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EMS Tips

What are the Best Pain Scale Endpoints?

A reader wrote to me recently about a CE lesson where I suggested asking a patient with pain to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. The reader explained it would be better to ask patients to rate their pain on a scale of 0 to 10. In my opinion a pain […]

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EMS Tips

What if … are you prepared for whatever might happen next

Asking, “What if?” is a simple technique to mentally prepare for whatever might come next. One of the “what if’s” I regularly play is “What if someone on this flight has a medical emergency?” Another of my favorite what if questions is “What if I see another runner collapse during the race?” Two Austin, Texas […]

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EMS Tips

New Ebook: Top 5 Emergencies and How to Handle Until Paramedics Arrive

Paramedic and author Laura Kendall is offering a free ebook on her site, Top 5 Medical Emergencies and How to Handle Them. I have already downloaded the ebook and think it is a great resource for family and friends that frequently ask questions like, what are common emergencies? When should we call 911? What should […]

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News and Events

2 Quick Farewells and 1 Quick Hello

A couple of quick farewells and best wishes for a Saturday morning. 1) Mark Glencourse, author of the fine Medic999.com blog, is signing off from blogging. Best wishes to Mark and his family. I am grateful for Mark’s contributions to EMS and honored to have him as a friend. 2) On a lighter note, Kelly […]

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EMS Education Tips

Video: Use PowerPoint and Articulate to Create Flash Animations #Screenr

I leverage PowerPoint with Articulate Presenter to make elearning courses for EMTs, Paramedics, and Firefighters. This screencast demonstrates how I use PowerPoint and Articulate Presenter to Create Flash Animations.

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EMS Tips

If I were Governor of Wisconsin #ifiwereGovofWi

David Konig has been schooling me in the ways and uses of “Internet Memes” and with some basic understanding I gave it a go with the Twitter Meme #ifiwereGovofWi (If I were Governor of Wisconsin). You could adapt this Twitter Meme for your own state by replace “WI” with your own state (you probably didn’t […]

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EMS Tips

Video: Starting an IV with a Kicking Sound Track

Do you have a song in your head when you start an IV? Not sure what my song is but it is definitely not the Fat Boys. //

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EMS Tips

If you want to start winning stop losing

To stop losing you can: 1. Get better 2. Change the players on your team (see Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV) 3. Find a different opponent (see Egypt February 2011) 4. Throwout the rules (see Wisconsin February 2011) 5. Play a different game 6. Move to a different venue 7. Change the definition of […]

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EMS Tips

George Bush's 1st Rule: Paradoxical Political Speech

Introduction: I have lived most of my life in Wisconsin. I have followed with great interest the reaction of my neighbors to Governor Walker’s budget proposal to eliminate most collective bargaining rights of public employees. This might be the first of several posts related to the local and national media coverage of the debate in […]

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Products

Audio: Chat with hosts of Firefighter Net Cast about #Fire and #EMS Education

Last summer (July 2010) I had a chance to sit down with John Mitchell and Rhett Fleitz of the Firefighters Net Cast at Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. We talked about the show, EMS and Fire education, podcasting, and social media. We also discussed some trends for online education for delivering didactic training for new products. […]