Tennessee § 68-140-309 Duties and authority of EMS personnel and physician on the scene

Tennessee Statutes

§ 68-140-309 — Duties and authority of EMS personnel and physician on the scene

Tennessee § 68-140-309

Title68

This text of Tennessee § 68-140-309 (Duties and authority of EMS personnel and physician on the scene) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-140-309 (2026).

Text

(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 facilit

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(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. (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 .

Legislative History

Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 715, s 1, eff. 7/1/2014. Acts 1983, ch. 440, § 11; 1990, ch. 932, § 2; 1990, ch. 1060, §§ 1, 2; T.C.A., § 68-39-509; Acts 1992, ch. 796, § 4; 1993, ch. 273, § 2; 1997 , ch. 161, §§ 1, 2; T.C.A., § 68-140-509; Acts 2012 , ch. 728, §§ 16-18.