Essentials of Paramedic Care

Congratulations on your decision to further your EMS career by undertaking the course of education required for certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic! The world of paramedic emergency care is one that you will find both challenging and rewarding. Whether you will be working as a volunteer or paid paramedic, you will find the field of advanced prehospital care very interesting. This textbook program is derived from Brady's best-sellingParamedic Care: Principles & Practice(Volumes 1-5). Ideal for paramedic refresher arid abbreviated paramedic programs, this book is based upon the 1998 United States Department of TransportationEMT-Paramedic: National Standard Curriculumand is organized into five divisions. The first division, entitledIntroduction to Advanced Prehospital Care,addresses the fundamentals of paramedic practice, including pathophysiology, pharmacology, medication administration and advanced airway management. The second division,Patient Assessment,builds on the assessment skills of the basic EMT with special emphasis on advanced patient assessment at the scene.Trauma Emergencies,the third division of the text, discusses advanced prehospital care from the mechanism of injury analysis to shock/trauma resuscitation. The fourth division of the series,Medical Emergencies,is the most extensive and addresses paramedic-level care of medical emergencies. Particular emphasis is placed upon the most common medical problems as well as serious emergencies, such as respiratory and cardiovascular emergencies. The last division addressesSpecial Considerations/Operationsincluding neonatal, pediatric, geriatric, home health care, and specially challenged patients, and incident command, ambulance service, rescue, hazardous material; and crime scene operations. SKILLS The psychomotor skills of fluid and medication administration, advanced airway care, ECG monitoring and defibrillation, and advanced medical and trauma patient care are best learned in the classroom, skills laboratory, and then the clinical and field setting. Common advanced prehospital skills are discussed in the text as well as outlined in the accompanying procedure sheets. Review these before and while practicing the skill. It is important to point out that this or any other text cannot teach skills. Care skills are only learned under the watchful eye of a paramedic instructor and perfected during your clinical and field internship. HOW TO USE THIS TEXTBOOK Essentials of Paramedic Careis designed to accompany a paramedic education program that includes ample classroom, practical laboratory, in-hospital clinical, and prehospital field experience. These educational experiences must be guided by instructors and preceptors with special training and experience in their areas of participation in your program. It is intended that your program coordinator will assign reading from the text in preparation for each classroom lecture and discussion section. The knowledge gained from reading this text will form the foundation of the information you will need in order to function effectively as a paramedic in your EMS system. Your instructors will build upon this information to strengthen your knowledge and understanding of advanced prehospital care so that you may apply it in your practice. The in-hospital clinical and prehospital field experiences will further refine your knowledge and skills under the watchful eyes of your preceptors. The workbook that accompanies this text can also assist in improving classroom performance. It contains information, sample test questions, and exercises designed to assist learning. Its use can be very helpful in identifying the important elements of paramedic education, in exercising the knowledge of prehospital care, and in helping you self-test your knowledge. Essentials of Paramedic CarepreseBledsoe, Bryan is the author of 'Essentials of Paramedic Care', published 2002 under ISBN 9780130987921 and ISBN 0130987921.