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This explains a lot! Thanks!

Good questions. I'll take a stab: Regarding epi, its alpha effects constrict peripheral vasculature, shunting more blood to the brain which is what we care about. It also might help make compressions more effective by giving you some resistance to push against. We also like epi for its beta...

Wow, I guess working in Boston has spoiled me rotten.

Those are both medical control options under my protocols and definitely not "must give"'s. This article is pretty dense but pretty much covers everything you might want to know about the physiology involved and different approaches to treatment: http://emcrit.org/wp-content/uploads/ccb.pdf

I've never done this call, but always dreaded it. Our protocols say to flush the eye(s) for 15 minutes. Obviously we can't do that effectively with what we have on the truck. The way I think I would handle it is to stay on scene if there is a water source there, figure out what the chemical...

My new protocols actually say absolutely do NOT give this guy O2. I know a lot of people still will, and whatever, 3Lpm on a cannula probably never hurt anybody. I suppose if fire had put it on PTA I'd ask pt if it was helping at all and leave it on if so - sometimes it can give patients peace...

Seems extremely likely that this is a right-sided MI. He just had a stent put in so we already know he has some serious cardiac issues. All of his symptoms point in this direction - crappy vitals, chest "pressure", nausea/vomiting, weakness. If no line can be gotten, this guy gets an IO and a...

PDF reader with a shortcut on the home screen to a PDF of the state protocols.

Agree 100%. Relevant from wikipedia:

Wtf? No. Get rid of her ASAP.

I went to National EMS Institute in Carver MA and did their 18-day boot camp. It's a bit of a hike, but the drive down from Boston is pleasant because you're going against the traffic. Justin Silva was the main instructor and he did a great job keeping things interesting, setting us up for...

Is that even legal? What does he have in it, Tylenol?

Don't know if I would have been able to resist the temptation to cite our medical director's name, and pull up a PDF of the protocols on my phone... Saying nothing is probably best.

If I recall, 70 is the smallest number of questions you can possibly get. It's likely that you either crushed it or bombed it. You'll have to wait and find out!

One of the most beneficial things you can do is answer practice questions. Simply reading out of a book is not a great use of time once you have basic understanding of the material. I used emtprep.com and would use it again despite it being rather expensive. There are other nremt prep...

:rolleyes: I've never had an issue before. Still going to palp BPs on these patients.

As above, it just puts you in a really vulnerable position for no good reason. You can't hear what's going on around you very well, you're leaning over with your head down, not watching what the pt is doing really, focusing on watching the meter... On a pt who seems stable and our main reason...

Doing 911 calls is usually more exciting, but fwiw all of my most meaningful calls in EMS have been IFT's.

Being nice to everyone goes a really long way. Patients, family, staff, co-workers, the guy working at Dunkin Donuts, etc. Do deadlifts. Never auscultate a BP on a psych patient. Keep an emesis bag and extra gloves in your pocket at all times. Personally (and I guess it depends...

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience.