A paramedic student wrote in this question to the EMSEduCast podcast hosts:

“I am looking for a patient assessment generator to practice patient assessment. During clinical some of the most helpful time is when my preceptor gives me a situation and I verbally walk through it. What other ways can I practice patient assessment?”

Here are five Everyday EMS Tips to practice patient assessment, without actually having real patients.

1. Purchase a patient case study book. These books typically present a series of patient cases. Each case includes a scenario, thought provoking questions, and recommended assessments and treatments.

2. Read all of the EMS Magazine columns by Dr. James Augustine. In each column Dr. Augustine presents a scenario encountered by the famous Attack 1 Crew. Before reading how the case resolved write down what you would do. Write your own PCR for the incident.

3. Read blogs by EMS professionals. A lot of us write about different cases we encounter. Search for these:

• thehappymedic.com
• theEMTSpot.com
• 999Medic
• Prehospital 12 lead ECG Blog

4. Ask your fellow students about patients they are encountering during clinical and ride along experiences. Talk through what was done: good, bad, different, etc. share and discuss. Turn the whiteboard into a big PCR and chalk talk the entire encounter.

5. Enroll in upcoming sessions of EMSBootCamp.com. Most live sessions are offered at no cost and present different patient scenarios with ample time for questions and answers. There is also a library of excellent archived sessions.

How else can you practice patient assessment?

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Here’s How:

1) Read the March Continuing Education article from EMS Magazine – Abdominal Trauma.

2) Browse RapidCE, create an account, and answer a set of multiple choice questions about assessment and treatment of abdominal emergencies. (If it is your first time to RapidCE.com click on the “Start Here” button to create an account.)

The CE article was written by EverydayEMSTips contributor Kevin Collopy. He is a flight paramedic in central Wisconsin, regular EMS magazine contributor, and an EMS educator. I co-authored the article with Kevin. He and I will be writing the monthly CE articles for EMS magazine for the rest of 2010. The April article is about facial trauma.

Also check out the Virtual Training Director column to add a hands-on training component to the Abdominal Trauma article.

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Check out this list of Patient Assessment Tips from some top EMS educators and authors like Carl Post, Mike Smith, Katherine West, Jim Augustine, Dan Limmer, and Ray Barishansky  at EMSResponder.com.

What patient assessment tips are missing from this list?

For more great tips, resources, and study aids become a premium member of the MedicCast extra from my friend, Jamie Davis, the Podmedic. The Mediccast extra is the largest collection of tips, resources, audio files, and more for EMTs, Paramedics, and EMS students. Get the MedicCast Extra Advantage!

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Check out this list of personal health tips for EMS professionals at EMSResponder.com.

What safety tips are missing from this list?

For more great tips, resources, and study aids become a premium member of the MedicCast extra from my friend Jamie Davis the Podmedic. The Mediccast extra is the largest collection of tips, resources, audio files, and more for EMTs, Paramedics, and EMS students. Get the MedicCast Extra Advantage!

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EMSResponder.com, CentreLearn and Emergency Preparedness Systems Announce Launch of RapidCE.com Helping Heroes Program

EMSResponder.com, CentreLearn Solutions and Emergency Preparedness Systems jointly announced the launch of the RapidCE.com Helping Heroes program, which offers certified first responders, EMTs and paramedics affected by the recession free continuing education to maintain their professional license or certification during their layoff or furlough.

“Across the nation, many EMS personnel are feeling the effects of the recession firsthand, in some cases even losing their jobs,” said James Eastham, Sc.D., chief executive officer of CentreLearn Solutions.

“It’s very important that everyone in the EMS industry find ways to help those who give so much to our communities,” added Scott Cravens, publisher of EMS Magazine and EMSResponder.com.

Greg Friese president of Emergency Preparedness Systems and a paramedic stated: “Maintaining EMS certification has real costs – I am honored to have this opportunity to help lighten the financial burden of EMS professionals who are out of work.”

Enrollment into the Helping Heroes program is available at www.rapidce.com/helpingheroes. Documentation of circumstances and EMS certification or licensure is required. Certified first responders, EMTs or paramedics who qualify will receive a free subscription to RapidCE.com, which offers unlimited access to more than 200 CECBEMS accredited continuing education lessons. CE certificates will be awarded after viewing a lesson and successfully completing a post-test.

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Check out this great list of safety tips for EMS professionals at EMSResponder.com.

What safety tips are missing from this list?

For more great tips, resources, and study aids become a premium member of the MedicCast extra. The largest collection of tips, resources, audio files, and more for EMTs, Paramedics, and EMS students. Get the MedicCast Extra Advantage!

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Check out this great list of leadership and management tips for leaders at EMSResponder.com.

Leaders read about leading, talk about leading, and listen to other leaders. Make sure you listen to the EMS Leadership podcast.

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During October EMSResponder.com ran a series of EMS management tips.

My favorite tip is from Skip Kirkwood, Chief of Wake County EMS

“Don’t buy in to a “second-class citizen” state of mind. Believe, act like, and expect your personnel and organization will be treated with the same respect as their law enforcement, fire suppression and health services counterparts.”

These are tips I contributed to the list.



1. Close the loop on quality assurance processes by sharing collected data with field personnel. Regular (quarterly or monthly) data sharing about driving safety, procedural competence and customer service benchmarks will reinforce the underlying reasons for data collection and keep the organization and its members moving toward achievable goals.

2. Instead of management by “no news is good news,” share good news with field personnel about what is being done well in your organization. Be specific and personal.

See the complete list at EMSResponder.com EMS Education Tips.

I am compiling tip for a ebook. What are your top EMS Management tips?

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During September EMSResponder.com ran a series of EMS education tips. These are tips I contributed to the list.

1. Facilitate learning activities for students to use social media tools (e.g., producing videos and podcasts) that demonstrate patient assessment and treatment skills. Post student videos to YouTube as an ongoing learning and teaching resource.

2. Help students prepare for class by helping them learn about their learning styles, time management and study skills. Direct students to the free EMS Boot Camp session on preparing for EMT school. See http://emsbootcamp.com.

3. Seek out resources from and for EMS educators. EMSEdUCast, for instance, is an ongoing podcast series in which education issues, resources and solutions are discussed with guest experts. Listen live or subscribe at www.emseducast.com.

4. Join the National Association of EMS Educators (www.naemse.org) to network with other EMS educators. The annual symposium is a great place to learn and socialize.

See the complete list at EMSResponder.com EMS Education Tips.

I would like to begin compiling an ebook of EMS education tips. What are your top EMS Education tips?

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I recently received a press release from Cygnus Business Media, parent company of EMS Magazine, EMSResponder.com, and EMS Expo. Next month I am presenting at the EMS Expo and I thought you might be interested in these facts and figures about the three media properties.

“Founded in 1972, EMSMagazine (see my screencast on how to read the digital version) was the first publication to serve the EMS profession and continues as the most authoritative voice in the world for clinical and educational material for the prehospital sector. The publication is the No. 1 magazine in the field for editorial quality, reader interest and advertising pages, reaching more EMS decision-makers than any other publication. In addition, the magazine’s pass-along factor, plus bonus show distribution, puts every issue in the hands of hundreds of thousands of EMS professionals. An independent Editorial Advisory Board guarantees peer review of all clinical material.

Since 1989, EMS EXPO has provided emergency medical service professionals with ground breaking educational content, expert speakers, exciting and dynamic special events, and the largest exhibit hall of EMS products and services anywhere. EMS EXPO brings all elements of the emergency medical services community together at one time and place. It’s the perfect opportunity to update skills, learn about new developments and techniques, and network with thousands of fellow EMS providers from across the United States and around the world.

EMSResponder.com provides mission-critical news, information, training and resources for emergency medical services professionals, and serves as a platform for online discussion and interaction. The site also delivers access to EMSmagazine’s archives and to exclusive online content from leading EMS educators and writers.

EMS Magazine, EMS EXPO and EMSResponder.com are properties of Cygnus Business Media, an internationally-recognized business-to-business media company. Its diverse portfolio serves 13 market categories with print and interactive products and live events. Through its media, the company reaches more than 1.5 million print subscribers, nearly 1 million industry professionals via its Custom Marketing services group and expositions, and attracts 2 million unique visitors to its websites monthly. Cygnus Business Media provides comprehensive, integrated advertising and marketing programs for some of the world’s strongest business-to-business brands. For more information, visit www.cygnusb2b.com“

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