Introduction to Emergency Medical Services EMS

1
Introduction to Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
2
In the state of Massachusetts there are four
levels of emergency care providers

• First Responder
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic
• EMT Intermediate
• EMT - Paramedic

3
First Responder

• CPR trained at the health care professional level
• Required minimum training for all police and
  firefighters in Massachusetts
• Usually the first on the scene in an emergency
• Trained to treat life-threatening emergencies
  with a minimum amount of equipment

4
EMT - Basic

• All of the skills of the first responder plus
• Trained in the use and operation of the ambulance
• Certified to administer oxygen, glucose,
  epinephrine and some other medications at the
  on-line or off-line direction of the closest
  emergency departments lead physician
• Called the medical control physician

5
EMT - Intermediate

• All of the skills of the EMT-Basic plus
• Capable of starting an intravenous line and
  infusing volume-replacing normal saline
• Trained to place an endotracheal tube in a
  patients windpipe to create a secure means of
  ventilating the lungs

6
EMT - Paramedic

• All of the skills of the EMT-Intermediate plus
• Administration of intravenous medications for
  cardiac, diabetic and other medical conditions
  under either off-line or on-line direction
• Many other optional and advanced skills such as
  chest decompression and needle crichothyrotomy,
  etc.

7
Basic or Advanced?

• Basic life support called BLS describes the care
  given by First Responders and EMT-Basics
• Advanced life support, called ALS, is the higher
  level of care performed by EMT-Intermediates and
  Paramedics
• Permitted to perform invasive procedures
• Procedures that introduce foreign substances or
  equipment into the patients body

8
Training

• The EMS provider is legally prohibited from
  performing skills that are beyond his or her
  level of training
• Each group of skills requires the proper
  certification
• The length of time required for learning the
  advanced skills is considerable

9
First Responder Training

• Prerequisite Health Care Professional level CPR
• 8 hours
• 24-hour class
• Three-year certification period
• Certification is maintained with a refresher
  course
• 12 hours

10
EMT Basic Training

• Prerequisite Health Care Professional level CPR
• 8 hours
• 110-hour class plus
• Five patient contacts
• State certification application and fee
• 150.00
• Two-year certification period
• 24-hour refresher course
• 28 hours of continuing education
• 150.00 recertification fee

11
EMT Intermediate Training

• Prerequisite Health Care Professional level CPR
• 8 hours
• 180-hour class plus
• 100 hours of clinical observations and skills
• 30 i.v. starts
• 10 intubations
• 100 hours of field observations and skills
• 10 i.v. starts
• 1 intubation

12
EMT Intermediate Training

• State certification application and fee
• 150.00
• State administered exam
• Minimum passing grade 70
• Two-year certification period
• 24-hour refresher course
• 28 hours of continuing education
• 150.00 recertification fee

13
EMT Paramedic Training

• Prerequisite Health Care Professional level CPR
  EMT-B certification
• X contact hours as an EMT-B
• 400-hour class plus
• 200 hours of clinical observations and skills
• 60 i.v. starts
• 10 intubations
• 200 hours of field observations and skills
• 30 i.v. starts
• 1 intubation

14
EMT Paramedic Training

• State certification application and fee
• 150.00
• State administered exam
• Minimum passing grade 70
• Two-year certification period
• 24-hour refresher course
• 28 hours of continuing education
• 150.00 recertification fee

15
How Far Do You Want to Go?

• HCP CPR
• Written and practical tests
• Minimum passing grade 84
• Unlimited repeat attempts are allowed
• First Responder
• Written and practical tests
• Minimum passing grade 80
• Unlimited repeat attempts are allowed

16
How Far Do You Want to Go?

• EMT Basic
• EMT-B is no longer part of the regular curriculum
• Apply to take the summer course
• Classes held at Mohawk
• Evenings and alternate Saturdays from June Aug.
• Free to qualified Mohawk students

17
Mohawk Evening Class

• Do you want to become an EMT?

18
What is Involved?

• Lectures written tests
• Called the didactic portion
• Subjects are similar to the first responder
  curriculum but everything is covered in more depth

19
(No Transcript)
20
What is Involved?

• Practical skills demonstrations

21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
What do the participants say?
25
The choice is up to you

• Applications are available
• Ask me for more information