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NEW FEATURE: EMS LIBRARY
Visit this resource for reference materials from the pages of EMS Magazine. Topics include ambulance equipment; manufacturer safety comments; product applications; EMS history; EMS legislation and more. Click the link on the EMSResponder.com homepage or go to http://emsresponderlibrary.epubxpress.com/.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Of Sisters, Mountains and CEUs
By Sandi Pierson, EMT-B
Sometimes the long hours required for continual EMS training can seem excessive, especially for small-town volunteers. However, one New Hampshire EMT was grateful for every piece of knowledge in her arsenal —especially her extensive wilderness emergency medical training—when she had the unfortunate opportunity to practice her skills on her sister during a long hike on the Appalachian Trail.
"I was chatting to my sister Debby about nothing in particular when directly in front of me I saw her tumble and somersault headlong over a steep decline of ledge and boulders. During that instant, all time came to a standstill and when it returned, I was the person in charge," Sandi writes. "The value of every hour spent in EMS training and practice homogenized before my eyes as I watched someone I love perilously fall in this isolated, unforgiving territory."
Read the article at www.EMSResponder.com/OnlineExclusives.
NEW PODCAST
Author Rod Brouhard joins the "EMS Magazine Monthly Insider" this month to elaborate on his December feature, The Ambulance as Classroom: The Role of a Paramedic Preceptor, which starts on page 204.
Listen to hear Rod discuss his inspiration for this topic and hear more about the author himself. Rod is an EMT-P with American Medical Response in Modesto, CA. He is also well known as the voice for first aid and EMS on the website About.com, where he serves as a resource and research "Guide" to the public.
RECENT PODCAST
The November "EMS Magazine Monthly Insider" featured author Rob Curran as he discussed his article in the November issue, Straight to the Heart. Rob is the pathophysiology instructor for the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center.
Find all of our podcast series by visiting EMSResponder.com/interactive.
FEATURED NEWS
First responders and other healthcare advocates were keeping a close eye on the Senate this fall as legislators discussed an important funding measure.
As reported by EMSResponder.com senior writer Susan Nicol Kyle, the bill contains funding for vital programs including rural and community AEDs, EMS for Children and block grants that provide money for states to pay for EMS-related activities.
"It's important that the Senate pass it with a veto-proof margin, which is two-thirds majority," says Lisa Meyer, vice-president of Cornerstone Government Affairs, a lobbying group for EMS.
Meyer told EMS providers at EMS EXPO in Orlando in October that the House made its version veto-proof, and the Senate would need to do the same thing to protect the funds. Watch for an update this month on EMSResponder.com.
FEATURED FORUM TOPIC: TREATMENT CHOICE
A forum member in the ALS Treatment and Protocols section presented the following scenario: 56 y/o male c/o chest pain. Pain is unprovoked, dull, non-radiating, 8/10 for the past 40 minutes with dyspnea, nausea and diaphoresis. No significant history, meds or allergies. Vitals: pulse 42, monitor reveals a junctional rhythm, respirations 22, SaO2 92% ambient, BP 84/62. After initiating O2 (SaO2 comes up to 98%–100%, remainder of symptoms unchanged) and IV, what would your subsequent treatment be and why?
Visit the forums to read the responses from EMS personnel, as well as the real-life outcome of this incident.
FEATURED JOB
EMS Operations Division Chief, Albany Fire Department, Oregon
"Participates on the management team as a Division Chief, administering the Fire Department's EMS Division and other assigned program areas. Works under the supervision and general direction of the Assistant Fire Chief."
Go to www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional information on this position (if still available) and other EMS job listings. To submit a listing, e-mail Heather.Caspi@cygnusb2b.com.
author: By Heather Caspi