Advanced Skills in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine

Target Audience: Advanced EMS teams and teams based in remote clinics, who are the first medical personnel to reach the patient. These include physicians, nurses, paramedics and medical assistants. Objectives: Provide quality Basic Life Support. Skillfully manage basic and advanced airway maintenance. Obtain a medical history and perform a physical examination. Effectively communicate with additional team members. Effectively communicate with the patient. Recognize a patient with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol. Recognize a patient suffering a stroke (CVA) and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol (including the Cincinnati Stroke Scale). Recognize a patient with cardiac arrest due to Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol. Recognize a patient suffering from head trauma and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol. Recognize a patient suffering from a metabolic disorder/hypoglycemia and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol. Communicate severity of the patient's medical situation to the patient's family. Course Description: All teams will undergo training as an integral unit, adhering to the protocols practiced by each emergency organization. During this course, trainees will practice treating a wide variety of medical emergencies to improve their skills. The course will focus on the importance of knowledge of Basic Life Support, the combination of Basic and Advanced Life Support, communication skills between team members, with patients and others, in order to ensure patient safety. The course is based on challenging simulated scenarios which encourage trainees to take an active role in practicing real-life situations. This is achieved through the use of work stations, where each trainee has the opportunity to practice as an individual, as part of a group, and as a group leader. Real simulation enhances the main learning objectives: expertise in Basic Life Support administration, management of life-threatening medical situations including trauma and cardiac arrest, and communication skills.