EMS One-Stop

EMS on the Hill isn’t just a date on the calendar — it’s the profession’s annual moment to stand in front of Congress and tell the EMS story with clarity, confidence and unity.

In this edition of EMS One-Stop, Rob Lawrence is joined by NAEMT President, Chris Way, to preview EMS on the Hill (March 25–26, 2026) and explain why this event matters now more than ever: EMS is where most Americans first enter the healthcare system, and the care delivered in the field is no longer “drive-you-to-the-hospital medicine.”

Chris and Rob also unpack what’s changed — the scale of collaboration across national organizations and the discipline of going to Capitol Hill with aligned priorities and a shared message. They walk listeners through the event flow (Education Day, briefings, Hill visits, awards and reception), the importance of working relationships with staffers, and the advocacy “ask” that could reshape the future: reimbursement for treatment in place, mobile integrated healthcare/community paramedicine, and sustainable support for initiatives like prehospital blood. The throughline is simple: show up, speak with one voice, and translate momentum into legislative wins.

Additional resources:

EMS on the Hill Day

One voice, one profession — EMS leaders open summit with call for unity and coordinated action

Episode timeline

00:00 – Chris Way frames the goal: becoming a trusted, go-to EMS resource for lawmakers

00:52 – Why EMS on the Hill matters; EMS as the front door of healthcare; call to action

02:16 – Advocacy theme and EMS on the Hill as the seminal D.C. event

03:27 – Kansas City summit recap; commitment to making it annual; “stronger together”

05:39 – Evolution of EMS on the Hill into a multi-organization partnership; one message

08:24 – Logistics overview begins: dates, hotel, education day, briefings, awards

10:16 – How to succeed in legislative meetings: reading the room, time limits, staffer relationships

17:14 – Priority bills: treatment in place, MIH/CP, whole blood, NAMSP priorities

21:02 – “This is ongoing” collaboration: monthly cross-organization calls, broader coordination

24:05 – Chris shares his recommended approach: prep, priorities, cards/coins, questions, follow-up

27:34 – Rob’s add-ons: photos after meetings, tagging lawmakers, comms/PR value

28:59 – Final logistics recap; what to expect as a first-timer at state tables

30:37 – Chris closes: unprecedented partnership, focus to “get this done”

31:14 – Rob plugs state-level advocacy (CAA Stars/Capitol Day)

Email [email protected] to share feedback.

Recorded on location at the EMS Association Summit in sunny Kansas City, this edition of EMS One-Stop captures something that’s been building for a while across the profession: real momentum.

In the first half, Rob Lawrence sits down with Bill Seifarth, CEO of the National Registry of EMTs, to unpack what the Registry is today; how its mission has evolved; and why partnerships, research and continued competence sit at the heart of public trust when 911 is called.

In the second half, returning guest Patrick Pianezza joins Rob to talk Code 3, the top streaming EMS movie’s impact on providers and families and what comes next.

Across both conversations, the theme is unmistakable. When EMS organizations collaborate, align messaging and show up as one voice, the profession becomes harder to ignore and easier to support. The summit becomes more than a meeting. It becomes a signal.

Episode timeline

1:02 – Introduction of Bill Seifarth; brief personal bio and career path

2:01 – “National Registry 101”: Bill explains the mission and what the Registry does

2:53 – Research focus: the Registry’s fellowship and EMS research priorities

3:31 – “Bread and butter”: entry-level and continued competence assessment and why it matters to the public

4:33 – Rob notes the Registry’s growing national presence; Bill outlines advocacy-through-partnership

5:08 – Preview of next year’s summit; participation in EMS on the Hill and NCSL with multiple EMS orgs in one booth

6:33 – Why the summit matters: state associations and national partners coming together under one roof — it’s a sold-out inaugural event; education, networking and shared experience highlighted

10:52 – Next stop: EMS on the Hill; “hunting in a pack”

12:20 – Bill’s closing: partnership, collaboration, synergy and supporting the profession

13:38 – Transition: Rob introduces Patrick Pianezza, co-writer of Code 3

14:41 – Patrick reflects on the film’s reception — especially among working providers

15:33 – Patrick shares the origin story: a “homework assignment” turned full-length film

17:39 – Where to watch: Apple/Amazon to rent or purchase; streaming on Hulu; performance metrics shared

18:30 – What’s next: pitching a TV series and interest in a sequel; realities of funding and IP ownership

21:33 – Discussion of the “Mr. President” scene and the intentional visual tension-building

24:19 – Patrick addresses feedback and the goal: honest portrayal and conversation-starting, not villainizing partners

27:41 – Leadership pipeline point: great clinicians aren’t automatically great leaders; mentorship matters

30:15 – Closing theme returns: one voice, fewer scattered voices, more impact for the profession

31:20 – Rob wraps: summit takeaways, guests, and a final nudge to watch Code 3

Enjoying the show? Email [email protected] to share feedback or suggest guests for future episodes.

In this episode of EMS One-Stop, Dr. Linda Dykes joins Rob Lawrence from the UK for a wide-ranging, transatlantic conversation that starts with workplace culture and ends with a practical look at how health systems can keep patients safely at home.

In the first half, Linda breaks down her newly published (open-access) qualitative paper, provocatively titled “It’s not bullying if I do it to everyone,” drawn from UK NHS “Med Twitter” responses: a raw, heartbreaking window into the red flags of toxic workplace culture, how bullying is experienced in the eye of the beholder, and why incivility and silence are not just HR problems — they’re patient safety threats.

In the second half, Linda brings listeners into the UK’s evolving admission alternative world: frailty care at home, urgent community response models, and the increasingly important interface between EMS and community-based teams. She explains the UK’s SPOA (single point of access) concept, why she dislikes the term “admission avoidance,” and how ED crowding and access change the risk-benefit equation for hospital vs. home.

Rob connects the dots back to the U.S. reality — reimbursement, APOT/wall time, treatment-in-place policy — and why this work is becoming a shared challenge on both sides of the Atlantic.

Timeline
00:51 – Rob opens, recaps NAEMSP in Tampa and recent content.

02:25 – Rob introduces Linda as the “triple threat” (emergency medicine, primary care/GP, geriatrics) and tees up two-part discussion.

05:39 – Rob introduces Linda’s paper: “It’s not bullying if I do it to everyone.”

06:13 – Linda explains why toxic culture is increasingly visible and how the tweet prompt became a dataset.

07:33 – “Flash mob research group” forms; Linda explains social-media-to-qualitative methodology and limitations.

10:03 – Rob asks about bias; Linda clarifies purpose: insight, not representativeness.

16:39 – Linda defines gaslighting and why it’s so destabilizing.

18:21 – Reactions to publication; resonance, sharing and uncomfortable self-reflection on learned behaviors.

20:18 – The “16:55 Friday email” as a weapon — and as an accidental harm.

23:29 – Leadership as “the sponge” — absorbing pressure rather than passing it down.

25:27 – “One thing right now”: know the impact your words can have, especially on vulnerable staff.

26:41 – Rob on “pressure bubbles,” micro-movements and atmospherics: how leaders shift climate without realizing it.

30:53 – SPOA explained: single point of access and urgent community response behind it.

33:03 – EMS interface: calling before conveyance to find safe pathways to keep patients at home.

35:47 – Linda on mortality risk of access block/long waits and how that reframes risk decisions.

37:19 – Evolving models: primary care-led response vs. hospital at home approaches.

39:34 – Clinical myths challenged: oral antibiotics sometimes non-inferior to IV in conditions we assumed needed admission.

40:34 – Outcomes: hospital at home trial signals safety and fewer patients in institutional care by 6 months.

42:00 – Telemedicine/telehealth: underutilized but useful; when you still need a senior clinician in person.

44:50 – Closing takeaways: read the paper (with trigger warning); admission alternative work is deeply satisfying.

Enjoying the show? Email [email protected] to share feedback or suggest guests for a future episode.

In this episode of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence welcomes John Sammons, an advanced practice paramedic with Wake County EMS, a peer support team member and a key leader in the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program. John sits at the intersection of system design and human performance, helping build the kind of operational and cultural scaffolding that keeps clinicians effective, healthy and coming back tomorrow.

In this episode of EMS One-Stop, host Rob Lawrence welcomes John Sammons, an advanced practice paramedic with Wake County EMS, a peer support team member and a key leader in the NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership Program. John sits at the intersection of system design and human performance, helping build the kind of operational and cultural scaffolding that keeps clinicians effective, healthy and coming back tomorrow.

| MORE: Peer support teams: How to build trust and maximize effectiveness

This week’s conversation goes beyond “be more resilient” and into the practical realities of burnout, moral injury, mentoring and culture, including the role of frontline and unofficial leaders in shaping what “normal” looks like inside an agency. John also shares the Wake County approach to peer support: presence first, then resources, plus the power of finding your people: your team, your tribe, your board of directors.

Memorable quotes from John Sammons

“We have folks that don’t stay in the profession. We have folks that leave. We have folks that unfortunately develop substantial mental health crises up to and including, unfortunately, suicide in our profession.”

“What an amazing privilege that we’re invited into somebody’s home to take care of them and to figure it out.”

“Every one of those people expects to call 911 and have an expert show up and solve the problem.”

“I work to live, I don’t live to work. And that’s a great philosophy to have.”

“Everybody goes home ... but there should be an addendum on the bottom of it that says, ‘but everybody comes back tomorrow.’”

“Nobody gets us like we get us.”

“Leadership is action, not a title.”

“Everybody has their bucket, and everybody’s bucket can only hold so much.”

“Nobody got into this because we wanted to be crusty and angry and miserable and difficult to be around.”

Episode timeline
00:40 – Rob opens the episode and introduces John Sammons and the theme: resilience and beyond

02:05 – John’s “Sammons 101” bio: Wake County APP, peer support, Lighthouse Leadership involvement

03:01 – Burnout data and why it matters for retention and wellbeing

04:16 – Wake County’s Advanced Practice Paramedic Program: the “three Rs”

05:03 – John’s post-COVID turning point: “I’m done ... I don’t want to do this anymore”

06:12 – What brings John back to work: purpose, people, privilege, challenge

09:16 – Prevention and balance: identity beyond the job, sleep, nutrition, purpose

12:15 – Peer support in practice: presence, triage, in-house clinician, canines, statewide resources

17:09 – Podcast/vodcast reminder and John’s slides supporting the discussion

18:14 – NAEMT Lighthouse Leadership: why relationships and peers are the real multiplier

20:39 – Mentorship as a resilience strategy: formal programs and informal investment

24:25 – Culture: administration vs frontline leaders vs unofficial leaders

28:06 – Closing reflections: remembering why we got into EMS

30:36 – Final takeaways

Enjoying the show? Email [email protected] to share feedback or suggest guests for future episodes.

In this episode of EMS One-Stop, Sophie Fuller — better known across social media as Paramedic Sophie — joins host Rob Lawrence for a candid, energizing conversation about what it really feels like to work in EMS right now: pride, the pressure, the burnout, and the culture issues that too many providers have been taught to silently absorb.

Sophie is a critical care ground paramedic, flight paramedic, educator and president of the Tennessee Association of EMS Providers (TAEMSP), and she brings a provider-first lens to everything from leadership visibility, to mental health and pay equity.

Together, Rob and Sophie dig into why Sophie started creating content in the first place (hint: burnout and the need to connect), how social media can be used as a force for good, and what “healthy” EMS culture should look like in practice. Sophie shares practical advice for crews and leaders alike:

Be human

Say the uncomfortable thing

Stop normalizing harm

Build systems that “care back” for the people doing the work

Memorable quotes

“We're just working in systems that haven't yet learned how to care back for the provider.” — Sophie Fuller

“Management by walking about. Don't be stuck in the office. Don't say my door is always open because that relies on people coming in to see you. Get out and go and see them.” — Rob Lawrence

“We love this job and that distracts us from the fact that it's also hurting us.” — Sophie Fuller

“Just because it's normal doesn't mean it's healthy.” — Sophie Fuller

“We confuse trauma with tradition.” — Sophie Fuller

Additional resources:

Follow Paramedic Sophie on:

YouTube

Tik Tok

“The Next Shift : A mentorship workbook for EMTs and Paramedics” | E-Book, by Sophie Fuller

“To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” - PubMed

Episode timeline
01:00 – Rob introduces Sophie Fuller (“Paramedic Sophie”) and frames the influencer vs. “effluencer” concept

02:14 – Sophie’s origin story: graphic design → hospital tech → EMT → volunteer fire → paramedic → critical care → flight

06:16 – TAEMSP: why Tennessee needed a provider-level association and the shift toward legislative advocacy

08:05 – Why she started with social media: two full-time 911 jobs, low pay, burnout and the need for an outlet/connection

09:32 – Defining EMS burnout: the “jar on the shelf” and cumulative strain that becomes chronic fatigue

13:26 – Sophie’s guidance to providers: vulnerability, telling the truth and not letting naysayers silence needed conversations

16:00 – Sophie’s message to leadership: don’t be the “Wizard of Oz” — show up, communicate and stay connected to crews

20:26 – EMS culture: self-sacrifice, silence, “earning your place through suffering,” and confusing trauma with tradition

23:10 – Sophie’s book “The Next Shift”: a field guide to “learn, lead and last” in EMS

26:03 – Mistakes and “just culture”: reporting, mentoring, anonymous reporting systems, and learning vs. blame

32:08 – Closing challenge: stop normalizing harm; speak up for culture and patient care

33:14 – Where to find Sophie online and how large her platform has become

Enjoying the show? Email [email protected] to share feedback or suggest guests for a future episode.