Massachusetts protocols

Kady

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does anybody work is MA know if the protocol update class is available online? And if so where? You'd be my favorite! :)
 

hometownmedic5

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Protocol changes don't "require" a course, so its unlikely you'll find a generic course.

Individual companies, whether ambulance companies or schools, might develop a proprietary presentation to make digesting this material more palatable for their constituency, but that's about it and you probably wont find an open source version.

The good news is that on the BLS side, very little changed this year.

(For the record, by "good news", I don't mean that once again the bls scope remains largely stagnant. I mean that from the perspective of a basic trying to learn the changes, there aren't many...)
 

medicdan

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Protocol changes don't "require" a course, so its unlikely you'll find a generic course.

Individual companies, whether ambulance companies or schools, might develop a proprietary presentation to make digesting this material more palatable for their constituency, but that's about it and you probably wont find an open source version.

The good news is that on the BLS side, very little changed this year.

(For the record, by "good news", I don't mean that once again the bls scope remains largely stagnant. I mean that from the perspective of a basic trying to learn the changes, there aren't many...)

Protocol update courses are required if an EMT or medic is working for a licensed ambulance service, not those who aren't working as EMTs.
 

Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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The MA ALS protocols are not as terrible as I remembered.
 

hometownmedic5

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We have arguably better protocols than some places, and arguably worse than others.

I could do with a less "mother may I" medicine. Some of the things I need orders for are kind of absurd, but many medics before me do keyed their way through enough calls to make it so. For example, I need orders for lasix because historically medics here were quite inadequate at distinguishing PNA from CHF. The fact that I have not once been denied said orders when asked, nor been deemed wrong for having administered it upon review, doesn't change the fact that if I give it without calling the doc I'm practicing without a license.

On the other hand, I don't need orders for so many things that others would; so it's a classic could be better could be worse paradox.
 

NomadicMedic

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We have arguably better protocols than some places, and arguably worse than others.

I could do with a less "mother may I" medicine. Some of the things I need orders for are kind of absurd, but many medics before me do keyed their way through enough calls to make it so. For example, I need orders for lasix because historically medics here were quite inadequate at distinguishing PNA from CHF. The fact that I have not once been denied said orders when asked, nor been deemed wrong for having administered it upon review, doesn't change the fact that if I give it without calling the doc I'm practicing without a license.

On the other hand, I don't need orders for so many things that others would; so it's a classic could be better could be worse paradox.

That fact that you still give lasix for CHF puts you guys in the bottom third of EMS practice.
 

hometownmedic5

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It's certainly not a first line med, with CPAP and NTG being much more effective, but it is still used.
 

EpiEMS

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Prehospital furosemide seems to have more danger than benefit...or at the very least, absent prehospital labs.
 
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