Recent content by GBev

Happy recertification season! BLS CPR recertification is worth 2 CE hours, but which NREMT component do you assign it to? I have already fulfilled my individual component. I was thinking it could be assigned to cardiac arrest under the national component. Thoughts?

I just finished applying to PA schools after graduating with a BA in history and an MBA. Any bachelor degree will work. In fact, in my experience, the more diverse the degree is, the more it sets you apart. Advanced practice programs are saturated with pre-med and biological science students...

In Louisiana we have a phone line called LERN -- Louisiana Emergency Response Network. If a PT meets certain criteria (trauma, but also stroke and STEMI), the medic calls LERN where someone in the call center will direct the medic to the most appropriate facility based upon the services the PT...

I'm reminded of the old adage, "Paramedics save lives, but EMTs save paramedics." From my experience, working in the B/P setup keeps a paramedic closer down to the earth. For example, why intubate a PT when a BLS King Tube will secure an airway for PPV just as effectively and save the PT some...

Without hijacking the thread, I always ask, "Which hospital do you want to go to?" It gives the PT power over their healthcare decisions (or at least the illusion) while aggressively implying that going to see a physician is non-negotiable

In one area that my agency runs 911 in, law enforcement always needs a reason to respond if it's not an emergency. On a particular call, the pt wanted to go to the hospital by ambulance and the family was insistent on bringing him themselves. At this point, the situation had gotten a little...

I was working with what I thought was a relatively experienced EMT (>2 year in field, full-time) at an agency mine had recently acquired. Our pt was a BLS transfer with GCS 10... at leas when we loaded her in. When we reached the destination, this EMT evidently did not do any kind of continuous...

I had an interesting conversation with an FTO about basics being supervisors. In my organization, supervisors often work on a sprint truck first responding to calls, getting refusals and putting out small fires with ticked off ED staff and patients. If a basic has the experience, education and...