DHS 110.49(2).

Wisc. Admin. Code DHS § 110.49(1)(f) requires a “Successful completion of the department's service medical director course or equivalent as determined by the department for any service medical director who is not board certified as specified in par. (b).”

The service medical director course consists of two components. All new service medical directors are required to complete the DHS-developed service medical director training course on specific Wisconsin content on TRAIN Wisconsin. Additionally, the new service medical directors are required to complete the eight-hour National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) Foundations of Medical Oversight course that provides broader medical direction information unless they already meet one of the following criteria:

  • EMS Fellowship trained from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Program
  • EMS Board Certified or Board Eligible through the American Board of Emergency Medicine
  • Previously taken a 24-hour NAEMSP medical director course

The Foundations of Medical Oversight Course through the National Association of EMS Physicians. This is the first part of the medical director course, unless a new medical director already meets the criteria above.

The Wisconsin Medical Director Course is available through TRAIN Wisconsin. This course provides viewers with a foundational understanding of the administrative requirements and principles essential for success as an EMS Medical Director in Wisconsin. This is part two of the course and is required for all new medical directors. Information on how to create an account and registering for courses is available through the TRAIN Wisconsin webpage. Reference Course Number 1128142 when registering for the course. If you would like more information, visit the TRAIN Wisconsin website or contact TRAIN Wisconsin at DHSWiTrain@wisconsin.gov.

If you are a new EMS medical director or if you are in the process of changing service provider medical direction, please complete the Change of EMS Medical Director, F-47470 form.

If you do not have an existing EMS account, you will need to create one in the Wisconsin E-Licensing system. Email is the primary method of communication between Wisconsin's DHS EMS program staff and the account holder. Please verify the email address you added into your E-Licensing account is current and that you can access it. E-Licensing is best viewed in either Google Chrome or Edge browsers.

The resources below may assist EMS medical directors in awareness of emerging infectious diseases, collaborating with public health, and evidence-based information for decision making purposes.

Glossary

 
Last revised May 28, 2025