Expert weighs in as Ky. EMS team under fire for administering antivenom

POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Last week, WKYT first told you about the Powell County EMS worker and judge-executive at risk of losing their medical licenses.

This stems from them administering antivenom to a man bitten by a venomous snake earlier this year.

While the man survived, the state EMS board, also known as KBEMS, has guidelines that only wilderness paramedics can administer antivenom.

Before the EMS worker and Powell County Judge-Executive Eddie Barnes go before KBEMS for a hearing on this situation, Jeff Thurman, a member of the board’s medical oversight committee, is sharing why guidelines are put in place for EMS workers.

“When you go outside of your scope of practice, I really see that as putting the public at risk because you’re providing medical care that you have not been verified to have been trained in, or tested in, or credentialed in. Basically, you’ve not been verified to be competent in that medical care,” Thurman said.

He said wilderness paramedics have the training necessary to administer antivenom, whereas standard EMS workers are not required to complete antivenom-specific training.

“I think one thing that’s important to understand is that antivenom administration has never been included in the baseline paramedic scope of practice. It was added to the wilderness paramedic scope of practice when the wilderness paramedic was created,” Thurman said. “With antivenom being a very uncommon class of medication and something that is not included in the baseline paramedic education, somebody without additional education would not have the knowledge to be able to safely administer antivenom.”

Thurman said while he’s happy the man bitten survived, there’s a different conversation to be had here.

“From my perspective, the focus shouldn’t necessarily be on the outcome, its on why the scope of practice exists, why it protects the public, and why we don’t want practitioners at any level, whether it be EMT, paramedic, nurse, physician, doing things that they haven’t been properly vetted to do,” he said.

Thurman said while he’s not a legal professional, he does not see why an EMS worker would be held accountable for someone dying while practicing their scope of care, unless negligence was a factor.

Thurman added he does not speak for KBEMS when discussing this situation.

Powell County Judge-Executive Eddie Barnes, who is a certified paramedic, and the other EMS worker will go before KBEMS Tuesday morning in Frankfort.