March 7 to 13 is National Sleep Awareness Week.

Are you getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night? Most nights I am able to get almost 8 hours of sleep. I have recently ratcheted up my weekly running miles so getting enough sleep is more important than ever. Some of my recent efforts to increase both my hours of sleep and restfulness include.

1. Unplugging the TV in the bedroom. I am falling asleep sooner and faster without the TV.

2. Setting a consistent wake-up time. At least 4 days a week I set an alarm for 5:45 a.m.

3. No caffeine after 4 pm.

4. Light snacks or no snacks in the hours just before bed.

What helps you get enough sleep?

Learn more  about National Sleep Awareness Week, but not at the expense of getting a good nights sleep.

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The second episode of “Trauma” – the new prehospital drama – from NBC was on last night. I missed it. I was watching the Packers-Viking game (a much greater disappointment for this Packers fan). I had low expectations for “Trauma,” as I do for most television shows. I don’t think I ever expected fictional dramatic shows to accurately portray any profession. Reality shows can hardly be counted on for reality. I don’t think “Top Chef” is giving me any better idea of what is like to be a real chef than Mel did cooking for Alice and Flo.

What has been most perplexing to me about “Trauma” is the swift and sudden outrage about the show from the field personnel all the way up to highest-ranking leaders in our industry. While I appreciate NAEMT President Patrick Moore and IAFC EMS Section Chair Gary Ludwig writing to NBC, I am confident that NBC is not the cause of professionalism problems in our industry and I am even more confident that NBC will not fix those problems.

As of mid-afternoon on Friday, October 2, 2009, EMS1.com had generated more than 30 comments regarding “Trauma.” More than 50 members commented about the show on the EMS1.com Facebook group. A Facebook group called “EMS Professionals Against the Show ‘Trauma’” has been created, and already has more than 1500 members. As a contributor to EMS1.com, I wish my articles could draw this kind of reaction. Maybe I should aim for something more sensational when I write about pathophysiology, a clinical condition, wellness, or communication skills.

I call on all EMS professionals, of every rank and status, to focus their energy on fixing the real professionalism lapses that exist. Just last week, these headlines appeared at EMS1.com:
• Former EMT charged in wife’s death
• 16 firefighters lack proof of EMT training
• Dispatcher claims harassment by fire chief
• North Carolina paramedic charged with embezzlement
• Colorado EMT instructor accused of molesting children
• Woman dies in ambulance crash

These were not incidents conjured up by Hollywood writers. Let’s be outraged about these real incidents. Let’s have a conversation about how it becomes logistically impossible for an EMS professional to ever be accused of molesting a patient. Let’s discuss and form a consensus on a set of safety practices to make sure no more professionals or patients die in an ambulance collision.

Please join me and other EMS professionals in having conversations about real incidents, real patient assessment and treatment techniques, real safety practices, and real methods to improve our profession.

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I admit it. I watched Trauma last night, but I mostly tweeted, chatted, and commented with Chris Montera and Jamie Davis on a special episode of the MedicCast Live. I was so busy keeping up with the chat room traffic that I need to watch the episode again so I am prepared for next week. Yes, I am going to watch another episode of Trauma. I am going to give it a chance because I like the concept of a paramedic based drama and San Francisco is an amazing location for a TV show.

A significant contributor to my optimism for the show’s potential was that cast member Aimee Garcia participated in the chat room during the show – reading messages from EMS professionals around the world – and listening to our commentary. While I had made several invitations to the show for a cast member interview we did not know Aimee was going to participate. After the show Aimee took questions from us about her preparation for the show, interest in getting the portrayal of paramedics correct, and the difficulty of balancing competing needs to produce a television show that will sell.

You can listen to complete post-show special episode of the MedicCast and EMS Garage at EMSGarage.com. Aimee’s participates in the show from 10:30 to 22:30 in the audio feed time line.

Just as interesting was the contributions of San Francisco Fire Department EMS Operations Chief Sebastion Wong. He discussed his early involvement with the show, film locations in San Francisco for the show, and intentional EMS product placements in the premiere episode. I appreciated his insights and enthusiasm for the potential of the show. I just might take him up on his invitation for a visit.

Finally, I want to thank our three sponsors from the live show. We really appreciated the support of SMART-ICE, X-Collar, and High Plains Information Systems. This event was an interesting opportunity to bring together EMS professionals with social media to participate in a live event.

Watch Trauma episode 1 and use the comments area to share what you thought of the premiere. If you participated online with us what did you think of that experience?

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The new NBC drama Trauma premieres tonight on NBC. I am planning to watch. Are you? You can discuss the show live with Jamie Davis, Chris Montera, and me. Visit MedicCastLive to join the fun.

Like many EMS professionals I watched the TV show Emergency (Amazon link) as a child. I am not sure it influenced my decision to become a paramedic, but I have some specific memories of several episodes and character interactions. What are your Emergency memories?

As I watch Trauma I will be looking for these things:

1. Accuracy of procedures and terminology.

2. Interactions between characters and their patients.

3. Ideas for how I can make delivery of EMS education more engaging and entertaining.

What will you be watching for during the premiere?

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