With all the new talk about fire base EMS and fire departments in general I thought this would be a good topic for discussion. I work in a fire department as an EMS Lt in charge of a two person paramedic medic unit. We are cross trained and carry full protective gear and SCBA with us. These are...
Hey check out my new blog post on ALS Engines and how to operate as an EMS assault team.
http://craigalanevans.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-ems-enginehow-to-be-ems-assault-team.html?m=1
We just started using Ketamine to control combative/psychotic behavior. We used to throw buckets of Versed/Benadryl/Haldol at them. They would take a good nap later but it would never control the acute behavior. One dose of Ketamine And they start starring at the walls quietly. It's a real life...
What is everyone doing with chest and shoulder straps on the cot. We use them with the same philosophy as a car seat. We don't move until the patient is fully secured, but I just talked to a good medic from another jurisdiction and he is not using his. He quoted some documented incident where...
Behavioral emergencies can be very challenging. This is an easy four step guideline to how I approach these types of emergencies. What do you think? What do you do?
http://craigalanevans.blogspot.com/2012/03/coo-coo-bird-practical-prehospital.html
I think prehospital education does a horrible job of teaching a thorough abdominal assessment. Keeping this discussion outside of trauma and obstetrics as I feel we do pretty well in those areas; if you were to concentrate on only conditions which would require immediate surgical intervention or...
The first step you need to take in order to be a good paramedic is to simply get in the game. I am a firm believer that a paramedic card does not make you a paramedic; it just gives you permission to learn how to be a paramedic. So just get the card and start your journey. I have worked with...
I developed this method of writing patient reporting years ago after I was tired of SOAPing and all the other mnemonic methods that didn't seem to have a good logical order to me. Feel free to use this as you see fit, change it, pass it on, help out our fellow providers. I also use this broad...
The reason we perform 12 Lead EKGs in the field is to find out if the patient is having an acute MI. EMS has made great strides in the recent past to make sure their ALS providers have been trained to perform and interpret 12 Lead EKGs. So what can we do now to make it better? I serve on the...