The Paramedic Updated Edition

Ever since the first EMT book was written, there have been two philosophies chosen by the authors for the reader: One type is to provide for the minimal required information and to meet only the minimum standards required by the profession. At the other end of the spectrum is the philosophy that is written to be all-inclusive. This will give the student reader (and ultimately patient care provider) the strongest knowledge possible. If you or your family were to become sick or injured in the middle of the night, in the blowing snow or in the cold rain, do you want the EMT taking care of you to be the very best they possibly could be or simply one who has taken the course to “get by”? This book is not a “get by” book. This book is not written by “get by” authors. This book is not edited by “get by” editors. Just open this book and look at the four editors—four better people in the United States to write such a book could not have been chosen. Norman E. McSwain, Jr., MD, FACS, NREMT-P Professor of Surgery Tulane University The Paramedic Website

Table of Contents:
BRIEF TOCPART 1 FOUNDATIONS 1. THE EMS PROFESSION2. THE WELL-BEING OF THE PARAMEDIC3. PROFESSIONAL ETHICS4. LEGAL ISSUES5. CLINICAL DECISION MAKING6. MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY7. ANATOMY OVERVIEW8. PHYSIOLOGY OVERVIEW9. SAFETY AND SCENE SIZE-UPPART 2 FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNICATION AND ASSESSMENT10. THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATIONS AND HISTORY TAKING11. THE NORMAL PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONPART 3-FOUNDATIONS OF CRITICAL CARE: CARING FOR THE SICK PATIENT12. AIRWAY MANAGEMENT, VENTILATION, AND OXYGENATION13. SHOCK OVERVIEW14. PATIENT ASSESSMENT15. PHARMACOLOGY16. MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION AND IV17. DOCUMENTATION & COMMUNICATIONPART 4-TRAUMA18. MECHANISM OF INJURY19. HEMOSTASIS AND HERMORRHAGIC SHOCK20. HEAD, FACE, AND NECK TRAUMA21. THORACIC TRAUMA22. ABDOMINAL TRAUMA23. SPINAL TRAUMA24. SKELETAL TRAUMA25. SOFT TISSUE AND MUSCLE TRAUMA26. BURN TRAUMA27. TRAUMA PATIENTS AND TRAUMA SYSTEMSPART 5-MEDICAL ISSUES28. PULMONARY29. CARDIOLOGY30. NEUROLOGY31. ENDOCRINOLOGY, ELECTROLYTES, AND ACID/BASE32. ALLERGIES AND ANAPHYLAXIS33. INFECTIOUS AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES34. GASTROENTEROLOGY35. TOXICOLOGY36. UROLOGY37. HEMATOLOGY38. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS39. EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT40. BEHAVIORAL AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS41. OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGYPART 6-SPECIAL POPULATIONS42. NEONATOLOGY43. PEDIATRIC PATIENTS44. GERIATRIC PATIENTS45. THE ABUSED AND NEGLECTED46. PATIENTS WITH SPECIAL CHALLENGES47. PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES48. PATIENTS FROM DIVERSE CULTURESPART 7-OPERATIONS49. AMBULANCE OPERATIONS50. MEDICAL INCIDENT COMMAND51. RESCUE AWARENESS52. TEAMWORK AND OPERATIONAL INTERFACE53. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS54. SPECIAL EVENTS AND MASS GATHERINGS55. RESPONDING TO WMD EVENTSGlossaryCreditsIndex

About the Author :
David Page, MS, NREMT-P, a native of Mexico, is a full time faculty member at Inver Hills Community College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Dave started his EMS career in 1985 as a junior member of the Bethesda Chevy-Chase Rescue Squad outside of Washington D.C. and has been teaching paramedics since 1989. He has worked in Boston, Massachusetts; Fort Worth, Texas; and Denver, Colorado. Since 1989, Dave has served as a field paramedic for Allina Medical Transportation, a hospital-based emergency ambulance service in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Dave loves to teach and to learn. He holds a masters degree in experiential education from Minnesota State University, and bachelor degree in human services from Macalester College. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences focusing on clinical competency, research, web-based education, and crisis intervention. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and English. Will Chapleau EMT-P-RN TNS is the Manager of the Advanced Trauma Life Support program for the American College of Surgeons. He has been a Paramedic for over 30 years, a Trauma Nurse Specialist for 18 years and an EMS Educator for over 20 years. He has worked in the field as a paramedic/firefighter with over 13 years fire service experience including 6 years as Chief of Chicago Heights Fire Department. His nursing experience includes Trauma, Emergency Services and Intensive Care service. He has also coordinated college and hospital Basic and advanced Primary and secondary educational programs. He serves on the board of directors of the national Association of EMTs and has been the Chairman of the PreHospital Trauma Life Support Division since 1996. He also serves on the board of Directors of the National Association of EMS Educators and the Society of Trauma Nurses. He has also served as the Administrative Division Chair of The National Association of EMS Physicians. He has published several texts and numerous articles on EMS and Emergency Services and has lectured all over the world. Angel Clark Burba, MS, EMT-P is currently serving on the Board of Directors and is President Elect for the National Association of EMS Educators. She is the Assistant Professor and Program Director for the EMS Program at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. She has been an EMS provider for over 28 years and an EMS educator for over 25. Besides teaching and conference presentations, she has contributed to many EMS publications, journals, and textbooks. She is the instructional designer of the NAEMSE Foundations of Education EMS Instructor Course and co-chaired the task force that wrote the 2002 DOT NHTSA Guidelines for Educating the EMS Instructor. Peter T. Pons, M.D., is an emergency physician who has been actively involved with prehospital care and disaster preparedness for over 25 years. He has been on the medical staff of Denver Health Medical Center (formerly Denver General Hospital) and is a Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Pons served as the medical director for several EMS systems including two fire-department based and one third-service based.