| Question | Answer |
| Description of Profession | * Highest level of pre-hospital care
* Provide emergency medical care in out-of-hospital setting
* Appropriate licensing required
* Can only practice under an EMS director
* Quality healthcare at a reasonable cost
* ALWAYS advocate for the patient |
| Paramedic additional responsibilities | * Public education
* Health promotion
* Injury/Illness prevention programs |
| A True Professional | * Always trying to earn acceptance as a healthcare professional
* Committed to growing after the program is finished
* Actively participate in design, development, evaluation and publication of research |
| Cross-training: Paramedic/Police Officer | * Patient is 1st priority. Another officer must handle legal side.
* PATIENT CARE IS NUMBER ONE!!! |
| Paramedic Curriculum that brought EMS to a higher level | 1998 EMT-Paramedic: National Standard Curriculum. (framework for this textbook) |
| Essential aspect of the health profession | Professional ethics (standards of honorable behavior) and etiquette (good manners) |
| Paramedic Non-traditional roles | * Critical Care Transport
* Primary Care
* Industrial Medicine
* Sports Medicine |
| Critical Care Transport | * Critically ill patients being relocated
* Special "critical care" vehicle with more sophisticated tools
* Virtually ALL capabilities of the hospital ICU |
| "Critical Care" Responsibilities | * Advanced airway management
* Ventilator management
* Fluid & electrolyte therapy
* Advanced pharmacology
* Specialized monitoring
* Inaaortic balloon pumps
* etc... |
| Industrial Medicine | * Primary providers on oil rigs & movie sets & other industries
* Paramedics in these roles are trained specifically for the industry
* + employee safety, - time lost at work |
| Sports Medicine | * Paramedics work well with Athletic trainers
* Paramedics in this role are trained for the specific sport
* Focus on injury prevention |
| Core Elements of Physical Fitness | * Muscular strength
* Cardiovascular endurance (aerobic capacity)
* Flexibility |
| Isometric Exercise | Performed against stable resistance. Muscles are exercised in motionless manner. |
| Isotonic Exercise | Muscles worked through the full range of motion |
| Muscular Strength | * Isometric Exercise: against stable resistance. Motionless manner.
* Isotonic Exercise: muscles worked through full range of motion.
* Weight lifting: Rotate upper body, chest & back, lower body.
* Ab exercises DAILY. |
| Cardio Endurance | * At LEAST 3 days per week
* Vigorous: meet target heart rate.
* DAILY habit |
| Flexibility | * You NEED adequate range of motion for muscles and joints to be safe
* Stretch DAILY, 60 seconds each.
* NEVER bounce when stretching (micro-tears in muscles)
* Stretching prevents/reduces back pain |
