Steve Mercer’s career in EMS and healthcare begin in 1974 and was drawn to education and trauma.

He was a voting member for the National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators (NCSEMSTC) for more than 10 years. As the representative of NCSEMSTC he served as the vice chair and treasurer, a member of the National Review Team for the revision of the EMT-Intermediate and Paramedic National Standards Curricula, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians’ Practice Analysis/Test Project and the Ems-Instructor Taskforce. Mr. Mercer was the Trauma Section Group Leader for the revision of the EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic National Curricula, and a technical writer for the EMS Education Agenda for the Future, a NHTSA document. He served on the board of directors of the National Registry of EMTs, and a NASA Space Medicine Workgroup Member. He was appointed to the International PHTLS (Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support) Executive Committee where he served for more than 20 years.

Steve has 23 publications including, Technical Contributor for Medical Care for Astronauts in Space – A Medical Education Program for Crew Medical Officers, author, editor and contributor for 5 editions of PHTLS textbook and PHTLS Instructor Manual. 

Mr. Mercer was awarded the PHTLS Achievement Award in 1999 and 2000 and PROFESSIONAL EMS INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD. And an Iowa EMS Hall of Fame Inductee.

He retired as an Executive Officer from the State of Iowa EMS Office in January 2022.