Apologies for the lack of posts lately. Between a massive contract at the “real” job and having a ton going on in my offline EMS and personal lives, I’ve given the blog a bit less attention than it should have.
However, I’ve recently added several books to my EMS library that I believe the thinking medic should own.
The first is called Avoiding Common Prehospital Errors. It’s a collection of short (2-4 pages) articles about various aspects of EMS care as written by various physicians, nurses, and EMS providers. For the average EMS provider, especially those in the average EMS system, it’s a game changing book. The book contains most of the recent science (published in 2013) out there and more importantly, each article is thoroughly cited with even more references. If you’re looking to institute evidence-based medicine in your EMS practice, the book, with a few exceptions, does an excellent job of advancing science as opposed to dogma. As such, when the contributors share bad medicine in a few instances (naloxone for altered mental status and a slight dose of “backboard everyone” paranoia), these instances stick out like a sore thumb. I still highly recommend it.
Virtually everyone in EMS has, at one point or another, had a field guide or pocket guide. With the rise of smart phones, these are going the way of the dodo bird. However, one field guide still stands out. I cannot help but recommend Medic’s Little Helper. While the book is Canadian, and as such, contains some metric measurements that US EMS providers don’t use, especially for blood glucose levels, it’s a thorough reference that covers a variety of topics in EMS from the most basic reminders all the way to the critical care arena. It barely fits in the pocket of cargo pants, but it’s a useful companion to have. Also, highly recommended.
I am so elated to read your posts. I want to start a grassroots intiative to bring about awareness in my community about what a Paramedic is and the job they provide. I own a training Academy and feel like I don’t enough to support these guys once in the field. Any ideas on a starting point or models that have worked in the past? I want to do this right and I want my field to be proud of the work we are doing for the field. Just looking for any ideas or suggestions that I’m sure are swirling around in your head. Thank you in advance!!