EMS Solutions

Come join the free live webinar this Thursday 7/19 at 1:00PM EST. All online, details here: http://emsseo.com/2012/07/rejecting-rejection-the-perils-and-pitfalls-of-grant-applications/

Join this online study group for passing the NYC REMAC Exam. 3/20 at 9:00PM EST http://nycremac.com/2011/02/live-nyc-remac-study-group-webinar/

It's time for your voice to be heard fellow EMT Bravo member. On Wed. June 30th at 7Pm EST I urge you to join me at EMS Office Hours http://blogtalkradio.com/emss This is a special episode where the topic will be "The Volunteer EMS System - Does It Work?" On going discussions in the EMS industry are often: Paid vs. volunteer. Education for volunteers. Perceived professionalism by paid providers. But one factor that may need to be addressed first is whether or not the Volunteer system model actually works in todays healthcare and EMS climate. Come join me for this special extended Office Hours and discuss your views and experiences, what you think should change or is holding either the paid or volunteer models back. You can listen in, chat live or call in toll free. http://blogtalkradio.com/emss Hope to see you there.

Effective treatment of an asthmatic requires an understanding of the physiologic causes of asthma and the patient’s severity. Pre-hospital care providers who can gauge the severity of asthma and deliver the appropriate treatment will be more effective in treating asthmatics. In this webinar Steven Kanarian CIC of LaGuardia Community Colleges' Paramedic Program will review the physiologic causes of asthma, elements of a history of present illness, physical exam and the key treatments for this disease. Both new and experienced providers will have deeper understanding of the causes, diagnosis and treatment of asthma upon completion of this webinar. This live online event is on April 29th at 8:00PM Est. Register free at http://ems-safety.com/LCC/asthma.htm

On Moday Sept 28th at 8:00PM EST. I am having a live online call in show on continuing education in EMS. Who is paying for it, who should be paying and how do we as EMS providers obtain and maintain our CEU requirements? Come give your input or just listen in. To join in the discussion, just go the link below on Monday night -I hope to see you there. http://blogtalkradio.com/emss

It's hard to expect EMT B level providers to be better clinicians and less medic dependent when they only get 120 hours of training and 48 hours of ride time. How can you give B level providers the ability to give NTG or albuterol when they don't have the training and knowledge to know what these drugs do, when they should be used and how they can effect a patient. A 1-2 hour "update" class isnt going to give them enough training to use these or any other advanced drugs or skills. I dont think there is a dedication issue when it comes to the volunteers, but as mentioned above there is a call volume issue. This combined with a low educational standard makes it a poor mix to add anything to their skill toolbox. Let's focus on what we do now, master that and then maybe we can move on to bigger things. Medics included.

Do you mean to tell me that I am NOT getting my 1.7 million dollars deposited into my bank account within the next 48 hours? Oh well, guess I'll have to work in the rain again.

Some of teh best shears are "Big Shears" at bigshears.com - they are a little pricey and you do have the worry about losing them or forgetting them on a call. Another option is using a tool like the Resque Hook from Benchmade. This is a good lightweight tool and can be utilized in most situations. Very fast to strip a patient.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am holding a sweepstakes giveaway at http://ems-safety.com/emsweek2008.htm This year I am offering several products as well as memberships to TheEMSProfessional.com and MedicCast Extra Good luck if you enter. Jim

I just posted a new free report that focuses on IV access and difficulties. Uncovering Difficult IV's It has your basic IV knowledge and equipment etc. But thanks to a bunch of experienced prehospital providers it has some great tips and tricks on those hard to find sticks. http://ems-safety.com/free.htm You'll see the report at the top of the free downloads listing. Feel free to share the report, put it on your blog or website for your visitors or just link on back to the download page above. I hope you find it useful. Jim

Just as an FYI the latest issue is out for Oct 2007. Focus is on EMS Education and is almost twice the size as the last issue. Download it free http://fieldmedics.com/magazine/ Jim Contributors, photos needed for upcoming issues.

The best bargain is the Volunteer. Why buy the cow, when the milk is free? When people stop volunteering, townships, counties etc will pay what they need to provide this service to the tax payers. Tax payers will know who is the EMS provider since they will be paying for it.

Just wanted to announce that a new free EMS Magazine has just been released. http://fieldmedics.com/magazine So far great feedback and new authors coming on board. I now you will enjoy it. Jim

Here is a link to the info from AHA. http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/fu.../24_suppl/IV-12

Some cities outside NYC do not work up asystole arrests. They confirm in 2 or 3 leads and pronounce. So, maybe having fewer medics and less workable arrests contribute to this study. The sheer call volume within NYC makes it difficult to have a comparable save %. If the amount of actual saves in NYC is looked at compared to other cities it will most likely be as high or higher than other areas with a lower call volume. My "hot jobs" are the AMI, APE, Tight Asthmatic etc. Not the cardiac arrest who has a small % of survival should I even be able to regain pulses. My skills are better challenged making good clinical judgement with a COPD or APE than just running a code that any acls trained professional can do. Meeting my medical control physcian is not important to me or my patient. The fact that I contact medical control and the MD knows my name is enough to know that together we can agree on continued treatment. The differences in skills between medics in NYC is due more to having too many medic programs and too much money being thrown into them and "at" them. Not necessarily becuase of OLMC contact and %of real ALS calls. Many als calls are truely not even bls - but that is the nature of the system within NYC where the city allows the continued abuse of the system by its residents. Where everyone gets to go to the hospital no matter how they look upon arrival. Until that abuse is addressed, medics will always be too far and too long from the "hot jobs". It won't matter how many medics there are or how they get there, fly car (tried that), ambulance or ricshaw(done that). But then it is the callers emergency and not ours and that is the important thing to remember, To the patient - "They" are the hot job. As the EMT or Medic responding, they are "our" patients. Cardiac Arrest or otherwise.