ADVERTISEMENT
This Week in EMS: Checklists in EMS...Conflict Management...AHA Guidelines
Sign up here to receive the EMS Weekly Recap in your e-mail.
Dashcam Video Captures Wild Police Chase, Ambulance Crash
A man accused of starting a police chase and causing an ambulance to crash with a patient on board told police he was "stupid" for trying to flee -- and the whole chase was caught on tape.
Ruling on Conn. EMT's Firing Over Facebook Post Could Set Precedent
A Connecticut woman who was fired after she posted disparaging remarks about her boss on Facebook has prompted a first-of-its-kind legal case by federal authorities who say her comments are protected speech under labor laws.
Family of Dead High School Football Player Sues N.C. Paramedic
A civil lawsuit will go on against the paramedic who visited Atlas Fraley before the former Chapel Hill High School player died two years ago.
EMS Operations
If You Don't Have a Checklist, You Probably Should
The use of applicable checklists in EMS agencies has the potential to take some of the risk out of what we do. Checklists can be small or large, with varying degrees of complication depending on the specific situation they are being developed to cover. Learn how other agencies are implementing checklists to improve their operations.
The Corner Office: Practical Management for EMS Leaders
EMS Leadership Part 6: Conflict Management Alternatives for EMS Leaders and Staff
Ralph, who is director of Shade Tree County EMS, has a lot of conflict regarding his crews, and especially their interfacing with hospital staff at the local emergency room. His crews are increasingly getting into heated arguments with emergency room staff. He has been putting this crisis off, but things are getting worse and he must address these issues now. Learn how Ralph used preventative conflict management processes to manage conflict in the workplace.
EMS Life
Stuff I'd Wish They Taught Me in Class: Part 2--Humility
Just because you went to best EMT school in the state doesn't mean your skills are up to scratch. Read how this EMS World columnist was forced to eat some humble pie after faking her ability to take a manual blood pressure.
EMS Training Center
When the American Heart Association announced its new CPR guidelines in October, it posed EMS leaders the challenge of reeducating not only their own providers, but their communities as well. The AHA acknowledged as much, noting that its change in recommended BLS sequence from A-B-C (airway, breathing, compressions/circulation) to C-A-B (putting compressions first) "will require reeducation of everyone who has ever learned CPR." Put that way, it's an imposing challenge.
Industry Best Practices
Cornell University EMS Asks: "Got Soap?"
Cornell University EMS (CUEMS) is once again organizing the Got Soap? public health campaign with Cornell's Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) on November 12. The plan is to distribute nearly 20,000 bars of soap on campus as part of the hand hygiene campaign.
Case Studies
Hatzolah in Brooklyn, NY, relies on TMS Medical Technologies' HIGHPAK 4.8Ah lithium batteries for all of the LIFEPAK 12 defibrillators carried on the agency's eight ambulances. Read why Coordinator and EMT Yehuda Mendelbaum says: "These batteries are incredible!"
Podcasts
The EMS Squadcast: National Association of State EMS Officials Meeting, October 2010
The EMS Squadcast is a podcast series dedicated to discussions relevant to the world of EMS today. Join Tim Perkins as The EMS Squadcast records at the annual meeting of the National Association of State EMS Officials in Norfolk, VA. Tim speaks to Karen Jacobson from NEMSIS on the importance of data in EMS and to state EMS directors Gary Brown of Virginia, Dennis Blair of Alabama and Lee Burns of New York about issues their respective EMS systems are facing.
Continuing Education
Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of accidental poisoning death in the United States. It contributes to a minimum of 40,000 emergency department visits and 500 unintentional deaths annually. There are an additional 4,500-5,000 intentional (suicide) carbon monoxide poisoning deaths each year. As the symptoms are often vague and attributed to other ailments such as the flu, many experts believe that an additional 11,000 cases per year are undetected or misdiagnosed.
This CE activity is approved by EMS World Magazine, an organization accredited by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), for 1.5 CEUs. After reading the article, download the test that accompanies this article or take the CE test online atwww.rapidce.com.
Featured EMS World Magazine Article: November 2010
Chest Pain: The "Other" Diagnoses
Some of the non-cardiac causes of chest pain are common and some are rare, but all of them may cause patients to complain of chest pain. Taking an academic approach to chest pain may assist you in making the appropriate assessment.
Business News
CentreLearn Awarded Second Contract with U.S. Army National Guard
CentreLearn Solutions, LLC, has announced that the company, along with its administrative partner Chesapeake Consulting, Inc., has been awarded its second contract to provide online continuing education courses to all combat medics in the U.S. Army National Guard. A developer of online learning content management systems, Centrelearn will provide continuing education to more than 10,000 combat medics worldwide.
Featured Video
Schwarzenegger to Boost CA Emergency Response Capabilities
Governor Schwarzenegger joined with emergency responders, volunteers and private industry partners to highlight his administration's recent actions to strengthen the state's ability to respond to emergencies and natural disasters.
Noticeboard
EMS World Webcasts: New AHA Guidelines
Register now for upcoming free webcasts from EMS World: Insights and Explanations of the New AHA Guidelines - Part 1: Basic Life Support, scheduled for December 7 at 2 p.m. EST, and Insights and Explanations of the New AHA Guidelines - Part 2: Adult and Pediatric Advanced Life Support, scheduled for December 16 at 2 p.m. EST. Presenter Cindy Tait, EMT-P, RN, MPH, is a resuscitation expert and AHA regional faculty. She is on the faculty at Loma Linda (CA) University's Cardiopulmonary Sciences department, specializing in resuscitation medicine, and frequently lectures in LLU Medical Center's paramedic bachelor's program. One hour of CE credit for each webcast is available. Webcasts sponsored by ZOLL Medical Corporation.
EMS Week happens the third week in May to not only celebrate the men and women of EMS, but to help educate the public about issues of safety, readiness and the role of the EMS practitioner. Please answer this brief survey to help guide the development of materials for EMS Week and to share information about how your agency participates. Win a free registration to EMS World Expo in Las Vegas, NV, August 31-September 2! Tell us how you celebrate EMS Week. If you're selected to be profiled, you'll get a free three-day core program registration. Please complete the survey by November 19 for your chance to win!
EMS World Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Expo invite you to submit photographs that represent your world in EMS. Submit photographs in the following categories: training, real-life incidents, community involvement and hanging with EMS colleagues. The grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to EMS World Expo 2011, August 31-September 2, in Las Vegas, NV.
EMS United
EMS United has been designed exclusively for EMS professionals. This is your place to connect with your peers quickly and easily online. Ask questions, share tips & tricks, discuss business challenges & solutions, & much more. Become part of EMS United today!
Featured Job
E.M.T., Inc. Ambulance, a leading private ambulance company, is looking for professional and career-oriented EMT basics, intermediates and paramedics.
Click above for details and visit EMSWorld.com/jobs for additional listings.
Sign up here to receive the new EMS Jobs e-newsletter.
Reader Poll: On-Duty Accident
This week we ask: The fire-medic in last week's poll had a seizure while driving an engine and struck a house. He'd had one such seizure a year earlier, but no medical problem or cause was found. Should he have been prohibited from driving department vehicles? Click here to let us know your thoughts.
Upcoming Events
Visit our Events Calendar to see what educational opportunities are in your area, plus post your own listings. Here are a selection of EMS upcoming training events:
- November 19-20: Creighton University EMS Competition, Omaha, Nebraska
- November 21-24: Texas EMS Conference, Austin, TX
- December 8-11: ECCU, San Diego, CA
Other top headlines this week on EMSWorld.com
- Memorial Held for Two Canadian Medics
- DUI Suspect's Pickup Hits Calif. Ambulance
- California Fire Department Changes Policy Following Encounter With Violent Patient
- Study: Public Turning to Social Media as Alternative to 911
- Pa. Deputies Use Defib, CPR to Revive Stricken Officer
- West Virginia Nurse Sues Ambulance Driver, Service for Injuries
- Dozen Hurt in Colorado School Bus Crash
- Truck With Four Teens Runs Light, Rams Ambulance
- Okla. Woman Thinks She Has Back Pain, Gives Birth
- Conn. Gunshot Victim Eats Before Going to Hospital
- Man Assaults New Hampshire EMT After Crash
Become a fan of EMSWorld on Facebook
Interact and chat with other members of the EMSWorld Facebook community, while getting access to daily postings and news updates.
Stay in touch 24/7 with breaking news and industry developments by following EMSWorld.com on Twitter to get daily EMS news headlines delivered to your Twitter account.
We Want to Hear From You
If you have a news lead or story idea you would like to submit to EMSWorld.com, please e-mail Nancy.Perry@EMSWorld.com.
