Jane Bedford is the Education Director for Nature Coast Emergency Medical Services in Inverness, the nonprofit ambulance service provider for Citrus County.

Ms. Bedford works closely with the organization’s medical director to ensure the integrity of Nature Coast EMS’ quality assurance/ quality improvement program. She is also responsible for ensuring the clinical excellence produced by the on-going critical care paramedic program she co- designed, and is credited with the employee training and program facilitation for the organization’s recent designation as a certified STEMI provider.

With an impressive array Emergency Medical Services expertise, Jane has more than a decade of EMS training experience. She has been a certified paramedic for 18 years and has worked part-time as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Since becoming a licensed registered nurse, Jane has also worked part-time for (NEED NAME of HOSPITAL) as an Emergency Department nurse and as a nurse assigned to the hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

Ms. Bedford began her professional EMS career as a Volunteer Firefighter in 1977 for Floral City Volunteer Fire Department, where she performed firefighter and paramedic work until 1995. In 1991, she also started working as the lead paramedic for Citrus County EMS where the organization awarded her Employee of the Month for her work developing an employee schedule that reduced overall employees’ overtime hours.

In 1998, Jane achieved an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Medical Services from the Central Florida Community College. In 2001, she continued her studies at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida where she earned an Associate’s Degree in Nursing.

Jane gained notable recognition as demonstrated by numerous awards in the EMS field. In 2000, she was honored by Florida Governor Jeb Bush who presented her with the Distinguished Service Award for Meritorious Service due to her participation in suppressing wild fires in the state. In 2002, she was granted with the Distinguished Service Award once again for her work in the development of a State Paramedic Education Assistance Program- MRMC- EMS.

Jane Bedford is an active member of the National Association of EMS Educators and is Vice-President of the Florida Association of EMS Educators. Jane is also a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, NAEMT (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians), the American Ambulance Association, and the Florida EMS Quality Managers group.