Paramedic, EMS educator, graphic designer, photographer, and my good friend Kyle Bates shares some tips for new EMS instructors about making presentations and keeping PowerPoint slides simple and useful to the audience.

In a much older video I share 5 essential PowerPoint skills for EMS educators

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I am a Craigs List junkie. I am always scouring for my next used bike or some other item of interest. Here are three EMS Education uses for Craigs List.

1. Buy/Sell training manikins.

2. Find free or buy gently used furniture for your simulation lab.

3. Find models with specific medical conditions for photo and video shoots or simulation labs.

Scott Snyder shared on EMSEduCast episode 119 how he uses Craigs List to find models with very specific medical conditions for his case based learning program. Brilliant!

How have you used Craigs List as an EMS Educator or EMS Professional? 

This is how I use an RSS Feed to find items on Craigs List.

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Great Stuff Cooking in EMS

In the last two years the attention to safety from field providers to policy makers has increased exponentially. The Podmedic, Jamie Davis, and Carissa O’brien provided excellent video blogging coverage of the EMS Culture of Safety Conference.

The Unwired Medic explains why ePocrates is the best app he has ever owned.

How do you protect your phone from exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material when you are using an app like ePocrates? The Droid Medic, Sean Eddy, offers up his simple solution.

Grant LifeLink posted a set of photos to Flickr from a paramedic refresher class. I have long advocated for EMS education programs to use photo sharing sites for education and program promotion so I was glad to see this effort.

Wilderness Medical Associates summarizes the key points about the utility and efficacy of traction splints in the wilderness context.

FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com both ran stories on Autism awareness tips for Firefighters and EMS professionals this month. This is a topic that has also been covered at EverydayEMSTips.com and this post of 10 tips is one of the most viewed posts month in and month out.

Finally, thanks to Steve Whitehead for featuring EverydayEMSTips.com on theEMTSpot.com. He sums up my efforts well when he describes this blog as a “potpourri bowl of EMS information.”

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The Center for PARAMEDICS education program is impressively using social media tools to distribute education.

Center for MEDICS YouTube Channel

Center for MEDICS Flikr Stream

EMS education programs can use social media tools like YouTube and Flickr to:

1. Post and share videos of proper assessment and treatment procedures for study and review

2. Promote the quality of the program’s students and instructors

3. Recruit students to the program

How else can EMS Education programs use Social Media sharing tools like YouTube and Flickr?

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The EMSEduCast – the podcast by and for EMS educators – is recorded using Skype’s group calling features. Here are some tips to get high quality sound and minimize delays, echos, background noise, and other sound imperfections:

• Free up as much computer resources as possible by shutting down any other applications running on your computer. Especially apps running in the background like downloads of Windows updates or virus scans.
• Do the same on other computers connected to the same home or small business network. For example, no one should be streaming a movie from Netflix on another computer connected to same network during the recording.
• Close browser windows and tabs not needed for the conversation.
• Connect to your router with a hard-line instead of a wireless connection.
• Mute phone ringers, pagers, and applications like Outlook and Tweetdeck when new messages arrive.
• Use built-in microphone features to mute your audio pick-up when you are not speaking to avoid broadcasting your sighs and coughs.
• Skype also has a mute button you can use. Just remember to unmute when you want to talk.
• Turn-off phones, radios, TVs, and other background noisemakers. I am always surprised about the things that get picked up.
• Use a headset with a microphone and not the microphone built into your lap top. I use Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 Headset
  (Amazon Link)

Finally, if you have a paid Skype account you have the ability to simply call people. Call a landline and apply the same rules to minimize distractions and remember to mute when not speaking.

What are your tips for using Skype to create podcast content?

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In February of 2009 I suggested to Chris Montera that the EMS Garage podcast do a show about education topics. He suggested back that I start an EMS education podcast.

Fast forward … the EMSEduCast – the podcast by and for EMS educators – just posted our 100th episode. Thanks to my wonderful co-hosts Chris Montera, Buck Feris, Rob Theriault, and Bill Toon. And even greater thanks to all of our guests and listeners.

Find the 100th episode and the previous 99 episodes at www.emseducast.com, iTunes, or on the ProMedNetwork.

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I leverage PowerPoint with Articulate Presenter to make elearning courses for EMTs, Paramedics, and Firefighters. This screencast demonstrates how I use PowerPoint and Articulate Presenter to Create Flash Animations.

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I detest the use of these three EMS phrases:

1) Stay and play

2) Load and go

3) Scoop and run

Usage is 10x worse if said with air quotes.

Instead I prefer terms like primary survey, secondary survey, focused history and physical exam, rapid transport, high priority transport, low priority transport, and interventions.

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This is guest post from Rebecca Broyce. If you want to guest post or review on this blog check out the guidelines here.

It is simply amazing all that can be done with you personal computer connected to the internet. Many people are working from home, researching new places to live, and even continuing their education. No matter what profession someone is looking into, there are online schooling options available. Whether seeking your masters in business, a degree in computer science, or looking to become a certified at some of the best online EMT schools; there are online schooling options to suit. With more and more accredited schools available, online schooling is quickly supplanting traditional attendance based programs. There are even many online schooling scholarships, grants, and financial aids available.

When it comes to looking into an online program, start first by seeking out these funding programs. Here is a list of some of the most popular ways to obtain funding to go back to school online.

1. Start your online funding search by looking for scholarships. An online scholarship is exactly like a traditional scholarship. It is money given out to pay for school and it does not have to be repaid. A great source to find these scholarships is through an organization called “College Scholarships.” They exclusively help students find scholarships for continued education programs.

2. Expand your college scholarship search. There are many websites that work to match you with an appropriate scholarship. These sites will have you fill out basic information and from there they create a unique profile for you. This profile is then matched up with the best potential scholarships for you to apply for. They will require information about your intended studies, your age, and your current employment status.

3. Fill out your FAFSA. The FAFSA is the form that must be completed in order to receive financial aid from the government. When looking to register with an online accredited program, the need to complete a FAFSA is no different from that of a more traditional school. This is a great resource to apply for federally funded financial aid programs.

4. Inquire with your school of choice about their own scholarship funding programs. Just like that of a traditional college, an online school often times offer their own scholarship programs as well. This type of funding is limited to the availability that the school provides. For each specific program that your school of choice offers, there will certainly be scholarships available.

5. When it comes to obtaining funding for online college programs, there is no better way to secure success than to plan ahead. Every scholarship, grant, and student loan program has its limitations on how much money it can dole out. That being the case, the best way to secure these funds is to apply as early as possible and to apply for as many programs as possible. Worst case, you are awarded more funding than you need.

With so many wonderful funding programs out there it is no wonder that so many people are going back to school. Online schools are growing in popularity due the flexibility that they offer. It can be very difficult to attend traditional classes while managing our already hectic lives. Attending night classes even is nearly impossible while working a full-time job and juggling a family. Online schooling offers the flexibility to attend class from your living room sofa. This allows you to complete your continued education on your own terms. Whether your ambition is to apply to the best online MBA program or the best online EMT schools; there are certainly financial aid programs available. With so many great options no further than a mouse click away, why not start down the road to a better career with online schooling today.

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A week ago Friday was the premiere of the Chronicles of EMS – episode 1 season 1. (view episode 1 in this EverydayEMSTips.com post). As I watched the episode for the premiere I had several ideas of how educators could use the episode in the classroom. Here are my Everyday EMS ideas. Please share your ideas in the comments area:

1. Student recruitment. Play the episode during a career day visit for potential visit. The Chronicles gives a real and balanced view of what EMS is really like most of the time.

2. Safety discussion. Regular readers know I strongly advocate the use of seatbelts at all times and the importance of securing equipment. As students watch the video, ask them to make a list of safety concerns. After watching, discuss those concerns and how to make changes to mitigate those risks. This would also be a good prelude to student’s beginning their ambulance ride time and things they should be doing to be safe and minimize risk during calls.

3. Patient care reports. Assign students to write a detailed patient care report using the episode information and their own imagination for one of the patients. They have these choices – cardiac chest pain complaint, extremity laceration, alcohol intoxication, congestive heart failure, pedestrian vs. car. EMT students, especially, need more patient contacts. The episode featured real patients with real problems.

4. EMS blog discovery. Screenshots of many of the top EMS blogs are shown in episode 1. Assign students a blog (or 5!) to visit and ask them to read and comment on at least three (or 5!) posts at that blog. Encourage them visit all of the blogs and add those blogs to their own RSS feed reader.

5. Film your own episode of the Chronicles. The “back of the rig” chat sequences between Mark and Justin could easily be replicated. Ask students to interview a preceptor.

6. Virtually visit another EMS system. Start with a simple internet search to visit another EMS system in your state, country, and outside of your country. Learn about that system through its website. Look for EMS professionals from that system on social networks. Invite a provider from that system to “visit” your classroom using Skype, GoToWebinar, or other virtual meeting technology.

How else can we use the Chronicles of EMS Episode 1 for EMS Education? I look forward to reading and sharing your ideas.

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