News

This Week in EMS: Year in Review...Healthcare Reform...Helping Heroes CE Program

12/26/2009

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A Douglas County paramedic ejected during an ambulance wreck on Saturday night (Dec. 26), has succumbed to his injuries.

The Way We Were: A Review of 2009

After careful staff review and input from those smart, helpful folks on EMS Magazine's advisory board, we present EMSResponder's most important EMS stories of 2009.

Senate OK Moves Historic Health Measure Forward

After weeks of often-bitter debate and back-room wrangling, the U.S. Senate voted 60-39, along party lines, to approve a massive healthcare reform bill aimed at providing millions of Americans with health insurance and transforming the medical industry for future generations.

NYC EMTs Say They Weren't Asked to Examine Ill Woman

The emergency medical technicians accused of refusing to help a dying pregnant woman were never asked to examine her or told the extent of her condition, their lawyer said Thursday.

Helping Heroes Program Offers Free CE

EMSResponder.com, CentreLearn Solutions and Emergency Preparedness Systems jointly announced the launch of the RapidCE.com Helping Heroes program, which offers certified first responders, EMTs and paramedics affected by the recession free continuing education to maintain their professional license or certification during their layoff or furlough.

Featured Article

Transitioning Care at the Hospital

Because paramedics and ED nurses work hand in hand on a daily basis, having a greater understanding of the nursing staff's duties and what to expect at the hospital leads to greater patient safety and enhanced care. Transitional time can lead to a great deal of stress for both paramedics and nurses, so focusing on smooth continuity of care can allow each member of the team to relax and prioritize on what is most important--the patient's recovery.

Training & Resources

New Year's Resolutions for Public Safety

Public safety is one of the only careers that allow downtime--essentially, free time between calls where we can focus on a few injury-prevention and career-longevity techniques every day. Following the KISS principle, we will explore here two simple things that each one of us needs to do every day, on duty or off.

EMS Field Instruction: Part 4--How to Get the Most Out of Your Training Program

Although your field instruction program is designed to train you, learning is, in large part, up to you. A desire to learn will be your best tool for absorbing all the information that will be presented to you.

EMS Revisited

Down the Rabbit Hole and Through the Looking Glass

As part of EMS Magazine's 10th Anniversary Celebrations in 1982, Ronald D. Stewart, MD, founding medical director of the Los Angeles County paramedic program and, at that time, assistant professor of medicine, anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, described his first encounter with a paramedic during a crazy night in the ED at USC Medical Center, which was to change his career forever. This essay is reprinted from the Jan/Feb 1982 issue.

Continuing Education

EMS Care of the Schizophrenic Patient

Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric condition encountered by EMS professionals that is characterized by disturbances in the patient's perceptions, thoughts, behaviors and affect that last for more than six months. Because schizophrenia is commonly mistaken for various other psychiatric conditions, it is important for EMS providers to know what it is and how to assess and manage patients who have or display signs and symptoms associated with this condition.

This CE activity is approved by EMS Magazine, an organization accredited by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), for 1.5 CEUs.

Industry News

Toronto EMS Wins Merit and Diamond Technical Innovation Awards

Malcolm Bates, Director, Emergency Health Services, Land/Air from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, was among those on hand last week at Toronto EMS headquarters in Canada to acknowledge the department and over 60 EMS staff who were involved in the implementation of the city's RescueNet ePCR system from ZOLL, which recently won a Merit and Diamond Award for technological innovation from both the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario.

Featured Job

Deputy Director, Public Safety, Lee County, FL

This position offers an outstanding opportunity for the right individual to help shape the organization by identifying opportunities for improvement, and developing strategies to implement necessary change. With emphasis on EMS and Telecommunication programs, this position provides senior-level management to employees and programs within the department.

Click above for details and visit www.EMSResponder.com/jobs for additional listings.

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Featured Forum Thread

Apps for Google Android and Iphone

RichardH says: I recently compiled a list of Iphone apps for EMS professionals and also for Google Android phones. Let me know if I'm missing something (for either phone), I'll add it to my list.

Follow the link to read more, or browse other topics at www.emsresponder.com/forums.

Poll Question

This week we ask our readers: Does your department have a policy about provider/patient fraternization or romance?

Grant Information

Have you recently written a successful grant proposal? Then we would like to hear from you for an article we are preparing on grantwriting best practices. Please e-mail your experiences to Nancy Perry, Editorial Director.

Also, be sure to check out the latest resource from EMSResponder--our EMS Grants page--which offers a variety of resources for grant-writing and fundraising.

Noticeboard

Resuscitation Groups Seek Input for 2010 CPR Guidelines

The American Heart Association (AHA) in collaboration with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) is seeking public comment about scientific evidence evaluation worksheets that will be used to develop 2010 resuscitation guidelines.

December EMS Magazine

The December issue of EMS Magazine is now online and features articles on communicating with patients, canine scene safety challenges, accident reconstruction, vehicle navigation, shift scheduling, improving SCA survival and EMS care of the schizophrenic patient.

EMS on the Hill

The latest edition of EMS on the Hill is now online and features articles on pediatric disaster preparedness, NEMSAC's To-Do List and simulation training.

Follow EMSResponder on Twitter

Stay in touch 24/7 with breaking news and industry developments by following EMSResponder.com on Twitter to get daily EMS news headlines delivered to your Twitter account.

Call for Nominations: Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards for Swiftwater Rescue

The Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund, working in conjunction with the Swiftwater Rescue Committee of the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR), is seeking nominations for the 2010 Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Swiftwater Rescue. Nominations are due February 19, 2010.

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:

January 7-9: NAEMSP Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
February 28-March 4: Firehouse World/EMS Expo, San Diego, CA
February 26-28: 17th Annual National Collegiate EMS Foundation Conference, Baltimore, MD

Other top headlines this week on EMSResponder.com

We Want to Hear From You
If you have a news lead or story idea you would like to submit to EMSResponder.com, please e-mail Nancy.Perry@cygnusb2b.com.