(a) EMS personnel shall exercise the skills and abilities needed to render appropriate emergency medical care and provide emergency medical services in accordance with authorized procedures in the respective level of training, and shall administer care to patients based upon knowledge and application of principles derived from accepted practice and medical approval, and shall fully comply with the board‘s regulations governing activities and performance for the category of license or certification. Licensed emergency medical services personnel, a physician or a nurse shall accompany and attend every patient transported by ambulance in this state. Nothing in this part shall be construed to authorize or require any medical treatment or transportation to any hospital or emergency care facility of a patient who objects to the treatment or transport on religious grounds.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-140-309

  • Ambulance: means any privately or publicly owned land or air vehicle that is especially designed, constructed or modified and equipped and is intended to be used for and is maintained or operated for transportation upon the streets, highways or airways in this state for persons who are sick, injured, wounded, otherwise incapacitated, helpless, or in need of medical care. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Board: means the Tennessee emergency medical services board. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Emergency medical services personnel: means individuals certified or licensed by the emergency medical services board in accordance with various categories and classifications of licenses or certificates that the board establishes. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • License: means an authorization to a person to provide ambulance services. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Medical direction: means the supervision by a physician licensed to practice in the state of Tennessee of all medical aspects of patient care within EMS. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Patient: means an individual who, as a result of physical or mental condition, needs medical attention. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • Practice: means the exercise of principles and skills for effective emergency medical care under medical direction recognized as acts and responsibilities within the discipline of emergency medical services. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 68-140-302
(b) If the licensed emergency medical services personnel and the physician on the scene disagree on the proper course of treatment, the physician should confer with the base hospital physician before ordering treatment. When no base hospital physician is available, the physician on the scene controls.
(c) Licensed emergency medical services personnel may function within hospital emergency services under nursing supervision in accordance with policies and procedures adopted by the hospital.
(d) Nothing in this part shall be construed so as to prevent emergency medical personnel under medical direction from:

(1) Providing care that is not EMS, as defined by § 68-140-302, including non-emergent care or transportation by ambulance; or
(2) Treating patients on scene who do not require transport.
(e) Nothing in this part shall be construed so as to allow a provider of emergency medical services, as defined by § 68-140-302, to function as a “home care organization” as defined under § 68-11-201.
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