2006 Minnesota Statutes

383A.13 PARAMEDICS.
    Subdivision 1. Definitions. As used in this section, "paramedic" means a person who:
(1) is an employee of the county of Ramsey;
(2) has been specially trained in emergency cardiac and noncardiac care by a licensed
physician in a training program certified by the commissioner of the state Department of Health or
the State Board of Medical Practice and is certified as qualified to render the emergency lifesaving
services enumerated in this section.
    Subd. 2. County may have. The county of Ramsey may maintain a staff of paramedics.
    Subd. 3. May do these actions. Paramedics may do any of the following:
(a) perform regular rescue, first aid and resuscitation services;
(b) during training administer parenteral medications under the direct supervision of a
licensed physician or a registered nurse;
(c) perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation in a pulseless, nonbreathing
patient;
(d) administer intravenous saline or glucose solutions;
(e) administer parenteral injections in any of the following classes of drugs;
(i) antiarrhythmic agents;
(ii) vagolytic agents;
(iii) chronotropic agents;
(iv) analgesic agents;
(v) alkalinizing agents;
(vi) vasopressor agents;
(vii) diuretics;
(f) administer, perform and apply all other procedures, drugs and skills in which they have
been trained and are certified to give, apply and dispense.
    Subd. 4. Pre-clause (c), (d), (e), (f) duty. At all times before undertaking the actions
authorized by clauses (c), (d), (e) and (f), paramedics shall try and, during the course of an
emergency, continue to try to establish voice communications with and receive instructions
from a licensed physician who has been associated with the dispensing of emergency cardiac
and noncardiac medical care.
    Subd. 4a. Duty during cardiac emergency. Additionally, during the course of what the
paramedics believe to be a cardiac emergency, they shall try to telemeter an electrocardiogram of
the person being treated to a licensed physician, who has been associated with the dispensing of
cardiac medical care.
    Subd. 5. Physician delegation law otherwise unchanged. Nothing contained in this section
changes existing law as it relates to delegation by a licensed physician of acts, tasks or functions
to persons other than paramedics.
    Subd. 6. No civil liability of doctors and nurses; conditions. No licensed physician
or registered nurse, who in good faith and in the exercise of reasonable care gives emergency
instructions to a certified paramedic at the scene of an emergency, or while in transit to and
from the scene of such emergency, shall be liable for any civil damages as a result of issuing
such instructions.
    Subd. 7. No civil liability of paramedics; conditions. No certified paramedic, who in good
faith and in the exercise of reasonable care renders emergency lifesaving care and treatment as set
forth in this section, is liable for any civil damages because of rendering such care and treatment.
History: 1974 c 435 s 1.0207; 1975 c 426 s 2; 1978 c 743 s 2; 1991 c 106 s 6