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EMS Education Tips

How to learn EMS acronyms

For EMT, paramedic students and new EMS providers learning the jargon of EMS is an important step in the progression from zero to hero. There are lots of ways to learn acronyms: Create your own flashcards or use online flashcards. Hand write acronyms and abbreviations with their meaning. Complete online quizzes which include terms, acronyms […]

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OPQRST: A Mnemonic for Pain Assessment

A reader asked, “What is OPQRST?”  OPQRST is mneomic for pain assessment. Onset – Did the pain start suddenly or gradually get worse and worse? Provokes/Palliates – Does anything make the pain better or worse? Quality – What does the pain feel like? Radiates – Point to where it hurts the most. Does the pain […]

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Video: Voice Prompts from an Epi Auto-Injector

I have been waiting for a long time for pre-hospital medications and devices to get smarter. Microprocessors are small and cheap and guide us through all sorts of routine tasks. For years my GPS has talked me through byzantine highway interchanges, mazes of one way streets, and rural roads. It makes perfect sense that a […]

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Tips for Wilderness Patient Care Experience

A reader wrote, “Any tips on what I can do to gain wilderness patient care experience? What would you want your co-instructors to know or have experienced before teaching WFR?” My Experience as a WMA Instructor I have been a Wilderness Medical Associates lead instructor since 2002. At the time of my application WMA generally […]

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EMS Tips

Alternate Posting Location: Hands-Off Patient Assessment

There are many scenarios where EMTs and paramedics can’t put hands on a patient during assessment and treatment. Do you practice those scenarios? Read more about hands-off patient assessment in my regular EMS1.com column.

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EMS Tips

Resource: StrokeAwareness.com for EMS

EMSEduCast co-host Bill Toon sent this link: http://www.strokeawareness.com/ems4stroke/ Visit the site for free resources for EMS and an online training program. Stroke assessment memory aids.

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EMS Education Tips

Video: Keep Yourself Safe as an EMS Education Tool

Keep Yourself Safe is the latest EMS music video from FDNY Paramedic and Artist Farooq Muhammad. The video lyrics and visualizes are about personal safety and PPE usage. The project was funded/underwritten by apparel vendor Blauer. I think the production and message is outstanding. Farooq and Blauer show how new “media” can be combined for […]

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EMS Tips

Alternate Posting Location: Patient Assessment is a Non-Linear Process

I had a tip published at EMS1.com a few weeks ago, Patient Assessment is a Non-Linear Process. Check it out and share your thoughts. Facebook Comments on EMS1.com I also wanted to highlight that EMS1.com has implemented the Facebook comments plug-in. Their previous comment system was pretty clunky and not always browser friendly. With the […]

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EMS Education Tips

CE Mash-Up: Stroke Assessment and Treatment

A CE Mash-Up is a technique to design and deliver a continuing education program using materials available for use and consumption on the internet. Each CE Mash-Up will suggest content to combine in your own blog post, website, or learning management system. Slideshare Presentation View this presentation, innovations in stroke care from EMS Educator Rom […]

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EMS Tips

Don't Write on Your Gloves – 5 Reasons to Use Something Else

Last week I asked, “What do you use to write your patient assessment and care notes.” Predictably, several readers answered, “Gloves!” Here are reasons not to write on your gloves. 1. Gloves are BSI. Gloves should only be used for what they do best – protecting you from the patient and protecting the patient from […]