The Old News Page
(Newest "old"
items appear at the top. No guarantee that links listed here are
still current!)
April,
2009
Study Finds MRSA on Stethoscopes
Tip from Kelly
Roderick
Posted 4/17/09
This article ran in many news sources. Here is one link.
MEMS Welcomes New EMS Data and
Preparedness Coordinator
Posted 4/17/09
Jay Bradshaw wrote the following in an e-mail
dated 3/17/09:
Please join us in welcoming Jon Powers, EMT-P, to
Maine EMS as the Data & Preparedness Coordinator.
Jon's first day was today, filling the position
previously held by Ben Woodard.
Most recently Jon has been working full time as a
dispatcher for Knox RCC and a per diem paramedic in the
Mid Coast region. He is an experienced Field Bridge
and State Bridge user, and is learning the administrative
side of MEMSRR.
Jon's e-mail address is: jon.n.powers@maine.gov
and his direct phone number is 207-626-3861.
Exam Sheet Changes
Posted 4/17/09
Because of some changes made to the
bleeding/shock management exam sheets for basic and first
responder levels, there have also been changes made to the
IPE rosters. For the most up-to-date exam sheets and rosters,
always get your documents from the Resources page of the MEMS web site rather than relying on sheets
that you've downloaded in the past.
TOO FUNNY!
From Chris Vaniotis
Posted 4/17/09
FDA approves depressant drug for the annoyingly
cheerful.
February,
2009
National EMS Education
Standards
Posted 2/3/09
The final draft, dated August 2008, of the National EMS Education Standards
is available on the National EMS Education Standards web page.
This is, as noted, a draft, and not the final document.
NHTSA's EMS page
Posted 2/3/09
If you haven't been to the NHTSA EMS site in a long time, it's worth going
again just to see what's new. It's chock full of useful
information and important links.
January,
2009
Busko's Blog
Posted 1/20/09
Dr. Jonnathan Busko, NEEMS's medical
director, has started a blog,
the purpose of which is to keep in touch with Region 4's
providers. I can't imagine he would object to any of us from
other regions peaking in now and then.
Item Response Theory Tutorial
Posted 1/20/09
Published in the January I/C News
In a May 2008 e-mail communiqué, the
National Registry suggests readers go to an online tutorial about Item Response Theory.
Maine’s instructors might find this information helpful
in understanding computer-based testing.
Proper Processing of CE Paperwork
Posted 1/20/09
Published in the January I/C News, taken from
the KVEMS Pulse
We have noticed an increase in
problems surrounding continuing education programs around the
state so I wanted to take this opportunity to review the
process for applying for CEU’s as well as turning in the
roster after the program.
1. Applying for CEU’s –
According to Maine EMS Rules, a request form must be received
in the regional office prior to the start of the program.
Technically, under the rules, requests that are received
after the start of the program should go to the MEMS Board
for a waiver. We are willing to work with individuals to make
sure that attendees received appropriate credit, but if we
routinely receive late requests from the same person, we may
refer that individual to Maine EMS for consideration of loss
of CEU request privileges.
The request must submitted on the
approved request form and be accompanied by an outline of the
program. Make sure your outline has sufficient detail to
support your hours request, both the total and category
breakdown.
2. Attendance Roster – The roster
must be returned to the regional office that approved the
program within seven days of the completion of the program.
This is one of the areas that we are experiencing the biggest
problems. Students who attend the program have a right to
expect that the roster will be returned and forwarded to
Maine EMS in a timely fashion. The instructor should review
the roster prior to sending it to the Regional Office to make
sure it is complete and legible. Maine EMS has requested that
we send them the original roster, so please make sure you
send the original to the Regional Office.
3. Evaluations/Certificates –
Evaluations should be completed by the student and sent in to
the Regional Office with the roster. Course sponsors/instructors
are responsible for providing a certificate for each attendee.
Certificate templates are available from the Regional Office.
[Ed. note: The above reflects the
preferences of KVEMS. Other regions may have slightly
different requirements, and if you have any questions, you
should contact your regional office directly.]
Miscellaneous
Statue of Liberty
Posted 1/20/09
Human Statue of Liberty: Because whenever I receive a forwarded message
I double check it in Snopes.com to make sure it's not a
hoax, rather than posting the original message, I'm
saving you the trouble of having to go to Snopes yourself
to check the veracity of this one.
Cholesterol
Posted 1/20/09
As part of my job at Health Dialog, I
am always teaching my patients about cholesterol. I found
this great web site from the Harvard School of Public Health that
explains the good, the bad, and the ugly about
cholesterol in straightforward and easily understandable
terms.
Ice storm of 2009
Posted 1/20/09
Here are some great photos of the ice storm last month.
Banning Fire Extinguishers?
Posted 1/20/09
There's a move afoot to ban fire extinguishers from communal areas in apartment buildings in
the UK. Why? Because people use them to put out fires
instead of leaving a burning building.
Amazing!
Posted 1/20/09
The American toddler who got a set of car keys lodged in his brain
... and recovered unscathed
CPR thought
Posted 1/20/09
Medline Plus reports that gasping is a good sign when it
comes to a patient in cardiac arrest.
Test Taking Strategies
Posted 1/20/09
You might like to share this article with your
students. It's a column by Kim McKenna on helping your
students prepare for taking tests. And this one, also by Kim,
on general study tips. And here are the search results
for all JEMS columns by Kim McKenna.
November,
2008
EMSer Needs Your Help
From Dora McCarthy, NEEMS
Posted 11/3/08
As many of you may have heard, Don Wade
has been diagnosed with cancer and is actively being treated
at this time. Don has been a major contributor to the EMS
system in Region 4. There have been several fundraising
activities to help him defray his costs, and the Northeastern
Maine EMS Executive Council has voted to participate as well.
We have decided to match all donations received for Don in
our office to a maximum of $2500.
If you are interested in participating,
please mail your donations to Don Wade Fund, C/O NEEMS, 354
Hogan Rd, Bangor Maine, 04401. Please make checks out to Don
Wade. All contributions will receive a confirmation, and Don
will receive a listing of contributors unless specified
otherwise.
If there are any questions, please feel
free to contact Rick Petrie through this office.
MEMS Roster Change
Posted 11/3/08
The Maine EMS CEH roster has been changed. The new (September
10, 2008) form can be accessed on the MEMS web site's training materials page.
it's available as a PDF file that can be printed as is, or as
a Word file which allows you to fill in some parts of the
roster before printing it.
Remember that you must submit a MEMS Continuing Education
Hours Approval Request Form (along with instructor
qualifications and an outline of the program) to your
regional EMS office seven days prior to date of your program.
Within three days of completion of the program, you have to
return the original roster (you should keep a copy) to the
regional office which approved the program.
KVEMSC Works with Brady Publishing
From the KVEMS web site
Posted 11/3/08
Kennebec Valley EMS recently worked for 2.5 weeks with
Brady Publishing and author Dan Limmer on his newest textbook.
The project asked for local public safety providers to pose
as Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) for the textbook. EMS
models were asked to demonstrate various skills (over and
over and over again) as the Michal Heron the photographer
from New York captured thier movements on film. Those helping
with the project found it very interesting and a great way to
review thier skills in a unique setting. A medical expert was
on hand each day to review the skills being demonstated to be
sure they met national standards. We were able to secure
assistance from public safety provider from Carrabassett
Valley to Newport to Monmouth. We had some 30+ providers and
patients ages 6 weeks to 82 years take part in the project
all of whom donated thier times and talents.
Most days they found themselves working with other
providers they might never had ment and were asked to work as
a team. Thanks to NorthStar Ambulance and Delta Ambulance for
allowing us to use equipment and vehiles for the shots.
Special thanks to the members of NorthStar, Monmouth Rescue,
Winthrop Ambulance, Kennebec Sheriff, Jay Police, Fairfield
Police, Newport Fire/Rescue, Oakland Rescue, Belgrade Rescue,
Waterville Fire, Winslow Fire/Rescue, Augusta Fire, Fairfield
Fire/Rescue, Wilton Fire, Litchfield Rescue, Delta Ambulance,
and the many family and friends who offered to serve as
patients. Without your hard work and dedication to this
project we would not have been able to complete the project.
Please enjoy the "outtakes" now showing on [KVEMS's]
photo gallery. As a result of your work we have
recieved a donation to the Maine EMS Memorial from Brady
Publishing for $1500. OUTSTANDING WORK TO ALL! Each of us
will never look at a textbook again [I think they meant
to say that they would never look at a textbook "the
same way" again!/jbv] and we look forward to seeing
our hardwork in the new book expected out in the coming year.
Random things I've stumbled across
Posted 11/3/08
Here's an introduction to peripheral IV access.
I like the step-by-step description toward the end of the
article.
"Electrodes, leads & wires: A practical
guide to ecg monitoring and recording"
provides a great discussion about the placement of electrodes
during the obtaining of an EKG.
Who'd have thought that hearing music while performing CPR
might help you do it right? This report about a study from the
University of Illinois suggests that by using the same beat
as the Bee Gees "Staying Alive," a rescuer can
maintain an optimal rhythm for CPR.
August,
2008
Mapping America's Deadliest Roads
Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for
Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) have developed Safe
Road Maps, an interactive site that uses their
data and Google's maps to show all traffic fatalities in the
country.
July, 2008
The Choking Game
I asked Kelly Roderick and John
Leighton, as a couple of EMS-C people, if they were aware of
"the Choking Game," or "the Pass out Game,"
and they both said that it's been around for a long time. I
found this web site,
which says it is "committed to raise awareness, inform
communities, and advocate education and support victims of
the Choking Game."
New Contributor to I/C News
In July the I/C News welcomed someone whom we
hope will be a regular contributor. Mike Azevedo, Jr., from
Carmel Fire and Rescue, has volunteered to do a column
targeted at training officers and others who teach stand-alone
(as opposed to licensure) courses. You can go directly to Mike's
first article here or you can go to the Journal archives on the MEMS web site
and click on the July 2008 issue.
Oh, and just as an aside, here's an article from the Bangor Daily News about
a training burn in Carmel; the article quotes Mike.
MCEMS Opens Online Bookstore
From the I/C News, published in the
July, 2008 issue of the Journal of Maine EMS
MCEMS recently opened an online bookstore to sell their
left over EMS textbooks and other EMS books. Becky Flanders,
the creator of the bookstore, explains how the online store
came into being. She said that the region needs to purchase
books for courses before knowing exactly how many books they
will sell. As a result, they often end up with many left over
books, and very often before they are able to sell the
overage, the publishers have come out with a new edition of
the books. Because publishers have a time limit on returning
books and require a restocking fee, the region was ending up
with closets full of outdated materials. Flanders, who
herself used to run her own online bookstore, offered to set
up a storefront for the old EMS books. She says the store has
been quite successful thus far, and that she has sold books
to people all the way from Maine to California and most
states in between.
Flanders sees this as a great opportunity for all involved.
The region, while selling the books for less than original
price, is still able to recoup some of its costs. Students
anywhere in the country are able to purchase books at
“sale” prices. And new but unused books aren’t
ending up in the landfill.
Click here to go to the bookstore
yourself. And Becky says she would be happy to help
any other region to set up a bookstore through half.com.
Tell people about the Stroke
Collaborative
"The
Stroke Collaborative is a
joint campaign of the American Academy of Neurology, the
American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American
Heart Association/American Stroke Association to encourage
Americans to recognize stroke symptoms, call 9-1-1, and get
to the emergency department."
Firefighters May Face Higher Risk
of Bladder Cancer
From Medline plus
This article
suggests that firefighters might ask to be screened annually
for bladder cancer because, being regularly exposed to toxic
fumes, they appear to be at greater risk of developing this
cancer which isn't routinely screened for.
Resource about Sudden Cardiac
Arrest
The
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Foundation has been
established "to meet the need for an easily accessible,
objective, comprehensive information clearinghouse on the
prevention of death and disability due to SCA."
EMS Blog
I recently asked for your recommendations for EMS and/or
nursing blogs. If you're not easily offended by somebody with
a strong opinion, A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver
is a hoot. Send me any others you know about.
April,
2008
Reliable Health Information
Posted April 15, 2008
A reliable source compiling studies relating to health
care and all things medical is
Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of
Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. You can view
the studies by date or by topic. Here's one on uninterrupted chest compression. The Medline Plus site has information on general health topics including
diseases and conditions, drugs and supplements; it has a
medical dictionary, an encyclopedia, and plenty of other
resources.
National EMS Museum
Posted April 15, 2008
The stated mission of the National EMS
Museum is "...
memorializing and commemorating the history of EMS and the
individuals and organizations that provide emergency care to
the sick and injured." Begun with a thought in June of
2006, and with startup funding from the National Association
of EMTs, the museum is being developed in three phases, a
virtual museum, traveling presentations, and a building for
permanent display and storage. You can see the virtual museum online now.
Just for Fun
Posted April 15, 2008
No matter what your politics are, or what
your feelings are about George W. Bush, this is a great video
of President Bush and Steve Bridges impersonating President Bush. Pull up a chair; it's
about 11 minutes long.
March,
2008
Honoring Lives, Working Towards Change... Domestic
Violence Homicides in Maine
Posted March 19, 2008
The 2008 report of the Homicide Review Panel was recently
released by the Maine Attorney General. This year's report,
the panel's seventh, is called "Honoring Lives, Working Towards Change...
Domestic Violence Homicides in Maine."
The Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel, established in 1997 by the
Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, is chaired by
an Assistant Attorney General, who is also a homicide
prosecutor. Members of the Panel include the Chief Medical
Examiner, a physician, a nurse, a law enforcement officer,
the Commissioners of Corrections and Public Safety, a judge,
a prosecutor, an Assistant Attorney General who handles child
protection cases, a victim-witness advocate, a mental health
service provider, a facilitator of a batterers' intervention
program, and persons designated by the Maine Coalition to End
Domestic Violence.
Microsoft Offers Office Ultimate 2007 Programs at Low
Cost to Students
From Kelly Roderick
Posted March 19, 2008
Microsoft is offering college students the opportunity to
get Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for $59.95. You can direct
students to The Ultimate Steal to see if they
are eligible; you can read the Microsoft press release here.
Benefit for Lance Sanborn
From Dora McCarthy, NEEMS
Posted March 19, 2008
For those who do not know Lance, he is a FF/Paramedic with
Bucksport Fire and Capital Ambulance. He was hurt very badly
in a head-on collision on the new Narrows Bridge in Bucksport
in February. He had multiple breaks in both legs and will be
at least six months before he is able to put any weight on
them.
Lance and his wife are also expecting their first child in
May.
Most all news and photos will continue to be posted on Lance’s Caring Bridge website,
thanks to Lance’s cousin, Laurie.
The “Souper Supper for the Sanborns” will be on
April 5th, at the Miles Lane School, Bucksport (off Broadway,
parallel to & behind Bucksport High School). Seatings
will be at 430 PM and 6 PM. Several selections of soups,
chowder, stew, and chili will be prepared by world renowned
chef Tom Gutow (Tom is the owner of The Castine Inn , and is
a Castine FF/EMT). An advance head-count is needed, and
though walk-ins are welcome, they run the risk of not having
a seat or much selection to sample! Adults: $10, age 4 to 12:
$5, age 3 & under are free, and Families: $25 max.
Tickets may be ordered by sending a check payable to:
Bucksport FF Assoc.
c/o Marie Stubbs
45 Turkey Path Rd.
Bucksport, ME 04416
Tickets should also be available at BookStacks in downtown
Bucksport.
Terry Grindle
Capt./Safety Officer
Bucksport Fire Dept.
February,
2008
MEMS Memo Addressing Conversion to All-Electronic Run
Reporting Format
Posted February 2, 2008
January 31, 2008
To: Maine EMS Services
From: Ben Woodard, Data Coordinator
Subject: MEMSRR Start Date
At their meeting on January 2, 2008, the Board of EMS
established January 1, 2009, as the date for all EMS services
to convert to electronic run reporting using the Maine EMS
Run Reporting System (MEMSRR). This date was chosen after
taking in consideration many factors, including the time
needed to train providers and the budget impact of running
two parallel data systems (paper-based and electronic format).
To help make this transition as smooth as possible,
effective dates for electronic data entry have been
established on a regional basis as follows:
• July 1, 2008: for Aroostook EMS and Tri County EMS
Services
• October 1, 2008: for Kennebec Valley EMS and Mid Coast
EMS Services
• January 1, 2009: for Northeast EMS and Southern Maine
EMS Services
There are three methods to enter run reports into MEMSRR:
• Enter an electronic run report from a computer with
Internet access at the hospital, service base, or other
location. This method will utilize the free Internet
application at: www.memsrr.org .
• Enter an electronic run from the ImageTrend EMS Field
Bridge application. Run reports created using Field Bridge
are then uploaded to the State Bridge via the Internet. Field
Bridge is a Windows-based client application that requires
one licensed copy per tablet PC or laptop.
• Import an electronic run from a state certified
software vendor. Effective January 2, 2008, Maine EMS will
only test data imported from software that has been NEMSIS
certified at the Gold standard.
MEMSRR training for State Bridge and Field Bridge will be
conducted at the regional level by Maine EMS. In addition,
live Internet-based “webinar” training conducted by
ImageTrend will be available directly to services. There will
also be MEMSRR instructors to help services with training;
however, it is recommended that each service identify a
service administrator to attend the train-the-trainer
programs conduced by Maine EMS.
To help with the purchase of hardware and software, there
are limited grant funds available. These funds do require a
cash match provided by the service that ranges from 25% - 50%.
Services interested in applying for grant funds should do so
as soon as possible.
Please feel free to contact me at: 626-3860 or ben.woodard@maine.gov
for more information on training options, the availability of
grant funds, and general questions on how to start using the
MEMSRR system.
Thank you.
January,
2008
Free and Copyright-free
Image Database
Posted 1/29/08
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
of the National Institutes of Health has a searchable database of drawings that are free of copyright
restrictions. They have anatomy/physiology, lifestyle, and
instructional themes, and would enhance handouts and
PowerPoint presentations.
Posted 1/29/08
The Maine Center for Public Health,
established by the Maine State Legislature in 1996, is a non-governmental
organization whose focus is, according to their web site,
"to complement the work of committed but over-stretched
state and local public health agencies and partners."
The MCPH has a listing of upcoming conferences and trainings
from a variety of public health resources.
Free Online Books
Posted 1/29/08
I found two sources for free online books.
In no particular order, they are:
Wowio --
free e-books in PDF format, but the catch is that you have to
sign up, and the e-mail address you give them can't be an
anonymous one (like Hotmail or Gmail, where you can sign up
with a fake name). There is a way to get around it,
which involves giving them some form of identification. I can't
say one way or the other if that's a wise thing to do, but if
you try it and like it, let us know!
The Open Library -- this site is still in development, but it has
the coolest way of looking at books. It's like you're
actually looking at book pages, and you turn the pages by
just tapping on them. I don't know how long it will be free,
but for the time being, it's worth checking it out.
Just for Fun
Posted 1/29/08
I just thought this was a fun
catalog, in a silly kind of way. Give it a minute
until it starts to "do something." It doesn't
matter that you don't know how to read Swedish.
December,
2007
Maine EMS Takes a Stand on Central Line Access
Posted 12/29/07
The MDPB unanimously voted to discontinue
the MEMS Central Line Access Protocol. This will be
reflected in the protocol update due out in mid-2008, but
they strongly recommend ceasing this practice effective
immediately. View the
letter Dr. Diaz sent to EMS Service Chiefs, Regional EMS
Offices, and Hospital Emergency Department Directors earlier
this month.
Maine EMS has New Education and Training Coordinator
Posted 12/29/07
Jay Bradshaw writes:
I am very pleased to
share with you that Jan Brinkman, RN, EMT-P, has been hired
as the Maine EMS Training & Education Coordinator and
will begin in that position on January 22.
Jan has a B.A. in Health
& Recreation from UMF and over 20 years of EMS experience,
starting as a Basic EMT in 1984 and completing her Paramedic
training in 1987. She also received an RN degree in 2003 and
has an impressive background providing education at the
community level to school age children, at the college level
as an instructor at UMF for the past 18 years, and in the
prehospital EMS community.
We are looking forward to
having Jan as part of the Maine EMS staff and to introducing
her to you in the coming weeks.
Diabetes Links
Posted 12/13/07
I taught a class I called "Beyond EMS: Living with
Diabetes" at the Samoset last month. I told the folks in
my class that they could find links to some very helpful
sites on my page, and told them how to access the links. I've
since found several more that I think would be helpful. And
the more I've thought about it the more I realized that, even
if you didn't attend my class, you might be interested in
checking out some of these resources. So please feel free to go
to my diabetes links page.
Send a Message to the Troops
Posted 12/13/07
By going to this Xerox web site, you can
easily have a printed postcard sent to our troops to thank
them for their service and to let them know you are thinking
about them during the holidays.
MEMS Updates The Look of Its Web Site
Posted 12/13/07
MEMS has updated its web site to comply with the state's
template. Please take a few minutes to check
it out and find your way around. Oh, and I should
mention that they have a section for JoMEMS as well. I don't
know what the plans are for putting older issues online, if
any, but they do have the two most recent issues up for us.
What that means is that the I/C News, which has been
included within the Journal for the past couple of years, is
also now available online!
NREMT to Require Accreditation
Posted 12/13/07
From the November 2007 NREMT EdNet Communique
On November 13-14, 2007, the National Registry of EMTs
Board of Directors voted to require that applicants for
national Paramedic certification graduate from a nationally
accredited educational program after December 31, 2012.
The motion was introduced in June 2007 and tabled to
enable consultation with other members of the EMS community. Following
discussions with other national EMS organizations, the board
passed the motion unanimously on November 14, 2007. The
rationale for the change is based on the recommendations in
the EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems
Approach as well as the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Report titled Emergency Medical Services at the
Crossroads. These two publications call for a
linkage of paramedic educational program accreditation with
eligibility for certification.
Currently, fourteen states require national accreditation
of paramedic education programs and, there are over 240
nationally accredited programs. Most experts believe
that this represents about one-half to one-third of the
active paramedic education programs in the country. “The
CoAEMSP is committed to helping programs understand and meet
the standards and guidelines for accreditation,” stated
Randy Kuykendall, the current Chairman of the Committee on
Accreditation for EMS Educational Programs (CoAEMSP).
William E. Brown, Jr., NREMT Executive Director said
“We believe that the major barrier to achieving
accreditation will be institutional support. We hope
that this policy provides paramedic program directors with
the leverage to get the same resources as other allied health
education programs. There is simply no reason why any quality
program cannot achieve accreditation in the next five years.”
Another concern is the number of paramedic programs that
are in "non-traditional" educational settings. Dr.
George Hatch, CoAEMSP Executive Director, stated “We
currently have accredited programs in all types of locations
and institutions. The CoAEMSP has a variety of
mechanisms to meet the sponsorship requirements. Virtually
any type program, including proprietary and agency based, can
meet the sponsorship standard through seeking independent
institutional accreditation or collaborating with other
organizations to form a consortium.”
While the EMS Education Agenda for the Future calls
for educational accreditation for all levels of EMS personnel,
the IOM report recommends requiring accreditation only at the
paramedic level. The NREMT motion affects only paramedic
eligibility. Jimm Murray, NREMT Vice-Chairman (of
the Board of Directors) concludes that “the current
evidence supports requiring accreditation at the paramedic
level. We may revisit the issue of accreditation at
other levels at a later date.”
“This is an important step forward for the discipline
of paramedicine,” concluded Sandy Bogucki, MD, PhD and
Chairman of the NREMT Board of Directors. “Every
occupational group that has evolved and gained credibility as
a profession has done so through strengthening their
educational and credentialing systems. We know that this
change will be a challenge, but the Board feels confident
that accreditation will improve paramedic education and
ultimately the quality of care that patients receive in the
out of hospital setting.”
Paramedic in Review CD Retired
Posted 12/13/07
From the November 2007 NREMT EdNet Communique
Following the release of the 1998 Paramedic National
Standard Curriculum, the NREMT made available a product
entitled Paramedic in Review. This CD included a large
number of test items related to the content of the new
paramedic curriculum and was designed to assist candidates in
preparing for in-class related examinations.
The NREMT has recently decided to discontinue the
Paramedic in Review CDshifted to support computer . All
item development efforts have been adaptive testingproperly. Finally,
numerous . In addition, the CD content references old
CPR and ACLS standards and requires older software to run
commercial products are now available to help students
prepare for classroom tests and certification exams.
We currently have approximately 250 CDs in stock. They
will be sent free of charge to registered EMS educational
programs in the order that requests are received. Anyone
interested in receiving a free copy of the discontinued
Paramedic in Review CD, can e-mail Lisa Bragg (lbragg@nremt.org). Please
include the name and mailing address of your educational
program in your request.
EMTLife.com
Posted 12/13/07
I'll admit that I haven't spent a lot of time (okay, I'll
admit it, I haven't spent any time) reading this
forum, but with that said, here it is for you all to read and
make your own judgments. If you know of any other EMS forums,
please e-mail me and I'll add them.
Killer Presentation Skills
Posted 12/13/07
Okay, so they aren't necessarily killer, at least not in this youtube video, but there are
still a few good tips.
Random Stuff
Posted 12/13/07
Date and time
There's so much this web site can do for you I'm
not even going to try to summarize it. But basically if it
has to do with dates and web site can do it.
Cat Bowling
I'm a little late with this -- I suppose it would have
been most appropriate at Halloween. But if you like bowling,
whether or not you like cats, this is a fun little time-waster.
Ventriloquist?!
Did any of you happen to see the ventriloquist, Terry
Fator, on America's Got Talent? I got the biggest kick out of
him. Here he is doing some holiday
wishes for People Magazine.
October,
2007
National EMS Education Standards
From the I/C News in the October
Journal of Maine EMS
Posted 12/13/07
Draft 1.0 of the National EMS
Education Standards documents for the Emergency Medical
Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced
Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), and Paramedic levels has
been released for review. The project team is looking for
comments from all interested EMS parties. These standards
will eventually replace the national standard curricula
developed by the US DOT, and include the Education Agenda,
the National EMS Core Content, and the National EMS Scope of
Practice Model. It is expected that the final versions of the
standards will be submitted to NHTSA by September 2008.
Please go to the National EMS
Education Standards web site at www.nemses.org both to view
the drafts and to take part in the review process.
Board Approves 12 Lead EKG Training
Components
From the KVEMS Pulse August, 2007
Posted 12/13/07
The Board of EMS has approved a list
of primary educational components for 12 lead EKG training.
Effective immediately, these components will be included in
all future initial paramedic training programs. These
components are not currently mandatory for licensed
paramedics; however, service chiefs and training officers
would be well advised to take them into consideration as they
plan expanded and continuing education.
MaineHealth has provided Maine EMS
with funding to assist services with the cost of providing
approved 12 lead training. For details, contact
Maine EMS.
Also, along with the 12 lead
educational components is a 12 lead QI tool that may be used
by services and regional QI programs. Both the educational
components and the QI form are available for download at the Maine EMS web
site.
Pulse Oximetry Resource
Posted 10/23/07
Tip from Jody O'Farrell
Pulseox.info is a web site
that has lots of general information about pulse oximetry. It's
in-depth enough to provide the basics, but not so in-depth as
to be overwhelming for new EMT students.
How NOT to Use PowerPoint
Posted 10/23/07
A fun look at what not to do when
creating PowerPoint slides by
comedian Don McMillan. It's funny, yes, but also full of
wisdom.
Speaking of Dan Limmer, he has a blog for
EMS educators, students, and providers. Worth visiting! (By
the way, that's where I got the link to the PowerPoint video.)
CO Training Materials Available
Posted 10/23/07
Tip from Kelly Roderick
The New England Poison Control Center has a
web site with resources about carbon
monoxide. On the site, you can find
a PowerPoint presentation, brochure you can download, fact
sheets, flyers, newsletter, and other resources. You can also
find a link to schedule someone to come to your service and
teach a class.
Inhalant Abuse Training for Parents
Posted 10/23/07
Tip from Kelly Roderick
Inhalant Abuse: What You Should Know
is a web-based training on inhalant abuse designed especially
for parents and guardians. It is presented by the New England
Inhalant Abuse Prevention Coalition. Parent select their New
England state for their training.
The training covers:
What is Inhalant Abuse?
Products to be Concerned About
How Products are Abused
Who is at Highest Risk of Abusing Inhalants
The Dangers of Inhalant Abuse
How Inhalants Can Cause Death
What to Teach Your Child about Inhalants
When and How to Get Your Child Help
For more information about inhalant abuse, people can e-mail the
Maine Office of Substance Abuse or call them at
207-287-2595.
My Licensure Progress
Posted 10/23/2007
Are you just dying to know how my licensing is progressing?
Well, look here!
Yep, I'm licensed as an RN in all 50 states
now! (By the way, Hawaii doesn't show on the map. The map was
originally designed for RV'ers to be able to track their
driving progress, and since you can't exactly drive
to Hawaii...)
Now the challenge is going to be keeping up with all those
licenses! I actually had to start renewing some before the
last few were even granted.
You might be wondering which states were the last. New Jersey
and Illinois came in within a week of each other. I don't
know what that says about those two states that it took them
each almost a year just to grant an uncomplicated
nursing license!
This month's fun links
Love to play with English? Here's an essay filled with common terms
in which the root word is almost never used by itself.
How popular is your name? Edgar's Name Pages will tell you
more than you ever wanted to know about your name.
If you've ever looked for a Web page that no longer exists,
but would like to find it anyway, you might try finding it in
the Wayback machine on this archiving
web site. (I went back and found lots of archives
of my own web site, too!)
August,
2007
MEMS Has New DNR Forms Available Online
Posted 8/18/07
From the MEMS web site:
The Maine EMS Comfort Care/DNR program
has two different forms available, depending upon whether the
patient has the capacity to make an informed decision.
The Maine EMS Comfort Care/DNR Directive
form is available for use by anyone over 18
years of age who is capable of making an informed decision.
By completing the form, the person named on the form is
directing EMS crews to not attempt resuscitation if the
person’s heart or breathing stops. The Comfort
Care/DNR Directive form must be signed by a
licensed physician, who attests that the person has the
mental capacity to make an informed decision concerning Do-Not-
Resuscitate. A physician is under no obligation to sign the Comfort
Care/DNR Directive form, but may do so if
requested by the person whose name appears on the form.
The Maine EMS Comfort Care/DNR Order
form is used when the person - whose name appears
on the form - does not have the capacity to make an informed
decision (e.g., guardianship, surrogate). When
completed and signed by the patient’s physician and
guardian/surrogate, the form documents a physician order to
withhold resuscitation.
Fentanyl Dose Change
Posted 8/18/07
Effective July 1, 2007, the dose of Fentanyl in the MEMS
protocols is 1 µg per kilogram IV or IM initially, then 25-75
µg IV every 10 minutes to a total of 400 µg. View the memo about this change.
United Ambulance Service Promotional Videos
Posted 8/18/07
This is fun! So is this
one!
National EMS Education StandardsAvailable for Review and
Comment
Posted 8/7/07
Draft 1.0 of the National EMS Education Standards
documents for the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR),
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency
Medical Technician (AEMT), and Paramedic levels have been
released for review and comment by all interested EMS parties.
These standards will eventually replace the national standard
curricula developed by the US DOT, and include the Education
Agenda, the National EMS Core Content, and the National EMS
Scope of Practice Model. It is expected that the final
versions of the standards will be submitted to NHTSA by
September 2008.
Please go to the National EMS Education Standards web site
both to view the drafts and to take part in the review
process.
June, 2007
Journal of Maine EMS Update
Posted 6/1/07
Jay Bradshaw sent a memo out at the end of April
indicating that MEMS would be unable to publish an issue of
the JoMEMS in time for EMS week, which is what they'd
originally planned. They are aiming for one later this summer.
The other thing Jay announced is that Kerry Sousa Pomelow
has indicated that, after this next issue, she will not be
able to continue as the editor of the JoMEMS. As of July, 2007, Kelly Roderick has taken
over as the new editor.
The JoMEMS is looking for EMS-related photos, mostly
action/event-type pictures, and articles with a connection to
EMS. If you are interested in submitting anything to the
Journal contact Jay, and, as always, if
you have any ideas for the I/C News, you can get
in touch with me.
Kinda Fun Stuff
Posted 6/1/07
Ever wonder what some of the most up-to-date
slang means? It used to be that we knew it because it was
ours -- but as we get older, I'm afraid, we might lose touch.
This online urban dictionary should help!
We study about autism in our continuing
education classes. Here's an autistic savant with an amazing talent for remembering and drawing
what he sees.
I have a soft spot about cats. Probably
because I have one. But my cat isn't nearly as talented as
these two:
Nora, the piano playing cat
Gizmo the cat (The background to this one goes like this: This
couple was getting huge water bills, much more than their
actual water usage should have indicated. They checked for
leaks, checked for anything that might be causing the high
water usage, and couldn't find anything. But one day the man
was home sick from work, and started hearing water running.
When he went downstairs, he discovered the source of their
extra water usage.)
I'm not much of a dog person, but this video
got me, and it will probably get you, too.
Ever wonder what training is involved to
become an ICU nurse -- after nursing school? This Boston Globe special report followed a nurse during her orientation.
What kind of "accent" do you have?
Take this test
to find out. I thought I had banished my Boston dialect, but
apparently I haven't.
Ever wonder what to do with your used books?
How about BookCrossing them!
April,
2007
Web Site Links Confirmed and Updated As
Necessary
Posted April 21, 2007
I just did a wholesale check of my entire
web site for any broken links, any resources that are no
longer available, and so on. I used the free w3c web checker and siteowner sites to help automate the task, but it was still a
very long and tedious process. I'm hoping you'll find that
there are no more problem links (unless the problems have
occurred since I did the update!) If, however, you do run
across any links that don't work, please let me know so I can fix
them.
Rebirth of the Journal of MEMS
Posted April 21, 2007
In February, MEMS announced that Slingshot
Multimedia would be the publisher of the Journal of Maine EMS,
beginning with an issue to come out in May. If you happen to
know of businesses in your area who might be interested in
advertising in the Journal, have them contact Melissa Arndt at Slingshot
Multimedia.
SMEMS Says Farewell to Liz Delano
Posted April 21, 2007
Liz Delano, Education Coordinator at
Southern Maine EMS since 1989, has left her position and is
now the Education Coordinator at United Ambulance in Lewiston.
Ronald L. Dupler Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund
Posted April 21, 2007
The family of Rockport's Ron Dupler, paramedic and I/C,
have created a memorial scholarship fund in his name.
Memorial donations may be made to the Ronald L. Dupler Sr.
Memorial Scholarship Fund, Mid-Coast EMS, P.O. Box 610, Union,
ME 04862.
Dr. Liebow Updates
Posted April 21, 2007
From Dora McCarthy
For updates on and to send messages to Dr.
Liebow, who is currently at Brigham and Women's Hospital in
Boston recovering from heart surgery (and remains on the
heart transplant list,) go to his caringbridge site. This is a direct link, but if it's not working (not
sure if it will when they update the page) you can go to CaringBridge, click
on "visit" and type in paulliebow (one word, no
space).
Training Calendar
Posted April 21, 2007
From Kelly Roderick
See the Maine Prevention Calendar for training programs public safety and others
might find interesting.
CPEM Releases New Resource
Posted April 21, 2007
The Center for Pediatric Emergency Medicine (CPEM)
has recently released Child Abuse and Neglect: A
Prehospital Continuing Education and Teaching Resource.
It is available on their web site for free download,
or you can buy the CD-ROM for $10.00.
Nursing site
Posted April 21, 2007
Does anybody know anything about RN.org, which claims to be "your source for
everything nursing?"
EMS Live Video Podcast pilot
Posted April 21, 2007
From Kelly Roderick
Check out the pilot podcast from EMS Live.
My Licensure Progress
Posted April 21, 2007
Here's my RN licensure progress to date (includes compact
states.)
February,
2007
AVOC Questions Answered
Posted 2/12/07
Because MEMS continues to get questions from services and
individuals about the new AVOC requirements, Scott Smith,
Education and Training Coordinator at MEMS, has put out a
memo to services and providers that contains
clarification. If you have any further questions, contact MEMS.
Licensure Initiative
Posted 2/12/07
My employer began an initiative in November 2006 to
require nursing licensure in all 50 states. The map below
indicates my progress so far. (This includes Compact States.)
January, 2007
Category 7 Credits
Posted 1/27/07
I went to the online Maine EMS CEU
tracking tool the other day and was surprised to discover two
of my Category 7 classes were on there. I guess that means
MEMS now has the ability to track our Category 7credits!
Maine Health Management Coalition
Posted 1/27/07
The Maine
Health Management Coalition's
web site rates both doctors and hospitals on a number of
criteria. If anybody ever asks you to recommend a doctor or a
hospital, this might be a good place to send them to do their
own research.
Here's a fun "Screen Cleaner"
Posted 1/27/07
Tip from Amy Vaniotis
Full-Time Instructor Position at
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Posted January 11, 2007
John Bellino
We have an opening for a full-time
paramedic instructor at Massachusetts Bay Community College.
We will begin actively searching for candidates this winter
with a variety of advertisements including JEMS. The goal is
to fill the position for the beginning of the 2007-08 school
year.
General Statement of
Responsibilities and Duties:
Classroom and laboratory teaching, curriculum development and
departmental assignments for the EMS and Paramedicine
Department, and College and community service and advising
responsibilities in accordance with the faculty Collective
Bargaining Agreement. The successful candidate will be
expected to take on an active role for this program.
Minimum Requirements:
Baccalaureate Degree in health care field preferred,
Associate degree required.
Registered Paramedic.
BCLS Instructor.
ACLS Instructor.
PALS Instructor
Minimum of two years field experience as a paramedic.
Minimum of two of teaching experience in Paramedicine.
Experience using distance learning strategies in teaching
Required Licenses/Certifications:
Registered Paramedic
BCLS Instructor
ACLS Instructor
PALS Instructor
Preferred Requirements:
Preference will be given to applicants who possess an
advanced degree, OEMS – Instructor Coordinator
Certification, and community college teaching experience.
Experience working with a diverse student population,
including under-prepared students and adult learners.
Evidence of commitment in seeking ways to improve student
success, and leadership ability in establishing and improving
a paramedicine program.
Any questions can be forwarded to me.
Thank-you,
John G. Bellino, BS, NREMT-P
Paramedic Program Director
Massbay Community College
(508) 270-4272
EMS Grant Opportunity
Posted January 11, 2007
From Bob Waters
Dear Recipient:
In introduction I am Bob Waters the Regional Fire Services
Program Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security,
Office of Grants & Training. I manage the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program in Region I (New England).
Last year I asked for your assistance in disseminating
information regarding the availability of funds from the AFG
program for independent EMS organizations. I appreciate your
efforts to help us get EMS folks into the workshops and
awarded grants. We did receive some measure of response and
successful applications, but again less than we hoped. We are
looking to increase our EMS applications and the grants
awarded to those organizations.
AFG workshops are conducted annually throughout the region.
They provide prospective applicants with information
regarding the current AFG program and provide answers to
questions that help candidates address risks to their
communities. One should check the official AFG workshop
listings at www.firegrantsupport.com to obtain current and
accurate information regarding workshop offerings. These will
be posted as soon as we have times and locations available.
The AFG workshops are delivered by Sherm Lahaie or me, the
regional fire service program specialists. We explain the AFG
program priorities for the year; the information an
organization needs to assess community risks and
organizational capabilities; and how to apply that
information to develop a good program description, establish
the financial need of the organization, the benefit versus
the cost, and the outcome that will be realized by the
community. In other words we try to provide the information
needed to develop a competitive application.
We ask that you assist us by contacting all independent
non-profit EMS agencies and telling them of this AFG grant
opportunity and the availability of workshops in your state.
Thank you again for your support for this competitive
program. We also wish to especially thank Gary Kleinman and
Mark Libby for their continued support in assuring the needs
of the EMS community are understood and addressed.
If additional information is needed please contact Sherm
Lahaie at 617.956.7581 or me at 617.956.7551.
Robert
J. Waters
Fire Service Program Specialist
USDHS Office of Grants & Training
99 High Street 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Phone Voice (617) 956-7551
Fax (617) 956-7538
November,
2006
Important Exam News
From Drexell White, MEMS EMD
Coordinator and staff to the MEMS Exam Committee
Posted 11/8/06
The following actions concerning EMS license testing
was taken by the Maine EMS Board at its November 1, 2006
meeting:
1. The Board adopted the National Registry of EMT (NREMT)
Paramedic written (i.e., computer based test [CBT]) and
practical exam as the Maine state written and practical
exam at the Paramedic level, effective July 1, 2007. All
Paramedic candidates tested in Maine after June 30, 2007,
must take the NREMT computer based test (CBT) and
practical exam.
If a candidate completes a Maine EMS Paramedic
practical exam prior to July 1, 2007, but does not
successfully complete the Maine EMS written exam prior to
the July 1, 2007, NREMT-P exam implementation date, the
candidate will need to complete both the NREMT CBT and
NREMT practical exam.
Staff will inquire with the Board at its next meeting
whether recommendation 2, below can be extended to deal
with the number of testing opportunities afforded to
Paramedic candidates during the transition from the Maine
EMS paper and pencil testing to the NREMT process.
Maine EMS is scheduling an informational meeting at
Maine EMS in January 2007 for all Paramedic program
sponsors, educators, employers, providers and interested
parties. A representative from NREMT will be on hand to
explain the process as well as the roles and
responsibilities of program sponsors, Paramedic ICs and
examiners. A notice will be sent once we have confirmed
dates, times and locations.
Paramedic skill sheets are available for download on
the National Registry Exam Coordinator
Documents page.
Currently-licensed Maine Paramedics are not affected (i.e.,
they will not be required to become Nationally Registered
in order to maintain their Maine EMS license). Also,
persons who successfully complete the NREMT exam to
fulfill the requirements for a Maine Paramedic license
are not required to maintain National Registry; they will
be subject to Maine EMS continuing education and
refresher requirements (only) in order to renew their
Paramedic licenses. The length of Maine licenses will not
change; it will remain at 3 years for all levels.
2. The Board adopted the National Registry of EMT (NREMT)
model for transitioning from paper and pencil tests to
Computer Based Testing, to the extent that students, who
failed NREMT tests at the FR and EMT-B level prior to
January 1, 2007, will have3 more opportunities at the CBT
and practical exams.
Currently, a student has 3 attempts at the written and
practical exam, before being required to take a refresher
course in order to test again. Because of the
administrative problems associated with trying to keep
track of a person’s attempts (at the written exam)
from the paper and pencil system during transition to
Computer Based Testing (CBT), NREMT is “resetting
the clock”. As of January 1, 2007 NREMT will allow
persons who have failed tests - prior to the CBT
implementation date of January 1, 2007 - three
opportunities at the new CBT exam (provide that the
person’s training is in date). During discussion,
committee members felt that Maine EMS should adopt the
same transition policy as NREMT due to the difficulty in
tracking attempts from the old system to the new, and in
that the transition would span a relatively small period
of time. Once CBT is implemented all persons taking the
exams, who completed their first attempt after December
31, 2006, would fall under the “three attempts”
requirement.
3. The Board approved a re-test policy whereby a
candidate for state testing will be allowed 3
opportunities to complete each component of the state
written/CBT and practical exam. If the candidate fails
three attempts at either the written/CBT or practical
components, the candidate may complete a Maine EMS-approved
refresher course and have three more opportunities to
complete the written/CBT and practical exam components.
If the candidate fails to successfully complete the state
written and practical exam after six attempts at either
the written or practical component, the candidate must
complete an initial course-leading-to-licensure prior to
being allowed another opportunity to test.
The revised policy recognizes that remediation by
refresher program may be appropriate after an initial 3
attempts at the state exam, but that 3 additional
failures (by the student) after refresher completion
indicates a need for remediation that cannot be provided
by a refresher course.
Unusual circumstances (e.g., a person who has failed
the tests 6 times and is currently in a refresher
programs with the expectation of 3 more test
opportunities) should be referred to Maine EMS on a case
by case basis.
Please share this information with your council,
education committees and ICs as soon as possible. ICs
need to share the information with their students
immediately to ensure that they are aware of Maine EMS
testing requirements.
Thanks for your assistance. Please contact me should you have
questions.
Drexell White, EMT-P
Emergency Medical Dispatch Coordinator
Cool clock!
Posted November 8, 2006
State Health Facts
Posted November 8, 2006
State Health Facts is a
compilation of all kinds of statistics about each of the
50 states, and includes such things as demographics,
health status, numbers of persons covered and uninsured,
health costs and budgets, providers, minority health,
women's health, and HIV/AIDS.
Maine Cardiovascular Health Council
Posted November 8, 2006
The Maine Cardiovascular Health Council,
formed in 1978 as the Maine High Blood Pressure Council
and expanded to the MCHC in 1989, is a community of
health providers and educators whose primary concern is
reducing elevated cholesterol and other risk factors for
cardiovascular disease. They are always looking for
volunteers to help on their workgroups or committees.
They have a resources page that includes Web resources,
state health facts, cardiovascular health reports, and so
on.
October,
2006
MEMS' Interim ECC Position
Posted October 16, 2006
Since a MEMS protocols update won't be coming for
several months down the road, and because the American
Heart Association has made changes to the Emergency
Cardiac Care algorithms in the meantime, MEMS field
providers have been left wondering whether to follow the
AHA's algorithms or stick with the MEMS protocols. In
response, MEMS has issued a statement to all service
chiefs regarding how to proceed in the interim.
Essentially what it says is that if a provider has
been appropriately trained under the 2005 AHA training
programs, they may follow those guidelines.
Further, MEMS instructs users of AEDs which have
been upgraded to the 2005 recommended shock sequence
to follow the algorithm of a single shock followed by two
minutes of CPR instead of the previously recommended set
of three stacked shocks.
MEMS' memo also emphasizes the importance of high-quality
CPR and bag-valve-mask ventilation.
For more information see the memo from Scott Smith or
contact your regional office or MEMS.
Will Cheating Kill Online EMS Education?
Posted October 16, 2006
Tip from Kelly Roderick
EMSresponder article on
cheating in general and cheating as it relates to online
EMS education.
Helping People Shop Healthier So They Eat Healthier
Posted October 16, 2006
The American Heart Association has developed a food certification program for
the purpose of helping consumers select nutritious foods.
When you're actually in the store, you can look for foods
with the American Heart Association's red heart with the
white check mark to find heart-healthy foods low in
saturated fat and cholesterol. You can also use a
shopping list tool on the site to help you create
shopping lists of heart-healthy foods before you even get
to the grocery store.
Updating My Collection of CEH Sites
Posted October 12, 2006
I'm working on collecting information
about nursing and EMS online continuing education sites.
I've had about a half-dozen listed on
these web pages over the years,
but it was just that, a list. It's now my hope to get
more information about each of these, and to publish some
details about each. If you have accessed any of these or
any other online sites, whether I've listed them yet on
my page or not, please e-mail me now with what you've
found out. Thanks!
Need ACLS recertification fast -- and
have extra money to spend? You can do an online ACLS
recert for only $175 from American Medical Resource Group ($275 for an original ACLS or PALS course.) Of
course, before you put your money down, you might want to
check with MEMS and see if Maine accepts these credits,
and with your employer to confirm that they will accept
an all-online certification process!
Review It Before you Believe It
Posted October 12, 2006
Next time you read a health-related news story in the
general media, check out this site to determine the
quality of the story. HealthNewsReview has a multi-disciplinary
team of reviewers from journalism, medicine, health
services research and public health which assesses the
quality of selected stories for accuracy, balance, and
completeness.
Helping Andy Turcotte
Posted October 11, 2006
February 12, 2007: I realize the date of this
fundraiser is long past, but I'm sure they would continue
to accept donations, so I'm leaving this piece on my web
site for the time being/jbv
East Millinocket Fire Department
125 Main Street
East Millinocket, ME 04430
September 24, 2006
Dear Business Owners and Maine Fire and EMS:
Do you remember the infamous “BUBS,” aka the
Turcotte twins? It seems like every local business must
have experienced a visit from one of these identical
twins at some point during their eighteen years in East
Millinocket!
Oh yes, Aaron and Andy you say?
We are here to tell you about one of these young men,
Andy Turcotte. Andy is now 26 years old and recently
diagnosed with multiple tumors in the spine called
ependymoma. He is currently recovering from his first
surgery and working with doctors from both Maine Medical
Center and John Hopkins Hospital. His first radiation
will begin in October with further surgery and
chemotherapy later.
Andy was a member of the East Millinocket Fire
Department from 1998 – 2002 and is currently a
firefighter and paramedic for the Old Orchard Beach Fire
Department. He is also a critical care flight paramedic
for Lifeflight 2 based out of Central Maine Medical
Center in Lewiston. He has spent his short life helping
and caring for others but is now out of work to recover
and concentrate on getting well.
The East Millinocket Fire Department will be
sponsoring a benefit spaghetti supper for Andy on
Thursday, October 26th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm at the East
Millinocket Public Safety Building. We will also be
hosting an auction during the benefit to help raise money
for Andy. WOULD YOUR BUSINESS BE WILLING TO MAKE A
DONATION OF FOOD OR MONEY OR ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED TO
HELP US HELP ANDY? If you would like to make a
contribution please call Cherri Deveau at 746-5785,
Debbie Turcotte at 746-5369, or me at 746-0047.
Andy is so proud to have grown up in our region –
let’s show him we all care!
Thank you for your support,
Peter Larlee
for the East Millinocket Fire Department and Ambulance
Service
EMS Loses One of its Own
Posted October 11, 2006
North East Mobile Health Services
regrets to announce that EMT Lynne Constantine passed
away at Maine Medical Center on Friday, September 22nd
following a brief illness. Lynne was just 26 years old.
Though she was with us for just a short time, her warmth,
her dedication and her kind spirit made an impact on us
all.
Her family has asked that donations be
made in her name to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
at Maine Medical Center. Donations may be made payable to
the Barbara Bush Hospital and mailed to North East Mobile
Health Services, 5 Wallace Avenue, South Portland, Maine
04106. Attention: Alan Azzara
Updates to Electronic Run Reporting presentation
Posted October 11, 2006
Sean Hall writes that he has made some revisions to
the PowerPoint presentation he did for Electronic Run
Reporting. He says if you want the new version, to e-mail
him.
Translation Tools
Posted October 11, 2006
If you've ever had to translate a word, sentence or
brief paragraph, these sites might help. I wouldn't count
on them to do any extensive or serious translation, and
they definitely won't help you in a foreign language
class because they tend to be very literal and often come
up with very strange expressions. But in a pinch they can
be very useful.
BabelFish
Free Translation
Locate Sex Offenders in Your Area
Posted October 11, 2006
The Family Watchdog has a search
engine where you can plug in any address and find all of
the registered sex offenders in the area you've indicated.
It also includes their workplaces. Go ahead and type in
your own home address -- it's a real eye opener! Thinking
of moving? Before you do, see who else is living in your
prospective neighborhood!
Miscellaneous foolishness
Posted October 11, 2006
Remember the Numa Numa guy? Well here's an interview with him
about his upcoming release!
I found another interesting clock...
Posted October 16, 2006
I like to keep track of where I've been by using
online maps like the ones located on MyWorld66
and the Visited States Map.
August,
2006
(Megan’s Fund)
Submitted by Daryl Boucher
Posted 8/12/06
Scholarship and Application
Criteria
Fall, 2006 Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care Transport
In July, 2005 five year old Megan Bradstreet of
Bridgewater, Maine was tragically injured when she was
struck by a car. She was transported to the Aroostook
Medical Center and later transferred to Eastern Maine
Medical Center in Bangor. En route to Bangor, her
condition deteriorated and the crew diverted to another
hospital where, sadly, Megan subsequently died of a
severe head injury. Since her death, Megan’s parents
and local paramedics and EMS leaders have worked
aggressively to improve the care provided to pediatric
patients through fundraising and by providing high
quality educational opportunities for EMS, nursing and
hospital personnel.
Scholarship Fund Objectives:
1. To provide monies for transport personnel to become
certified in pediatric critical care transport.
2. To assist healthcare providers who are taking care of
children to complete pediatric clinical experiences at
tertiary care centers.
3. To assist providers in the stabilization and care of
pediatric clients through ongoing educational
opportunities.
2006 PNCCT Scholarship Opportunities. (Two
different scholarship opportunities are available. )
1. Corporate scholarships
Funds will be distributed to each of the four Aroostook
County Hospitals, who will grant monies to selected
employees and to EMS providers who participate in
critical care transports to and from those hospitals.
Participants selected by their employer for a scholarship
should agree to the criteria listed below. It is expected
that scholarship recipients may be required by their
employer to sign a work commitment agreement in exchange
for the scholarship, using currently established tuition
reimbursement policies and contracts. Interested parties
should contact their department manager or Daryl Boucher
(768-2756) for more information. Deadline for
registration is September 1st, 2006.
a. Professionals should be employed by an
Aroostook County based ambulance service or hospital.
b. Priority will be given to individuals who commit
to actually doing pediatric critical care transport,
and who have been selected by leaders to perform in
this capacity.
c. Participants must have a demonstrated a positive
past work history, dedication to the employer, and a
willingness to work with sick and injured children.
d. Participants should be willing to commit to
maintaining their employment in Aroostook County.
e. Participants should be willing to commit to
participating in ongoing continuing education,
including clinical experiences and maintaining the
currency of their certification.
f. Preference will be given to individuals currently
certified in Adult Critical Care Transport.
g. Professionals must successfully pass the course
and become certified. Those who fail to successfully
pass the course may be responsible for expenses
associated with re-testing.
2. Individual scholarships:
Individual competitive scholarships will be given for any
medical professional interested in taking this course.
Selected individuals should complete the application
attached. Selection criteria for the individual
scholarships are outlined below.
a. Applicants must register for the course at the
time of application for the scholarship, or have
previously registered.
b. Applicants should have a demonstrated a positive
past work history, dedication to the employer, and a
willingness to work with sick and injured children.
c. Scholarship application must be submitted by
September 1st, 2006.
d. Scholarships will be used to cover the tuition
portion of the program. Travel expenses and course
fees will be paid for by the individual.
Interested parties should send a letter requesting
consideration to:
Wendy Bradstreet
The Megan Bradstreet Pediatric Critical Care Fund
C/O NMCC
33 Edgemont Drive
Presque Isle, Maine 04769
dboucher@nmcc.edu
Include a copy of your Maine license and a short
statement about why this program will benefit you and
your community.
Spinal Immobilization Insanity
Submitted by Paul Blais
Posted 8/12/06
Another thought provoking analysis by Dr. Bledsoe.
July, 2006
National Registry web page has CAT information
Posted 7/27/06
The National Registry now has a web page dedicated to Computer-Based Testing information.
On it you can also find a link to questions that are
frequently asked by educators.
Homicide Review Panel Report Now Out
Posted 7/8/06
Maine's Homicide
Review Panel has released its 2006 report, called "It's Everybody's Business." The title of this
year's report reflects the fact that, in almost all cases
of domestic abuse leading to homicide, somebody, whether
it's family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, somebody connected with the victim saw the
signs of abuse and either didn't recognize them as such
or didn't respond.
The Domestic Abuse Homicide Review
Panel,
established in 1997 by the Maine Commission on Domestic
and Sexual Abuse, is chaired by an Assistant Attorney
General, who is also a homicide prosecutor. Members of
the Panel include the Chief Medical Examiner, a physician,
a nurse (that's me, although a
job change recently required that I resign from the panel), a law enforcement
officer, the Commissioners of Corrections and Public
Safety, a judge, a prosecutor, an Assistant Attorney
General who handles child protection cases, a victim-witness
advocate, a mental health service provider, a facilitator
of a batterers' intervention program, and persons
designated by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic
Violence.
The panel meets
monthly, and reviews as many cases of domestic homicide
in Maine as it has time for each year. Our purpose, when
reviewing the cases, is to look for areas where perhaps
systems have failed or fallen short, and to make
recommendations to improve those systems. It's not an
effort to remove blame from the perpetrator, but rather
to improve systems that are currently in place in an
effort to prevent future domestic homicides.
EMS Best Practices: Myths and
Realities of Spinal Immobilization
Posted 7/8/06
Submitted by Paul Blais
In this article, Dr. David Jazlow
discusses what we do -- and don't -- know about spinal
immobilization. Nothing new to anybody who has been
paying attention, but provocative nonetheless.
Miscellaneous Web Links
Posted 7/8/06
Every so often a
webmaster I don't know sends me a link to his or her web
site asking me to link to it on mine. I'm always
reluctant to do that, for fear that I might be "advertising"
something that I haven't fully researched. A couple of
months ago someone approached me from EducationAtlas.com. A quick glance through
some of the links leads me to believe that there might be
some valuable information and links there. Another one is
emergency-nurse.org.
Remember, though,
I haven't fully researched these sites yet. Please feel
free to E-mail me if you find anything
offensive or otherwise inappropriate for linking here.
The Geek Report
Posted 7/8/06
Google Trends
Ever wonder if anybody else is searching online for
the same things you are? Google has a new addition to its
offerings with its GoogleTrends page. You can
type in up to five topics and see how many times they
have been searched on. I'm not sure what you would do
with that information, but somebody must do something
with it or else Google wouldn't offer it! (Would they?)
Another Rube Goldberg Device
A device that lets you make a bowl of instant Ramen noodles
-- in only six minutes!
Just for Fun
Posted 7/8/06
Everybody is talking about it -- Diet Coke and Mentos.
You've probably seen it on David Letterman or the Today
show. Here it is, the ultimate Diet Coke and Mentos video.
May, 2006
MEMS Says
Goodbye to Education Coordinator
Published in Spring 2006
issue of the Maine EMS I/C News in the April-May-June
issue of the Journal of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
This is a hard issue of the
newsletter for me to write, because in this newsletter I
have to say a public goodbye to Dwight Corning. Dwight
has been a huge supporter both of the concept of the I/C
News and of actual the I/C News itself. He has
contributed his “Dwight’s Insights” every
single quarter, without fail, since he arrived at MEMS.
He has answered my numerous questions about goings-on in
Maine EMS. He has proof-read each issue and provided
invaluable feedback. (He’s prevented a few
potentially embarrassing mistakes, too!) And he has done
it all with the smile and the gracious good nature that
have characterized his every interaction with the EMS
community. I will miss Dwight, both as a colleague and as
a resource – and as a friend. I thank him for his
support and dedication. I wish him well, and I hope you
will join me in wishing him all the best as he begins the
next phase of his career. (No, Dwight, I told you,
I don’t need a new car!)
IPE Update
By Drexell White,
Licensing Agent, Maine EMS
Published in Spring 2006
issue of the Maine EMS I/C News in the April-May-June
issue of the Journal of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
The new Integrated Practical Exam
(IPE) has been in place since November 2005. Since the
IPE’s introduction at the First Responder and EMT-Basic
level, nineteen IPE’s have been conducted throughout
the state. Two hundred fifty-seven students have
participated in the IPE process, with a “first-attempt”
success rate of 98.5%.
As with any new process, there
have been a few bumps along the way, but overall the
IPE’s conducted to date have been very successful.
This success has been due, in large part, to the
willingness of instructor/coordinators and course
sponsors to embrace the concept and ensure that each IPE
is conducted in a professional and efficient manner.
With the help of students’,
practical test assistants’ and instructor/coordinators’
evaluations that are collected at each IPE, the Maine EMS
Exam Committee has worked to improve the process.
Although “on the fly” changes present
challenges that require those involved in delivering
IPE’s to be flexible (as innovations are introduced),
the net results have been positive. A couple of the
changes that have taken place are:
As a result of Instructor/Coordinator
concerns about the “no retest” policy that was
part of the original IPE model, students who do not
succeed on their first attempt to complete the IPE now
have the opportunity to complete an IPE re-test. The new
re-test policy not only provides a “second
chance” for students, it also facilitates testing
for EMT students who may have completed an out-of-state
course or for those who completed a Maine EMS course
prior to IPE’s, but who did not complete practical
testing under the “old” practical test system.
With recommendations and
assistance from Dan Batsie, Northeastern Maine EMS’
Education Coordinator, the spinal station was revised to
ensure that each student is evaluated fairly and
independently.
While positive changes have occurred, there are still
challenges ahead. Instructor/coordinators and course
sponsors have expressed concern that the IPE shifts the
burden of scheduling, arranging and conducting IPE’s
to the instructor/coordinators, while practical test
assistants see room for improvement in the National
Registry skill sheets that are currently in use. All are
valid concerns that need to be addressed as the new way
of state testing evolves. To that end, the Education and
Exam Committees will meet again jointly in June of this
year to review the IPE process and suggest modifications
and improvements to the system.
SMEMS Names Education Committee
Chair
Published in Spring 2006 issue of the Maine
EMS I/C News in the April-May-June issue of the Journal
of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
In a January 1, 2006 letter to the
SMEMS Education Committee, Mike Mirisola, President of
the SMEMS Board of Directors, announced a pending bylaws
change that would move the chairmanship of the
region’s Education Committee from the staff
Education Coordinator to a member of the Committee
appointed by the President of the Board. With approval of
that bylaw change at the January 25th Board
meeting, Mirisola has named Gary Utgard as the chairman
of the Committee.
Utgard has been an EMS provider
since 1982, a paramedic since 1991 and an I/C since 1994.
He also sits on the Maine EMS Exam Committee. He
currently works as the Fire Prevention & Public
Education Officer for the Town of Sanford Fire Department,
and recently served as the Fire and Rescue Chief for the
Town of Shapleigh. Gary has been a very active instructor
in the Southern Maine region, teaching BLS and ALS
licensure and refresher courses, PALS, ACLS, PHTLS, Haz-Mat,
and has been a guest lecturer at a number of conferences
in the state.
The other members of the committee
include Doug Patey, Mike Barter, Sandy Carleton, Chris
Burnham, Jacky Vaniotis, John Leighton, and Paul Conley.
Liz Delano is the SMEMS staff member.
The first meeting of the SMEMS
Education Committee under Gary’s leadership was held
on Wednesday, February 22. The group identified the
following as their priorities: to establish a mission
statement for the committee, to begin planning a half-day
spring pediatrics conference, and to review and update
the region’s Intermediate course clinical
requirements.
If you have any concerns or issues
you would like to see this committee address, feel free
to contact Gary Utgard or Liz
Delano.
MEMS Exam
Committee Update
Published in Spring 2006
issue of the Maine EMS I/C News in the April-May-June
issue of the Journal of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
At its January 2006 meeting, the
Exam Committee established its priorities for this year.
In light of the upcoming changes to the National Registry
testing process (National Registry will be moving from
paper-and-pencil testing to Computer Adaptive Testing
effective January 1, 2007), MEMS must decide whether to
continue to utilize the National Registry as our
licensure testing source, or if we should go a different
route. The Exam Committee used the bulk of the February
meeting to begin this discussion.
Another priority for the Committee
is continuing its look at the IPE process. The Exam
Committee will be meeting jointly with the Education
Committee in June to look at where we’ve been, where
we are, and where we’d like to be regarding in-class
practical testing.
The Committee also sees ALS
practical testing and the state of our current written
paramedic examination as high priorities.
As always, EMS providers and I/C’s
are welcome to come to any Exam Committee meeting. The
group meets the third Tuesday of each month at the MEMS
offices. The next meetings will be held on April 18th,
May 16th, and June 20th. Please
call MEMS before coming, to make sure a meeting has not
been canceled or rescheduled.
Help for Teaching E-run Reporting
Published in Spring 2006 issue of the Maine
EMS I/C News in the April-May-June issue of the Journal
of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
Sean Hall, EMT-P and I/C from Bar
Harbor, has been working on creating a PowerPoint
presentation on the new electronic run reporting. Sean
says his presentation is intended to be used by
instructors who have taken the train-the-trainer program
from MEMS. He planned it to be used primarily in the
classroom setting where there is no internet access. Sean
says the presentation was previewed by Image Trend, the
developer of the Maine electronic reporting program, and
that Image Trend’s design team is making some
modifications (updating the graphics and making some
additions.) Hall, who attended a MEMS train the trainer
program in December in Augusta, is willing to either
teach the program for services himself, or to let others
who have taken the train-the-trainer class use his
presentation in their classes. For more information, you
can reach Sean by e-mail or at the Bar
Harbor Fire Department, (207) 288 5554.
Sean Hall's
Photography Page
Posted May 13,
2006
Sean Hall also writes
to say that he has added a photography page to his web site.
NIMS Training
By Sean Goodwin, Kennebec County Emergency
Management Agency
Published in Spring 2006 issue of the Maine EMS I/C
News in the April-May-June issue of the Journal
of Maine EMS
Posted May 13, 2006
Incident Command (NIMS)training is
now a must for all who respond to any incident, no matter
the size or who your unit would be working with. The
training needs to be done, due to the fact that grant
money will no longer be passed out to towns and cities
that put in for grants unless they comply. No NIMS
training, no grant money.
On February 28, 2003, President
Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5.
HSPD-5 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to
develop and administer a National Incident Management
System. NIMS provides a consistent national template to
enable all government, private-sector, and non-governmental
organizations to work together during domestic incidents.
We all have to take the training,
whether Fire, EMS, EMA, or Police. The good news is that
the training is online, free, and mostly painless.
The training the “field
troops” need is covered in NIMS IS-100 and NIMS IS
700. (If someone can prove that he or she has taken the
“old” IS-195, that person would not have to do
IS-100, only IS-700.) This needs to be done for 2006;
NIMS IS-200 will have to be done for 2007.
“Staff command” types
need NIMS IS-800.
The on line classes and more
information can found on the FEMA Web site at <www.fema.gov/nims/>.
If you or someone needs help, please feel free to e-mail
me at <kclepc@kennebecso.com>call our office at (207)
623-8407.
Note: Jay Bradshaw clarifies:
“For those in EMS, we anticipate that the New
England Council for EMS MCI program will meet this
requirement and are working on obtaining certification of
that detail."
Seatbelt
video
Tip from Kelly
Parrott
Posted May 13, 2006
For an extremely
powerful video about the importance of seat belts, go to Paramedic-EMS and click on the "Seatbelt Video"
link on the left-hand side of the page.
Teach Bike
Injury Prevention
By Kelly Roderick
Posted May 13, 2006
Looking for something
you can do to promote Injury Prevention within your
community? How
about Bicycle Safety Teacher Training? This is an 8 hour
training that will qualify you to fit helmets, bikes, and
teach the rules of the road, do bike safety checks and
much more. You will receive a full curriculum to then
take and use to instruct programs in your community.
For more information contact Bike Maine.
NREMT
on AHA Guidelines
Posted May 13, 2006
The
National Registry announces that it plans to incorporate
the revised AHA guidelines on its written exams. See their announcement for specific dates and
implementation details.
Interesting
(or Useful or Fun or Whatever) Link Roundup
Posted May 13, 2006
Anatomy and Physiology on the
Internet --
Originally designed to be part of a partial distance-learning
program
Autism Society of Maine
Get human -- major United States companies, divided by
category, and how to bypass their phone mail so you can
speak to an actual person
Pretty amazing juggling by Chris
Bliss
Text-to-binary-to-text converter -- a site only a geek would love
12 Lead ECG -- this site has practice rhythm strips and 12
leads. Thanks to Cathy Case for sending me to this one.
More funny
videos
Posted May 13,
2006
Unfortunately many of
the videos I'd originally posted on this site a couple of
months ago are no longer available. I haven't spent any
time looking for replacements, but I have been sent just
a couple of new ones.
Talking cats
Yoga girl -- talk about flexible!
Cat herding
March,
2006
Education
for Public Safety Flaggers
By Kelly Roderick
Posted March 21, 2006
See the Maine Department of Labors Traffic
Control for Emergency Scene for a training
program for emergency personnel at an accident scene.
This program meets Title
29-A MRSA §2091 which requires all public safety
traffic flaggers to receive training approved by the
Maine Department of Labor. You can download the
PowerPoint Presentation and traffic Safety Checklist.
This program is eligible for Category 1 "Operations"
EMS Credits. You must apply within the guidelines of your
regional office. Please download the presentation
today and have all your personnel trained at your next
meeting. There is also a video available on this site
from the SafetyWOrks folks in Augusta.
NEEMS Town Meeting
By Trisha Coleman
Originally posted February 13, 2006
In an effort to
increase communication and participation in the
geographically diverse Northeast EMS Region, we are going
to begin a series of Town Meeting/CEH Sessions in
different locations throughout our sub-regions (Hancock,
Piscataquis and Washington counties). We will visit each
sub-region twice each year.
Each session will be
two (2) hours in length, with the first hour dedicated to
regional/state EMS news followed by an education session
the second hour. CEHs will be offered for attendance at
both sessions.
These sessions are
open to all EMS personnel. This is your opportunity to
come and hear about developments in the Maine EMS system,
ask questions, and help us identify issues.
For more information,
please feel free to call NEEMS at 974-4880.
MEMS Has New Data and Preparedness
Coordinator
Posted March 1, 2006
Ben Woodard, WEMT-B, has been
hired by MEMS to be the Data and Preparedness Coordinator.
His background includes 30 years in the Department of
Environmental Conservation in New York state, with the
last 25 of those years also involved in back country
rescue. More recently, he served as the executive
director of Wilderness Medical Associates for the past
nine years. He’s also been teaching at L.L. Bean in
their Outdoor Discovery School, where he was a manager
and helped develop programming for schools currently
located in five states.
Ben says he will be involved in
two roles at MEMS, one in getting the electronic run
reporting process out into the MEMS community, and the
other in continuing MEMS’ involvement with other
agencies in the state regarding emergency preparedness.
MEMS is going to be using software
and processes developed by a company called ImageTrend,
from Minnesota, for electronic run reporting. Train-the-trainer
programs occurred in early December with about 75 people
learning how to use the new software to pass that
information along to others. Further train the trainer
sessions will be scheduled later in the winter, after the
state analyzes where and what the needs are.
While the electronic run report
will look totally different from how it currently looks
on paper, Ben says the ImageTrend product includes a
number of options for use to make it as flexible as
possible for services to adopt it. One option will be
software which services can buy and operate on Tablet PCs,
another will be a Web-based interface which will all
allow providers to enter data from any Web-connected
computer (using a secure site, a login name and a
password), and a third will be a mechanism for services
already using other run reporting software to get their
information into the MEMS database. Electronic run
reporting will allow real-time data retrieval, and, of
course, eliminate the thousands and thousands of pieces
of paper the state handles each year, each piece of which
needs to be handled nearly a dozen times.
Ben’s other role, that as
Preparedness Coordinator, involves working with all
agencies in the state which are involved in any way with
emergency preparedness. He will be part of the Emergency
Response Team which works with the Emergency Operations
Center of the Maine Emergency Management Agency. He will
also be working with John Bastin, who previously held the
Preparedness Coordinator position in MEMS, working with
the Regional Resource Center, an agency under the
Department of Health and Human Services. Ben sees his
role as trying to understand all the emergency response
agencies and how MEMS fits in with them, in an effort to
develop preparedness plans for the state.
If you wish to reach Ben to
discuss electronic run reporting or emergency
preparedness, you can contact
him by e-mail or by phone at 626-3860.
Education Portal
Posted March 1, 2006
I'm often asked by Web masters to include links to
their sites. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It
depends on whether or not I think it has anything to do
with EMS education, EMS in general, emergency nursing,
etc. Education-Portal was one such
site that asked. It says it is "a directory of
colleges, schools, and career information to help
students make informed decisions about their education."
I haven't really checked it out thoroughly, but it does
seem like it has some useful information, so I thought it
would include it here. Let me know if you find anything
useful there, or if you think I should get rid of it.
February,
2006
Ambulances Can Be Dangerous
Places
Posted February 20,
2006
Thanks to Karen Utgard for pointing out
this article (from Slate.com) about errors which occur in
ambulances.
MEMS Ambulance Run Data System
Posted February 3,
2006
Electronic run reporting is just
getting a foothold in Maine. To get a sense of what
documentation would be like if your service chooses to go
with the web interface for data input, you can do a simulated run report entry. Use "Rescue" as your username and
"Provider" as your password.
Fire/EMS Magazine
From Paul Blais
Posted February 3, 2006
FireEMS Magazine has been in publication for a little
over two years now. It's put out by the publisher of Fire
Engineering Magazine, one of the leading fire service
training publications, and is geared to issues quasi-unique
to fire department-based EMS providers. It's great for
people who don't have a lot of time to read detailed
stories. Most of the articles and columns are brief and
to the point. I particularly like the "Drug Whys"
column. You can sign up on line, or visit their website. I think you'll
find it worthwhile.
Posters for defibrillation
Posted February 3, 2006
I thought this was a good idea: "Defib Posters" to place next to public access
defibrillators, to help acquaint the public with what
defibrillators can do, how to use them, what the signs of
a cardiac emergency are, and so on.
EMT Convicted in Fatal Prank
Posted February 3, 2006
A non-EMS friend sent me the link to this article about a new EMT who was messing around with a
defibrillator and ended up killing his partner.
The Free Dictionary
Posted February 3, 2006
You know I like my geek stuff. How
about an online dictionary? You can set it as your homepage if you want (I
don't), and customize it. It has a word of the day, a
quotation of the day, an article of the day, and a
birthday of the day (how did they miss mine?) And if you're
inclined to spend time playing games, there are those on
the page as well.
Just for Fun
Posted February 3,
2006
Have you seen the newest entry in the
Google collection? It's called Google Video. These
are my favorite clips so far:
Funny Cats (Gone again!)
What Old People Do for Fun
There's also this serious Hurricane Katrina video, which shows the storm's progress from
one man's vantage point from the Beau Rivage parking
garage in Mississippi. Quite impressive.
January,
2006
Happy New Year (a little bit
late!)
Posted January 25, 2006
I had hoped that, by now, I would be
able to post a review of how the first round of IPEs went
this fall and early winter. Unfortunately, however, not
all the data has yet been compiled.
Generally speaking, though, things have
gone well. The Exam Committee made some changes in
response to early feedback we got. The most substantive
change is that we have gone from a no-retest policy to
one which will allow a person to schedule, at his or her
own expense, a retest in an IPE being conducted by
another course. We have also continued to tweak the forms
in response to suggestions from users. And we will
continue to assess and reassess the IPE, and make changes
as necessary.
For some the presence of all these
changes will be a source of frustration, because they are
longing for a finished IPE product. For others the
changes will be welcome, as evidence that the Exam
Committee and MEMS are responsive to their comments,
concerns, and feedback.
And while I'm on the subject of testing,
apparently on the national level not everybody is happy
with the National Registry written exam as a licensure
testing service. As this article indicates, some states are looking to
alternatives, especially in light of the NR's plan to
convert to Computer Adaptive Testing in 2007.
When I thought I was done with my site
update for this go-round, I decided to use a free link-checking site to make sure that all my links are working.
Each time I'd previously done an update I'd just done
random checks, and had been satisfied with that approach.
What I discovered today, however, is that I had close to
70 bad links! Many of them automatically redirected the
user to the correct pages, but many of them just gave
error messages. So I spent many, many more hours
deleting old links, searching for the new addresses for
those I could find, marking which sites don't work
anymore but which I wasn't willing to delete yet (I'll
give them another chance in case their link was
temporarily down). Please let me know if you
find any other links that aren't working.
Resources for Changes in
American Heart Association CPR and ECC
Published in Spring 2006 issue of
the Maine EMS I/C News
in the April-May-June issue of the Journal
of Maine EMS
Posted January 25, 2006
The American Heart Association recently
released its 2005 Guidelines for CPR and ECC. The winter issue of Currents has an overview of all the changes. It
also includes links to the full guidelines document with
all its references, as well as an article on the evidence
evaluation process.
Circulation, the Journal of the American
Heart Association, has the full detailed articles with all of
the changes. You can view them in either PDF format or in
full text.
You can also find out more about the 2005 changes by
viewing a webcast or listening to an audio file or
podcast by going to the AHA Webcast Briefings page. These
are divided into specialty areas (hospital, EMS, and
corporate/community).
In mid-January, National Faculty were scheduled to be
meeting in Dallas to receive updates on science and
program changes. Regional Faculty will be meeting in
February and March at locations around New England, then
they will be rolling the information out to the Training
Center faculty.
The current plan for release of updated materials is
as follows:
First quarter 2006 (by March 31): BLS for Healthcare
Provider Materials
Second quarter 2006 (by June 30): Heartsaver and Family
& Friends Materials
Third quarter 2006 (by September 30): ACLS Materials
Fourth quarter 2006 (by December 31): PALS Materials
All courses taught after July 1, 2006 will use the new
science. The BLS courses will use the new materials and
format right from the start. The ALS and PALS courses
will use "bridge" materials until the ALS and
PALS materials are published. (These bridge materials can
only be used for a period of 90 days after the final ALS
and PALS materials are published.)
The American Heart Association has set June 1, 2006 as
the deadline by which time all current AHA instructors
shall have taken a Science Update class. They have left
it to the Training Centers as to how they will schedule
these updates, as long as they will be completed by June
1. The American Heart Association requires the following
of renewing instructors:
They will have taught three classes in the past
two years
They will have attended the appropriate Science
Update
They will be able to document current provider status
(either with a current card or by demonstration of
skills and successfully completing a test)
They will have attended a product update for
materials in their particular discipline (BLS, ALS,
First Aid, etc.)
They will meet guidelines for instructor monitoring
of teaching ability.
AHA releases Core Instructor
Course
Posted January 25, 2006
The AHA has also announced the release of a five-module
Core Instructor Course, which will be the basis of
education for all new AHA instructors in all disciplines.
The Core Instructor Course will be the first of three
steps toward becoming an AHA instructor (the other two
steps include completing discipline-specific training and
being monitored during a course.) Delivery methods for
this Core Instructor Course include online study, CD-ROM
study, instructor-led program, and a blend of self-directed
and instructor-lead study. The modules to be covered
during the course are: Introduction, Professional
Foundations, Planning and Preparation, Management,
Instructional Methods and Strategies, Assessment/Evaluation,
and Conclusion.
NEEMS announces changes to
their BLS continuing education schedule
Trisha Coleman, Northeast EMS
Posted January 25, 2006
Due to low attendance at our
monthly BLS nights we have decided to hold quarterly BLS
Update days instead, using the same format as our ALS
Update days. These CEH classes are designed to not only
keep our responders current in the latest advances in EMS,
but also to meet their continuing education needs for
relicensure at the state and national levels. Both BLS
and ALS Update days will be held on Saturdays from 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on a quarterly basis.
Following is the schedule for
2006:
BLS Update Days
March 18, 2006
June 3, 2006
October 21, 2006
January 20, 2007
ALS Update Days
February 4, 2006
May 13, 2006
September 23, 2006
December 9, 2006
For more information contact NEEMS.
One man's perspective on the
proposed EMS Scope of Practice
Posted January 25, 2006
If you haven't seen this article by Dr. Bryan
Bledsoe, it's worth a gander.
EMS Magazine and Firehouse
Magazine now under one cover
Posted January 25, 2006
EMSResponder.com is the new home of both Emergency Medical
Services Magazine and Firehouse Magazine's online EMS
content.
Two Sources for Continuing Education for Tri-County
EMS Services
Published in January/February/March issue
of the Maine EMS I/C News in the Journal of
Maine EMS
Central Maine Heart and
Vascular Institute
From May 2005 News & Notes from Tri-County
EMS
The staff of the Central Maine
Heart and Vascular Institute is willing to come to EMS
services throughout the Tri-County region and provide
education on the cardiac system. The three-hour in-service
they are offering is called “12 Leads in 12 Seconds.”
The program features:
*A review of the anatomy and physiology of the heart
*A review of 12 lead EKGs
*Focus on the rapid interpretation of a 12 lead including
identifying which arteries are involved and what symptoms
to expect
This program is available free of charge. To make
arrangements for this program to come to your service
contact Anne Fereday RN, Director of Cardiovascular
Services at Central Maine Medical Center, at 753-3979.
St. Mary's Regional Medical
Center
From May 2005 News & Notes from Tri-County
EMS
The staff of St. Mary’s
Regional Medical Center is willing to come to EMS
services throughout the Tri-County region and provide
education. The programs currently available are:
*Prehospital AMI Care
*Lytic therapy vs. PCI
*Updates on Cardiac Care
*Cardiac Pharmacology
*Reading and Interpreting 12 Lead EKGs
*Case Reviews: you bring the cases and find out what the
expert opinion is
*Emergency Care: perspectives from the physician
viewpoint
These programs are available to TCEMS services free of
charge. To make arrangements for programming to come to
your service contact Russ Donahue at 777-8263.
EMS
Recruitment Video?!
Posted January 25, 2006
Have you seen this
video, designed as a recruitment tool by
Pennsylvania EMS? It's been showing in theaters there
statewide.
What do you think of this approach?
Heartstuff
Posted January 25, 2006
Heartstuff.com is a site
devoted exclusively to cardiac care; it has flash cards,
12 leads, quizzes, articles, teaching cases, and so on. A
good place to go for a cardiac review.
National Incident Management
System
Posted January 25, 2006
According to the FEMA NIMS web page: "NIMS
was developed so responders from different jurisdictions
and disciplines can work together better to respond to
natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of
terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to
incident management; standard command and management
structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and
resource management."
In order to receive federal preparedness funding
assistance in fiscal year 2007, jurisdictions will be
required to meet the FY 2006 NIMS implementation
requirements. Jay Bradshaw says MEMS anticipates that the
New England Council for EMS MCI program will meet this
requirement, and that they are working on getting
certification on that detail.
Motorcycle Crash
Posted January 25, 2006
This site has photos of a pair of vehicles that were
involved in a motorcycle/automobile crash in Sweden. It
was reported that the bike was traveling approximately
155 mph upon hitting the side of a slow-moving car at an
intersection. The motorcycle and its driver were found inside
the car, along with the car's two occupants. Swedish
police suggest that, at the speed the motorcycle was
traveling, the driver would not have even had enough time
to apply his brakes.
The End of the Virtual Hospital
Posted January 25, 2006
Virtual Hospital/Virtual Children's
Hospital closed its virtual doors after 13 years of
serving the Internet community. They have moved many of
their resources to new sites. You can visit this
page for a summary of the new
sites.
Miscellany
Posted January 25, 2006
The National Center for Emergency Medicine
Informatics web site is a
conglomeration of search tools and other useful items. It
even includes a diagram of how to tie a bow tie, always
important for the average EMSer.
November,
2005
Greetings!
Posted November 22, 2005
I figured it's about time I update this site, as it's
sat idle since I started teaching my EMT-Basic class at
the end of August. While I've been totally enjoying that
class, it has taken up so much of my time that when I've
had what little free time I've had, I've wanted to spend
it doing non-EMS-related things.
It's been good teaching a Basic class again. I hadn't
done an EMT-B class since 1998 (I had done Intermediate
and First Responder classes in the intervening time) and
so it was like I was starting all over again. For those
of you who read the Maine EMS I/C News, you've
already read my conflict about using PowerPoint. This was
the first semester I've had a projector a available to me
all the time, and so I've created slides for each and
every lecture. It's been both a blessing and a curse. I've
spent way too much time on it (several hours for each
hour of lecture, some more, some less -- I know, I need
to have my head examined!) but I get such a kick out of
it. I've learned how to vary the style of the
presentation so that it's not the same thing all the time.
I'm sure even these slides will be a work in progress for
the next time I do a class.
IPE
As I mentioned back in August, the Exam
Committee has been working hard on the IPE (In-class
Practical Exam). The Board of Maine EMS told us, at that
time, that for financial reasons we needed to come up
with an alternative to our current state practical exam.
We (I'm on the Exam Committee) really have tried to make
the best of a difficult situation and develop a process
that works well for everybody, given our ever-decreasing
financial resources. Because I'm currently teaching an
EMT-Basic class myself, I'm living through the same
experience other instructors are as we use the IPE for
the first time. And I've been living with the
same frustrations as I muddle through various questions
and areas of confusion.
The way the IPE works is this: the state is going to
be accepting the course final exam as the licensure
practical exam. But because we are mandated by Maine law
to have a state-approved practical exam, we created the
position of "state evaluator," whose job it
will be to go to each and every course final to evaluate
the process -- not the students' performance, but the
process itself. These evaluators will be looking at
stations, equipment, scenarios (if used), grading, and so
on. They will also be a resource person for the
instructor if the instructor has any questions.
Students will have to pass the stations with an
aggregate score of 80%. The committee decided to use the
National Registry skill sheets as the evaluation tool
instead of the MEMS sheets that had been used previously.
This decision came because the National Registry sheets
are recognized and accepted nationally, and are updated
regularly by the Registry to reflect changes in current
practice. One other change in the process from previous
state exams is that students will not immediately fail
just because they miss a critical skill as listed at the
bottom of the page -- critical skills are not included in
the state part of the process (although an instructor can
choose to make critical skills an essential component of
his grading system if he chooses. And this is where it
could potentially get confusing, because if an instructor
sets his course expectations higher than the state's, the
student could fail the instructor's criteria for the
final exam, but could have met the criteria to pass the
IPE because he got >80% of the skills. In this case,
the instructor would not be giving the student a course
completion certificate, because he did not pass the
course final, so the fact that he would have passed the
state portion of the exam becomes moot.)
When the Exam and Education Committees met to do the
initial planning for this process, both groups agreed
that, because this is the final exam for the course, and
not just the state exam, we would leave it up to the
instructor as to whether to do station-based testing or
scenario-based testing. While this complicates things
somewhat, both groups agreed that this was extremely
important, as some instructors feel strongly that they
want their final exam to be scenario-based, and the
committees wished to allow that flexibility. Whether
doing scenario or station testing, however, each
student must demonstrate proficiency to the aggregate 80%
level and must be tested individually on every
skill in the National Registry testing set.
The Exam Committee has developed a number of feedback
forms, and will actively solicit responses from students,
practical test assistants, instructor/coordinators, and
state evaluators, and will be looking closely at the
process and the product beginning with the first batch of
exams, which are scheduled to begin in December. The
committee anticipates doing plenty of tweaking based on
the feedback we get. And I'm guessing we'll get plenty of
feedback, which is good. It's what we need.
MCEMS Conference
I had a great time at the 25th MCEMS conference
at the Samoset in November, as I always do, but this year
had an additional bonus. Steve Leach completely blew me
away when he presented me with the Presidential
Leadership Award at Saturday night's banquet. I walked on
air for the rest of the weekend, and still get a thrill
whenever I think about it now. Funny thing is that, while
they were planning the recognition for me, I had
been thinking what an amazing feat it is that they have
been putting together this tremendous conference year
after year for 25 years, and how honored I have been that
they have allowed me to be a part of it. Thanks to Steve,
Rae, Bill, Alan and all the others who provide us with
this great opportunity year after year. And thanks,
especially, for the great honor of the Presidential
Leadership Award.
Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. We have so much to be
thankful for!
Jacky
Association of Maine I/Cs Proposed
Posted November 22, 2005
If you are interested in learing more about a proposed
association of Maine Instructor/Coordinators, please
contact Dan Batsie, NEEMS's Clinical
and Education Coordinator. Dan is hoping that the
association can put together a web site that will provide
a speakers' bureau, a trading post, and announcements
about upcoming Category 7 education programs.
Be watching here for a link to that page when it
becomes available.
EMS "Scope of Practice" Update
Posted November 22, 2005
The final draft of the National EMS Scope of Practice Model
document was presented to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. It will now go through their
internal review (NHTSA) and process before being released
to the public by NHTSA.
MEMS Education Committee Welcomes New Chairman
Posted November 22, 2005
Nine-year veteran Education Committee Chairman Paul
Marcolini recently stepped down from his position. Taking
over the reins of the Education Committe is NEEMS
Clinical and Education Coordinator Dan
Batsie.
The Megan Bradstreet Pediatric Transport Fund
From AREMS Regional Coordinator Steve
Corbin
Posted November 22, 2005
Five year old Megan Bradstreet of Bridgewater, Maine,
a little girl who loved her dollies, loved to ski, and
loved to sing and dance, suffered a fatal head trauma
this past July. Pediatric trauma effects everyone -
parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends and family.
Megan's parents, Wendy & Ryan Bradstreet, in
conjunction with area health care professionals and
Northern Maine Community College, have established the
Megan Bradstreet Pediatric Transport Fund. Their goal is
to recognize the healthcare professionals who provide
excellent emergency care to pediatric trauma patients and
to raise funds to provide an opportunity for regional
emergency medical service personnel to obtain further
education and certification in pediatric trauma transport.
Their goal is to raise $50,000.00. A flyathon held on
November 19, 2005 by Walter Moser, was the first public
fundraiser for the effort and was sanctioned by the
Bradstreet family. Aroostook Region 5 fully supports this
endeavor. If you would like to make a contribution please
feel free to mail your donation to:
NMCC
c/o The Megan Bradstreet Pediatric Transport Fund
33 Edgemont Drive
Presque Isle, Maine 04769
Some links
When you tell your students to ask their patients
about Viagra or other ED drug usage before giving them a
nitroglycerin, think about this. Babies are now being prescribed Viagra
for pulmonary hypertension. And now Viagra is being tested for adults who
suffer from the same.
Sean Hall, Paramedic and MEMS
I/C, has a Web page. He has some gorgeous photography, as
well as a section dedicated to his classes.
The Atlantic International Emergency Medical
Institute (AIEMI) is an online venue for
discussion of EMS and disaster medicine topics. It is a
collaborative international project between Northern
Ireland, Ireland, and Maine, and includes, on its Board
of Directors, Maine's own Steve Diaz, Rick Petrie, Jay
Bradshaw, Kelly Roderick, Mark Wright, John Bastin, and
Bill McKenna.
The faculty development office at the University of
Hawaii Honolulu Community College has posted some great
teaching tips. Start with their index page and just explore.
Want to study at MIT -- and not have to leave your
living room? Check out MIT's Open Courseware, with
topics in aeronautics, if you're so inclined, or
architecture, or biology, economics, physics, political
science, science technology and society, and many more.
Some links just for fun
No, I don't waste a lot of time on the Internet,
especially not playing games, but when somebody told me
about this particular cat bowling game, I decided I
wanted to share it.
I don't know why this guy tickled my fancy so much,
but every so often, when I need a laugh, I click on the Numanuma song. Coincidentally,
when we were traveling in the Gaspe Peninsula this fall,
we were eating at a quaint little local French Canadian
restaurant, which had music playing softly in the
background, and all of a sudden I realized they were
playing the Numanuma song. I have no idea what the song
is about, as it's not in English. As I understand it,
though, the song has really taken off on the Internet,
with lots of renditions. I haven't had a chance to check
them all out, but of the few I've seen, this one is still
my favorite.
This guy, the piano juggler, is a must-see.
What ever makes somebody learn a skill like that,
I'll never know, but he sure is entertaining.
A big welcome to the MEMS office's two newest members:
Posted November 22, 2005
Licensing Assistant
Karen Cutler is the newest
Licensing Assistant.
Data and Preparedness Coordinator
Ben Woodard, WEMT-B, has been
hired by MEMS as Data and Preparedness Coordinator. Feel
free to contact Ben if you wish to discuss electronic run
reporting or emergency preparedness.
AREMS Announces Extended Business Hours
From AREMS Regional Coordinator Steve
Corbin
Posted November 22, 2005
AREMS will now be open for
business Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.
New NEEMS Phone Numbers
Posted November 22, 2005
Telephone 974-4880
Fax 974-4879
For the next couple of months, the old phone numbers will
be automatically forwarded to the new numbers.
August,
2005
ECGs on your
PDA
Posted August 4,
2005
Jeff Siegel writes: "I just saw
your article in the Maine EMS newsletter and found your
web page with PDA references. Check out www.activecenter.com - there is a demo version of the product that
shows ECG arrhythmias in real time (Products/Demo).
It'll work well on your Clie. I'm the author and
developer of the hardware and software. Cheers! Jeff"
(Jeff is an EMT-I from Bagaduce Ambulance in Castine, ME.)
MEMS
discussing future of practical licensure examinations in
the state
Posted August 3,
2005
Maine EMS has
been dealing with a significant budget crunch for quite
some time now. Recently, the MEMS Board charged the Exam
and Education Committees to work together to begin begin
developing a mechanism for including the equivalent of
practical state testing within licensure courses, rather
than as stand-alone testing after courses are completed.
Two meetings of these committees have already occurred,
and another is scheduled for September. Be watching here
for developments along this front as they happen.
Not so common
cents
Posted August 3,
2005
Years ago, I
heard Walt Stoy suggest that, as a mechanism for
motivating refreshing students, we could ask them to draw,
in detail, the "heads" side of a U.S. penny.
They usually can't get all the details right. It's a good
way to remind people that, even with something we use
every single day, we can forget the details. It's the
same with our EMS knowledge -- ergo the need for
refreshing on our base knowledge. A variation on this
theme would be to have them go to Common cents and pick out the real penny.
More Sites to
Check Out
Posted August 3,
2005
ACLS suggestions, including "Code Blue hints,"
a listing of conditions associated with cardiac arrest,
and comprehensive ACLS algorithms
The University
of Pittsburgh's Center for Injury Research & Control
has a series of "webinars," or seminars on the
web, which are seminars you can view online. The listing of past seminars includes such topics as
"An Optimal Solution for Enhancing Ambulance Safety:
Implementing a Driver Performance Monitoring and Feedback
Device in Ground Ambulances"
"Injury Control Community Response to Tsunami/Earthquake
Disaster"
"National Child Death Review Overview"
" Recreational Injuries Among Older Americans"
"Falls During Pregnancy"
"New Developments in Sports Concussion"
" All You Ever Wanted to Know about Journal
Publishing"
and many more
July, 2005
PROTOCOL BOOK
CORRECTIONS NOW AVAILABLE ON MEMS WEB SITE
Posted July 7, 2005
As previously noted, there have
been a couple of errors identified the July 1, 2005 Maine
EMS Prehospital Treatment Protocols. Those errors are:
Page Pink 4 midazolam dose is
listed as 0.2 mg/kg, but should read 0.02 mg/kg.
Page Yellow 12, #3, fourth line down reads 86C but
should read 86F.
These corrections are incorporated
into the full version of the protocols that can be downloaded from the
MEMS web site. Additionally, corrections pages are
available on the MEMS web site.
June, 2005
Google is beta testing yet another
invaluable search engine, this one to be able to locate
text within print books. Google provides more information,
or you can read the press release from Stanford University
about this ambitious undertaking. The search results
provide you the opportunity to read the contents pages,
index pages, and several pages from the text of the
target books. Pretty amazing!
May, 2005
MEMS Welcomes New Licensing
Assistant -- (this is "old news" because
Missy has since left)
When you call the MEMS office
these days you will likely hear a new voice, that of
Melissa “Missy” Donovan. Missi came to MEMS
from the State Bureau of Investigation office. Next time
you call MEMS, take a moment to say hello and welcome her.
Her e-mail address is Melissa.Donovan@maine.gov.
PROTOCOL BOOK
CORRECTIONS
Posted May 26, 2005
A couple of errors have
already been identified in the re-re-printed July 2005
MEMS Protocol book. They are as follows:
Page Pink 4 midazolam dose is
listed as 0.2 mg/kg, but should read 0.02 mg/kg.
Page Yellow 12, #3, fourth line down reads 86C but
should read 86F.
Any other corrections that are
identified will be posted here as soon as I become aware
of them.
KVEMS Has Links to Accepted Abbreviations
Posted May 25, 2005
In an effort to standardize documentation practices
and therefore make documentation more clear, KVEMS has
linked to a page of standardized abbreviations and
an article about abbreviations specifically related to medications.
2005 Protocols Available for Download
Posted May 25, 2005
The online version of the 2005 Maine EMS Treatment Protocols
had been posted to the Maine EMS web site. Note that
both the new version and the 2002 version of the
treatment protocols are both available on the document
page of the MEMS web site.
Kennebec Valley EMS has a PowerPoint presentation you
can download about the new protocols on their Educational
Resources page.
A Few New (to me) Links
Posted May 25, 2005
The United States government's official portal to its
Web resources: FirstGov
EMS Network for online EMS
news and information; while EMSLive offers broadcasts of
EMS radio programming
MDChoice, a medical search
tool
A few sites for online education include WebCT,
CE
Solutions, and Degree Advantage
Like to laugh at the law? DumbLaws gives you lots of reasons to laugh at it
I'm not sure quite what to make of Wikepedia,
but it's an online encyclopedia, if that helps
A Few New (to me) Medical Blogs
(web logs)
Posted May 25 2005
Mr. Hassle's Long Underpants
The Examining Room of Dr. Charles
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
See more blogs listed below
April,
2005
Fellow EMS
Worker In Need of Assistance
From Kelly Roderick, Region 3 Office Manager
Posted April 1,
2005
Tina Cyr, a Paramedic
from Redington Fairview EMS and a single parent, is
battling cancer. A local fundraising campaign is underway
to help raise funds to cover her expenses while she is
out of work fighting this battle.
The Canaan Fire
Auxiliary is holding a calendar raffle during the month
of April. Here is how it works: you buy a calendar page which has cash prizes
listed on each day. Your name goes into the daily drawing.
Each day a name is drawn and if your name is drawn
you win the amount of cash on that date. Cash prizes
range from $10 to $50, and are randomly placed on
the printed calendars. There is one winner each day.
The Auxiliary members hope to raise over $2000 with this
fundraiser. If you are interested, the cost is $10 per
entry. Only $300 calendar sheets are printed so your odds
are not too bad. We have some calendar pages here at the
KVEMS office if you are interested.
You can send me the $10 and I will
fill out your page and have it entered in to the weekly
drawing.
The Canaan Fire
Auxiliary is also holding a benefit dinner on April 8th.
More details will be coming. Let help out our fellow EMS
Provider and show her we care.
For more information
on or to participate in either of these fundraising
events, please contact Kelly Roderick.
EMS Radio
Posted April 1, 2005
EMSLive.com
is an online site which offers interviews, news, and live
chats. They have an online radio show each Tuesday
evening at 9 p.m., and, if you can't listen to the shows
then, you can access them through their archives.
March,
2005
Maine EMS to Allow AED Use in Patients Ages 1-8
Maine EMS has announced that the use of AEDs in
patients age 1 to 8 is allowed, effective immediately.
The March 10, 2005 memo from MEMS says:
If you have updated your basic
cardiac life support (CPR) over the past few months,
you are aware that training in the use automatic
external defibrillators (AED) for children age 1 to 8
is now a required part of the American Heart
Association Healthcare Provider Course and Heartsaver
Course. Maine EMS recently advised the regional
offices that EMS providers, having completed training
in Pediatric AED, can immediately begin to use this
skill on an EMS call should a child in cardiac arrest
be encountered.
As you know from your training:
You would provide a minute of CPR on the child before
using the AED. Pediatric AED pads specifically
designed for children 1 to 8 are available for most
models of AEDs. Services are encouraged to have these
pads on their units. The American Heart Association
has not made a recommendation for AED use on infants,
age birth to one year.
If you have any questions please
call 795-2880. If you have not received this training
please consider updating your CPR card. This
information will also be provided during the rollout
of the Maine EMS protocols, which become effective
May 23, 2005.
Evidence Based Medicine
In their article, "Evidence Based? Caveat Emptor!,"
authors Earl P. Steinberg and Bryan R. Luce provide an
historical perspective of evidence based research,
consider how evidence should be evaluated and rated, and
look at the types of decisions best made on the basis of
"evidence." (You may need to
sign in to Medscape to be able to read this article.)
Lifepak 12 Recall
Medtronic has sent a letter to all their
customers who own a LIFEPAK 12 defibrillator/monitor with
Adaptiv biphasic technology, advising them of a potential
problem with the unit not providing the pre-programmed
charge after certain maintenance and/or software upgrades.
They list several recommendations for follow-up action,
and provide a telephone number for people to call for
technical support.
Online Education
ed2go is a provider of online
adult continuing education courses. You can view their course catalogue, and find
courses in education, computer technology, health
sciences, languages, writing, childcare, and many other
topics. The courses are offered in partnership with local
schools and colleges.
EMT-P to RN Program at CMMC
The Central Maine Medical Center
School of Nursing has announced a paramedic-to-RN program
that will allow paramedics to challenge, through
experience, the first two semesters of the nursing
sequence. By challenging this portion of the program,
they will be able to complete the educational
requirements for their nursing degree in three semesters
instead of the usual four semesters.
Applicants must be paramedics with
1000 hours of clinical practice in the last two years, or
graduates from a paramedic program within the last two
years. For more information on this program, contact
Sue Hiscock, Secretary at the CMMC School of Nursing (by
phone at 207-795-2840).
Geek talk
Mozilla Firefox
I just installed Mozilla Firefox as my Internet
browser. Mozilla is a suite of free applications,
and Firefox is the Web browser. Mozilla claims that
Firefox offers the following benefits:
* High grade security
* Tabbed Browsing
* Pop-up blocker and Image blocker
* Live Bookmarks
* Integrated with Google Search and more
* Easy to migrate from Internet Explorer, Safari,
Netscape or Opera
It's been great not to have pop-ups
whenever I'm surfing the web; and, although at first I
couldn't quite see the benefit of tabbed browsing (I was
used to simply opening multiple Internet Explorer windows),
the first time I was shopping online and wanted to keep
windows open for several products to be able to compare
them, I became a convert. Mozilla also offers tips for switching from Internet Explorer
to Firefox to make it easy.
Wireless
I also got wireless capability, and
look forward to finding free hotspots wherever I go. I
found a directory of free WiFi access points. That
should help!
Picasa2
And at last and probably best
is I started using Picasa2 for my photo
management. I can't say enough good things about this
free program from the Google guys. The Picasa home page
says about the program:
A free software download from
Google.
Picasa is software that helps you instantly find,
edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every
time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all
your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and
sorts them into visual albums organized by date with
folder names you will recognize. You can drag and
drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create
new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are
always organized.
Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting
one-click fixes and powerful effects at your
fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your
pictures – you can email, print photos home,
make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello™, and
even post pictures on your own blog.
You've got to see it to believe it.
And the price is right -- it's worth trying out even if
you decide not to keep it. But believe me, if you try it,
you'll keep it!
February,
2005
NEEMS Begins Continuing Education
Series
From Trisha Coleman, Office Manager, NEEMS
Published in Winter 2005 Maine EMS I/C News
Northeast EMS is pleased to
announce its latest effort to meet the educational needs
of EMS providers in Region 4. Beginning in February 2005,
we will set forth a series of regular, monthly classes
designed not only to keep our responders current in the
latest advances in EMS, but also to meet their continuing
education needs for relicensure at the state and national
levels.
A yearly calendar of topics can be
found posted on the Northeast EMS website. These
preset topics will be updated monthly with information
regarding the actual class lecture title, the instructor
and the specific location. With the exception of ALS
updates, (and classroom availability issues) classes will
be held on the third Wednesday of each month from 6:00-9:00
p.m. (10:00 p.m. for skills) in Bangor. Pre-registration
will be required through the NEEMS office and a $5.00 fee
will be assessed to cover expenses ($20.00 for all-day
ALS updates). Registration forms can be obtained through
the website and also at the NEEMS office.
Understanding the geographic
difficulties of Region 4, we realize that not all
providers will be able to travel to Bangor in the evening.
To reach those responders, we plan to video record each
month’s class and make that tape available through
the Northeast EMS video library. With the exception of
skills-based classes, there will be an accompanying test
available for those who wish to complete the tape for CEH
purposes.
Throughout the year we will
continue to look at other distance learning technologies
such as the Eastern Maine Community College’s
“telecom classroom” as well as web based
education. Any such advance will be announced and posted
on the website.
As the schedule is designed now, a
provider who attends all 12 evening classes could, at the
end of one year, complete the continuing education needs
of a Nationally Registered EMT-Basic. Additionally, on a
quarterly basis, we will also hold an all-day Saturday
ALS update. These classes will be intended for those
providers at or above the intermediate level, but will be
open to anyone interested. Again, specific topics and
locations will be announced on the website. Attending all
12 evening classes AND all four ALS updates, a provider
could meet the CEH needs of the National Registry
Paramedic level.
Please take a moment to go the
Northeast EMS website and look over the schedule of
topics. As this is a new endeavor, your feedback is
important to us. Making this office into a better
educational resource for our region is an important goal
for us in 2005. If you have comments on how we can do
this better, please fell free to share them with us. We
are also seeking persons interested in teaching to assist
in this effort. Please contact the office if you are
interested.
Providers must pre-register for
classes at the NEEMS office or by downloading a
registration form on the NEEMS website. Registration fees
must be paid prior to the start of class.
Please take a minute to visit the Northeast
EMS website for current forms and regional
information.
NEEMS E-mail Address Changes
NEEMS announces new e-mail
addresses. General messages to the office should be sent
to neems@emcc.edu.
The Northeast EMS region’s web site address remains www.northeastems.org.
Individual e-mail addresses are:
Trisha Coleman: tcoleman@emcc.edu
Rick Petrie: rpetrie@emcc.edu
Dan Batsie: dbatsie@emcc.edu
Don Wade: dwade@emcc.edu
Hints for Student Success on the
NREMT Exam
The MEMS Exam Committee wishes to
share the following suggestions with all instructors:
Go
to the National Registry Web page and
read the information to candidates about preparing for
exams, so you will know what you can tell your students
to help prepare them. In particular, you might want to
see this article that the Registry
has put out discussing continuing deficits in airway and
CPR among candidates for registration. The article also
directs you to a supplemental airway module
that all instructors should be using to help students
master core airway material.
Students
traditionally do most poorly in the airway, CPR,
pediatrics, and OB sections of the exams. They should be
told this and encouraged to focus extra attention in
these areas.
Encourage
students to use their workbook. We have found that
classes in which instructors encourage and even require
the workbook have done better on the Registry exams than
those who don't.
Encourage
students to purchase and use a review manual at the end
of their licensure program to help them prepare for the
exam.
Use
a variety of teaching methods in your program, so you
reach people who learn best by many different styles.
Give
students the opportunity to practice taking exams in the
same way they will have to take the National Registry
written exam (i.e., 150 items over a period of 2 ½ hours,
in a quiet, monitored setting). While you can't give them
actual Registry exams, you can prepare them for the
experience itself.
Realize
that in 1994 the National Registry changed the format of
its exams to include a lot more scenario questions. While
the members of Maine’s Exam Committee are not able
to look at the Registry’s exams, it is our
understanding that they continue to use scenario-based
questions. It will be good for students to get used to
that format in their practice exams.
Track
Your Own I/C Eductation
Published in Winter 2005 Maine
EMS I/C News
Some questions have arisen
recently about the tracking of Category 7 (I/C) courses.
For your information, here is a summary of what the I/C
News has found out:
MEMS currently does not have the
ability to track Category 7 courses in their computer
system. Regions send to the state rosters of who attended
the programs, and the state keeps these rosters. (When
MEMS’ computer system is updated, they will be able
to begin tracking them as they do other categories.)
I/Cs should be keeping the paper
certificates they receive from these programs and
submitting copies of them to the state when it comes time
for relicensure. If an I/C has taken a course for which
he has not received a paper certificate, he should
contact the region in which he took the course and ask
for a certificate.
According to the Maine EMS
Instructor/Certification Process document, approved in
2001, “24 hours of continuing education are required
over the three-year licensure period. Up to six hours of
that time may be earned through instruction of EMS
licensure courses. At least 18 hours of continuing
education must be earned through professional development
courses or other instructor certification programs.”
Instructor courses for CPR, PHTLS, etc., can count for
Category 7 credits; however, the provider courses for
those programs do not.
Extra Category 7 credits cannot be used as electives
toward a general license.
EMS Memorial
An adaptation of a letter from Kevin
McGinnis
Published in Winter 2005 Maine
EMS I/C News
Maine EMS Colleagues,
If you have been following
statewide EMS news, you may know that I have initiated an
effort to have a Maine EMS Memorial built alongside the
fire and law enforcement memorials in Augusta.
We are now seeking co-sponsors for
the Maine EMS Memorial Legislative Document (LD). The
primary bill sponsor is Sen. Scott Cowger of Hallowell.
There is no reason not to have a lot of co-sponsors.
Please have your legislators contact Senator Cowger or his staffer,
Dan Shagoury to sign on as
sponsors. Don’t let the towns you serve go
unrepresented!
The legislative strategy is based
on successful memorial efforts in the past, and these
have generally been accomplished in two parts. The first
step, reflected in the current draft, is to establish a
committee to plan the project and set aside sufficient
land for the memorial. The committee will consist of
Maine EMS licensees, members of Statehouse planning
committees that must approve the project, a member of the
MEMS Memorial Project team, and a legislator, who will
serve as chair. The committee will specify a design and
exact location and will report back to the Legislature
with these.
The second legislative step will
be a bill next year to approve the report of the
committee and to authorize the monument. There will be
no fiscal note to slow this project as no state funding
will be requested. A separate fundraising effort is
beginning soon.
If you have questions, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
Kevin McGinnis
NREMT Moves Ahead on Computer
Adaptive Testing
Published in Winter 2005 Maine
EMS I/C News
Information compiled from articles on JEMS’
web site, and from EMS Insider.
Tips from Donnie Carroll and Kelly Roderick
The National Registry of Emergency
Medical Technicians, moving forward with its plan to
offer computer adaptive examinations beginning January 1,
2007, has authorized a "memorandum of understanding"
with Pearson VUE to provide computer adaptive testing (CAT)
services. The Registry is planning to bring every state
EMS Director, even those from states that don't currently
use the Registry for EMS testing, to meetings in March to
work with Pearson on access.
One of the problems the Registry
hopes to solve with CAT is that of security. While the
Registry has policies providing for security with their
pencil-and-paper exams, the loss of a single exam booklet
compromises the integrity of the entire testing process.
With computer adaptive testing,
the tests would only be administered at secure sites.
Each candidate would get a unique test drawn from a bank
of 3000 questions. The difficulty of questions would be
determined by how the candidate has answered previous
questions. The program is set to shut down when the
student has either successfully passed the exam or has
answered enough questions incorrectly such that he will
be unable to pass.
Maine representatives will be
meeting with representatives from the National Registry
during the spring or fall of this year, and more
information will be coming as it becomes available.
This quarter's links
The grammar police are going to
love Get it Write, a Web site that
provides all kinds of tips that will help us write better.
Register on eMedicine.com and you will
have access to hundreds of high-resolution images that
you can use to enhance your presentations. You can also
use their database to search for articles, or browse
articles in their many “Resource Centers.”
TRAIN (Training Finder Real-time
Affiliate Integrated Network) is a recent expansion of
the Public Health Foundation's TrainingFinder web site.
It is a free service for all professionals who protect
the public's health. It includes a database of nationwide
on-site and distance learning opportunities from
government, academic, and private sector training
providers. For more information and to register,
The Brain Trauma Foundation
has EMS Instructor and Provider pages.
Emergency Care and Safety Institute,
for EMS Instructors, from the the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and American College of
Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
EMS Writers Workshop has tips
on finding the time to write, choosing a topic, and
developing an idea.
For online continuing education on hazardous materials,
see Hazmat Online.
Articles:
Will Consumers Use Over-the-Counter AED's
Effectively? by J.M. Hendry (MERGINet)
Has EMS Become Too Technology-Dependent
-- Part 1 by Bryan Bledsoe(JEMS)
Ice-Cold Ringer's and Resuscitation
by Bryan Bledsoe (MERGINet)
Abuse of Club Drugs Associated with Tooth
Self-Extraction by Bryan Bledsoe (MERGINet)
More Research Questions Pediatric ET by
Paramedics by Bryan Bledsoe (MERGINet)
Study Cites Code 3, RSI, and Peds
Intubation (FireTimes)
More Evidence against Prehospital
Intubation of Head Injury Patients by Bryan
Bledsoe (MERGINet)
Eleven Common-Sense Learning Principles
by David C. Forman (ASTD -- American Society of Training
Directors)
How Can I Find What I Want on Medscape?
by Susan Yox (Medscape)
Community Associated Methicillin
Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus [MRSA]: A Review
by Michael Rybak and Kerry L. LaPlante (Medscape)
Pilot Study of ResQ-Valve shows increased
patient hemodynamics during CPR by J. M.
Hendry (MERGINet)
Poor Quality CPR Often Performed by
Trained Medical Professionals by J. M. Hendry
(MERGINet)
November,
2004
The
Maine EMS Education Committee has been working with the Maine
Coalition to End Domestic Violence to develop
a Continuing Education Program for EMS providers on
Improving EMS Response to Domestic Violence.
A great
deal of effort has been put into this project by all
involved, and we are pleased to roll out this program to
EMS providers across the state. Each class will be team
taught by a member of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic
Violence and an EMS provider. The program has been pre-approved
for 1.5 hours in Category #1 – Operations.
To
schedule a class in your area please contact Nicky
Blanchard at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence
at 941-1194 or nicky@mcedv.org. She will
schedule the two instructors and provide certificates of
completion for those who attend.
I
strongly encourage all EMS providers across the state to
take advantage of this excellent continuing education
class on an extremely important and often overlooked
topic.
Scope of Practice Document
From Dwight Corning, NREMT-P; MEMS
Education Coordinator
Published in Fall 2004 Maine
EMS I/C News
The first draft of the National EMS Scope of Practice
Model document has been out for review for a few months.
If you haven’t already done so, please review this
draft document. I will be doing several presentations on
this document over the next couple of months. Several of
those presentations will be done over a video
teleconferencing network so that interested people from
across the state will have the opportunity to hear the
presentation, ask questions, and offer comments. I will
also be doing the presentation for the Maine EMS Board
and all of the EMS committees. The purpose of the draft
document is to serve as a starting point for dialogue
with EMS stakeholders. That dialogue represents a true
opportunity for EMS personnel and organizations to shape
the future of our profession. As you review this draft,
the task force requests that you share your comments,
suggestions, and observations in an effort to refine and
improve the document. The National EMS Scope of Practice
Model will be most successful when it reflects the
broadest possible consensus and understanding of the EMS
community. The detailed instructions for submitting
comments are contained in the draft. The task force will
be accepting comments through January 2005. After that
time, a national review team will consider edits to the
document. The final document is due to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Health
Resources Services Administration by the fall of 2005. As
you review the draft you will find some significant
changes from our current system. You comments are very
important to the task force, and I strongly encourage you
to take the time to review the document and submit your
comments. Thank you for your careful and considered
review. This is an exciting effort that holds the promise
of guiding our profession in the years to come. I am
confident that we will look back on this project with
pride in our collective efforts. Please don’t
hesitate to contact me at Maine EMS (626-3860) if you
have any questions on this national project.
Southern Maine EMS Has New
Location
SMEMS’ offices have moved
from their SMCC space to the Simon Hamlin School at the
corner of Route 77 (Ocean Street) and Sawyer Street, in
South Portland. There they have three large classrooms,
several offices, and lots of storage space. Their
telephone numbers remain the same, but their mailing
address is now
SMEMS
496 Ocean Street
South Portland, Maine 04106
Along with this change of location
comes a change in the way SMEMS offers EMT-Basic classes.
Their programs are no longer affiliated with SMCC, a
change which keeps their costs down and allows them more
control over ordering and maintaining equipment.
SMEMS/SMCC Educator Receives
National Recognition
Robert
Hawkes, Department Chair/Program Director of
Southern Maine Community College’s Emergency Medical
Services Department, recently received the National
Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Excellence Award in
recognition of teaching excellence. Bob was nominated by
faculty peers at the College, and SMCC President James
Ortiz submitted his name to NISOD for consideration.
NISOD is a worldwide organization dedicated to the
development of faculty, staff, and administrators at over
600 community colleges. Each member college is able to
nominate faculty to be recognized.
The award was presented during the
annual NISOD conference at the University of Texas at
Austin in May 2004. This was the first year that Southern
Maine Community College has participated in the
conference and was the only college represented from the
State of Maine. At the beginning of this academic year,
in September, President Ortiz made the formal award
presentation to the college community. Hawkes said
“I was honored to receive the award and be
recognized by my faculty peers. The NISOD conference was
a great opportunity to attend classes and network with
the other award recipients.”
Join
me in congratulating Bob for this well-deserved
and prestigious award!
Applying for CEH credits in
Southern Maine
The process for applying for CEH
credits in southern Maine has been changed, as of
September 1. A memo from Liz Delano on this subject says:
- Due to the increasing number of CEH requests
along with the increasing number of last minute
requests we are changing the application process.
Effective September 1, 2004, you may now apply
for CEH approval up to one hour prior to the
program. CEH application forms and CEH rosters
may be downloaded from our Web site. Please note,
we will no longer be issuing CEH certificates.
Your license number, name and signature on the
CEH roster is enough proof for CEH credit.
- If your CEH request is received 7 days before the
class you will receive the evaluation and the
roster in the mail as before. The CEH approval
number will be listed on the roster. If you want
to hand out a certificate you may generate your
own using the approval number of the roster.
- If your CEH request is received in six days or
less (up to one hour before the class begins) you
will need to download the roster and evaluation
form from our Web site <www.smems.org>. A
CEH approval number will be assigned once the
original roster is received in the SMEMS office.
Rosters must be mailed; we cannot accept a faxed
roster. Credit will not be issued until the Maine
EMS office in Augusta processes the paperwork.
If
you have any questions, contact SMEMS
or Liz Delano.
SMEMS Looking for Instructors for
Paramedic Program and CEH Series
SMEMS is looking to start a
Paramedic program next fall, and needs a lead instructor.
If anyone is interested and has experience teaching at
the ALS level, they should contact Liz
Delano by e-mail or call her at 774-2790.
The region is also looking to
start a CEH series to be held at the new SMEMS classrooms
to provide CEH hours in both didactic and practical areas.
If anyone is interested in teaching a particular subject,
please contact Liz in the SMEMS
office.
NREMT Reminds I/Cs of Airway and CPR
Deficits
A message from Bill Brown of the National
Registry of EMT's
We have alerted the EMS community
concerning airway and CPR issues in recent years. We have
seen improvement in test scores in states that have
aggressively implemented the supplemental airway module
of the 1994 National EMT-B Curriculum. The NREMT cannot
provide specific information about specific questions to
educators. We feel this alert is all that we can provide
while fulfilling our responsibility as a certification
organization. We are hopeful the information is
understood by your educators and that they revise their
lesson plans that cover airway, breathing, oxygenation
and CPR tasks.
The NREMT desires that all
candidates for registration reach entry-level competency.
Performance on valid tests vary for a variety of reasons.
It is our desire to alert the EMS community in regards to
our observation of the generalized national weakness in
items that focus on tasks regarding airway and CPR.
Thank you for your assistance.
Ed note:
Please see the NREMT article on
this subject for more information.
Click here for the Supplemental Airway Module.
Rural EMS Agenda Completed
Kevin McGinnis, former state EMS
director from Maine, has been the principal investigator/author
of Rural/Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future. The
Agenda was rolled out at the NASEMSD meeting on October 8th.
You can download this work here: Rural/Frontier EMS Agenda for the Future,
or go to the National Rural Health Association's
Web Page. You can also order print copies ($15 for
National Rural Health Association members, $25 for non-members,
with all proceeds going to the National Rural Health
Association.) Providers in Maine, which is a
predominantly rural state, are all encouraged to obtain
and study this document.
Dan Palladino
Named Chair of NAEMSE Education Committee
Tip from Bill McKenna, Director of
Community Relations, Delta Ambulance
Dan Palladino, Director of
Education for Delta Ambulance (Waterville and Augusta)
has been named as the Chairperson of the National
Association of EMS Educators Education
Committee.
The National Association of EMS
Educators is an international collection of EMS Educators
that was established nine years ago to help further the
EMS educator’s profession. The Association provides
educators with a resource for research and is also a
clearinghouse and communication conduit for its members.
As chair of the education
committee Dan will coordinate the development of a model
curriculum for the members of the Association to use.
Past model curricula have been used as the building
blocks for complete published works. Topics for past
curricula include Geriatrics, Stroke, Death and Dying,
and a Program Administrator Program. The topic chosen for
this year’s project is Pain Management.
Other duties will include
providing authors for the two publications presently
distributed by the organization for its members and
working with other committees within the organization to
help further the cause of EMS education internationally.
For information about the National
Association of EMS Educators, please contact Dan Palladino by e-mail or by
calling him at (207) 872-4016.
Guidelines for Use of Graphics in
Slides
Tip from Daryl Boucher, MS, RN, CCEMT-P;
EMS Coordinator, Northern Maine Community College
“Guidelines for Effective Graphics”
is a tutorial on using graphics in course presentations.
It is a complete program, with audio narrative, and can
be viewed online. It takes about 25 minutes to view and
listen to the presentation. The audio plays automatically
and you move through the slides manually.
Another site I/Cs might
find useful
Kelly Roderick, Region 3 Office
Manager, writes: “Learner Associates is a good
site that has some good suggestions, guidelines and ideas
for teaching adult learners.” Kelly believes the
site might be helpful for both seasoned and new I/Cs.
My Suggestions for a Few New (to
me, anyway) Things to See on the Internet
Pink Poetry Ambulance -- Because Poetry
is in a State of Emergency
When I was traveling in
Canada this fall, I heard a piece on a Canadian news
program about an interesting use for a retired ambulance.
EMS Professions PowerPoint Presentations
This amazing site has PowerPoint presentations
for every topic in the paramedic curriculum. You have to
see it to believe it! And the site says they're there for
you to use for your studies and classes, too!
AAOS Paramedic anatomy and physiology
This site is an online resource for anatomy and
physiology, filled with interactive learning tools
including crossword puzzles and animated flash cards. I
don't think it's too complicated for levels under
paramedic, either.
Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopedics
This site has, on its home page, a clickable image map of
a human skeleton. Click on the part you are interested in,
and you get a more detailed view. But the site has far
more than that. Spend some time, dig around, use the
search feature. There is a lot of information here.
MERGINET
has tips for your students who are also parents
They include juggling priorities, delegating, planning
ahead, getting outside help, and developing a support
team.
Miscellaneous articles, in no
particular order. Feel free to browse.
Prehospital End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide
Concentration as a Predictor of Outcome in Major Trauma
-- MERGINET
Automakers Release Emergency Response
Guides for Hybrid Cars -- MERGINET
Infants Who Appear Well On Scene May Have
Life-Threatening Problems -- MERGINET
Draft Document Proposes New EMS Job
Titles -- MERGINET
New ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Guidelines -- MERGINET
Compressions First Dispatch Protocols
Working Well -- MERGINET
Leaders Meet on Top EMS Issues
-- MERGINET
Motorcycle Crashes: It's All About
Visibility -- MERGINET
Apparent life-threatening events in
infants: High risk in the out-of-hospital environment
-- Annals of Emergency Medicine
Emergency Study: FEMA joins National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in study of
ambulance and emergency vehicles accidents --
JEMS
Preventing Nosocomial Spread of MRSA is
in Your Hands --
Medscape
Deadly Rash Persists -- JEMS
Community-Acquired MRSA: A Dramatically
Different Strain -- Medscape
Prolonged Spinal Immobilization Risky for
Patients -- Medscape
Hypoxia and Hyperventilation Pose
Significant Risks for Head-Injured Patients Who Receive
Prehospital RSI --
MERGINET
FDA Clears Non-prescription Sale of AEDs
-- JEMS
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!
-- JEMS
August,
2004
BNAS fire department named best among U.S. military's
From the August 3, 2004 edition of the
Portland Press Herald
Brunswick Naval Air Station's
fire department has been chosen as the best military fire
department in the United States.
Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan was named the best
department of all military bases. The first runner-up was
the Chinhae Fire Department at a base in Korea. BNAS was
second runner-up.
The 2003 Fire and Emergency Services Awards program
judged departments on customer service, innovation,
quality management and quality of life.
"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears and
doing the things that had to be done to win this. We
focused on taking care of business," said Wayne Almy,
chief of BNAS' fire department.
The department is located on the base and has 56 full-time
civilian firefighters including six administrative staff,
Almy said.
The base fire department, which has a full complement
of fire fighting vehicles, is on call 24 hours a day. In
addition to responding to base structure fires, the
department frequently goes off base to fight fires in
Brunswick or Topsham.
Firefighting crews are also trained to respond to a
plane crash.
A Note from Bill Brown to NASEMSD Members
Subject: Current NREMT-Basic examinations
Date: August 2, 2004
Please forward this e-mail and attachment to EMS
instructors and educators in your state. We have alerted
the EMS community concerning airway and CPR issues in
recent years. We have seen improvement in test scores in
states that have aggressively implemented the supplemental airway module of
the1994 National EMT-B Curriculum. The NREMT cannot
provide specific information about specific questions to
educators. We feel this alert is all that we can provide
while fulfilling our responsibility as a certification
organization. We are hopeful the information is
understood by your educators and that they revise their
lesson plans that cover airway, breathing, oxygenation
and CPR tasks. The NREMT desires that all candidates for
registration reach entry-level competency. Performance on
valid tests vary for a variety of reasons. It is our
desire to alert the EMS community in regards to our
observation of the generalized national weakness in items
that focus on tasks regarding airway and CPR.
Thank you for your assistance.
Bill Brown, Executive Director, NREMT
For full article, see Test Results Reveal Potential Deficits in
EMT-Basic Education
MEMS Hires New Director of Emergency Preparedness
From the Summer 2004 issue of the MEMS
I/C News
John Bastin, PA-C, MHS, NREMT-B,
has been named the state's new MEMS Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator. Lt. Bastin, who lives in
Topsham, is currently a Family Practice Physicians
Assistant at the Branch Medical Clinic at the Naval Air
Station in Brunswick. He is the head of EMS and Disaster
Preparedness at the Brunswick base, and works as a
consultant for the Office of Homeland Security/Office of
Domestic Preparedness. He has 25 years in the Navy.
John is also the Medical Officer
for the Mid-Coast Maine Hazmat Team, is a Maine EMS
Instructor/Coordinator, and works as a PA in the
Emergency Department at Central Maine Medical Center.
Our new MEMS Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator is the author of a Chemical,
Biological and Radiological Pocket Reference, to be
published by Brady Books this fall. He has been published
three times in Physician Assistant Magazine on various
medical topics, and also provided Maine's ICs, via the Maine
EMS I/C News, with an extensive listing of Internet
disaster/hazmat/WMD references in the Winter 2003 issue
of this newsletter. (Click here for link to article.)
NEEMS Hires New Education Coordinator
From the Summer 2004 issue of the MEMS
I/C News
Dan Batsie, NREMT-P, BA, has accepted the position of
Education Coordinator for Northeast EMS. He will be
starting in the role this fall. Dan has been a paramedic
since 1994, having worked with MEDCU in Portland and
Eastern Paramedics in Syracuse NY. He currently works as
the Director of EMS in Yarmouth. Dan has been a Maine EMS
Instructor/Coordinator since 2000.
Maine EMS System Study
From the Summer 2004 issue of the MEMS
I/C News
Several months ago, MEMS announced
that it had contracted with the EMSSTAR Group of
Annapolis, Maryland to perform a system-wide assessment
of Maine EMS. The EMSSTAR Group released its findings in
a report dated July 21, 2004. The EMSSTAR report is now
available in PDF format by clicking here.
The EMSSTAR report reviewed 10
system components: regulation and policy; resource
management; human resources and training; transportation;
facilities; communications; public information, education
and prevention; medical direction; trauma systems; and
evaluation. For each of those system reviews, it defined
the standard, described the current status in Maine, and
made recommendations.
The report makes six
recommendations based on its findings when reviewing the
component called “Human Resources and Training.”
Those recommendations were:
- Remove the requirement for regional approval of
initial training programs and place this function
at the state level.
- Develop and implement a process for institutional
and agency approval for ongoing course delivery
modeled after contemporary accreditation
processes that precludes the requirement for
individual course approval.
- Repeal the rule requiring pre-approval of
continuing education programs. Replace it with a
rule requiring documentation of course content
and student participation that can be reviewed
after the fact by Maine EMS.
- In cooperation with other state agencies, develop
a plan to assure that EMD training is required
for all personnel answering 911 EMS calls.
- Explore alternative resources and partnerships to
accelerate compliance with the AVOC requirement.
- Encourage increased utilization of the hospital-based
videoconferencing network to facilitate increased
opportunities for distance education for EMS
providers.
MEMS anticipates and encourages
much discussion of the findings of this report at state,
regional, and local levels, as we make decisions that
affect the future of EMS in our state.
EMS Scope of Practice Model Document now available
From Dwight Corning in the Summer 2004
issue of the Maine EMS I/C News
On the national level, the Scope of
Practice Model task force met the week of May 10th
in Washington, D.C. The first draft of the National EMS Scope of Practice Model
document is now out and ready for review. The
purpose of this draft is to serve as a starting point for
dialogue with EMS stakeholders. That dialogue represents
a true opportunity for EMS personnel and organizations to
shape the future of our profession. As you review this
draft, the task force requests that you share your
comments, suggestions, and observations in an effort to
refine and improve the document. The National EMS Scope
of Practice Model will be most successful when it
reflects the broadest possible consensus and
understanding of the EMS community. The detailed
instructions for submitting comments are contained in the
draft. The task force will be accepting comments through
January 2005. After that time, a national review team
will consider edits to the document. The final document
is due to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the Health Resources Services
Administration by fall 2005. As you review the draft you
will find some significant changes from our current
system. (I’m not going to tell you what, but
challenge you to review the draft to learn of these
potential changes). Your thoughts are very important to
the task force, and I strongly encourage you to take the
time to review the document and submit your comments.
Thank you for your careful and considered review. This is
an exciting effort that holds the promise of guiding our
profession in the years to come. I am confident that we
will look back on this project with pride in our
collective efforts. Please don’t hesitate to contact
me at Maine EMS (207-626-3860) if you have any questions
on this national project.
MEMS EMS Week Awards Ceremony
This year’s EMS Awards
ceremony was held May 20th in the State House
Hall of Flags. The following people were honored:
Governor’s Award: Charles Little, MD and
Sarah Hudson, EMT-I (Sarah is the only I/C to win an
award this year);
EMS Excellence: Frank Twombly and Darlene Glover,
RN;
EMS Merit: Thomas Blyth, EMT-B, and Juliette Brown,
EMT-I;
Lifetime Achievement: Susan Dorr, EMT-B, and A.
Dowe Eaton, EMT-B.
Congratulations to Sarah and to all the other awards
recipients.
EMT-I’s become EMT-B’s
August 1, 2004 was the deadline for EMT-Intermediates
to take the Narcan Update. Any Intermediate who had not
taken this program by August 1st has been
downgraded to EMT-Basic.
Looking for Images to Enhance your
Next Presentation?
Try Google’s image search
engine. Go to the regular Google
site and select the “Images” tab above the text
box. You can then type in key words to bring up dozens of
pictures in your area of interest. You can also do
advanced searches by clicking on the “Advanced Image
Search” option.
Online Coloring Book
If you or your students have children, you might
suggest that the kids can “help their parents
study” by using this coloring book, which has
pictures of police, fire, and EMS emergencies. It can be
used in a number of ways: each picture can be colored
online, individual pictures can be printed and colored
later, or the entire booklet can be downloaded and
printed.
Guidelines to Effective Graphics
Tip from Daryl Boucher
The Kaiser Foundation has a very good
tutorial by Alan Schlobohm on the effective use of graphics in slide
presentations.
June, 2004
MEMS on the Move
The Maine Emergency Medical Services
state offices have moved, as of June 24, 2004, to the
Samina complex at 500 Civic Center Drive in Augusta. They
are located in the same building with the Fire Marshal
and the State Police. The new phone number is 207-626-3860,
fax is 207-626-3888, and mailing address is 152 SHS,
Augusta, ME 04333. For more information, continue to
watch the MEMS Web site.
March, 2004
Domestic Abuse Homicide Panel Issues
Report and Recommendations
[This is a multi-disciplinary
committee on which I serve as the Nursing Representative.]
March 26, 2004
Lisa Marchese, Assistant Attorney General, (207)-626-8508
Attorney General Steven Rowe today announced the release
of the biennial report of the Maine Domestic Abuse
Homicide Review Panel, which seeks to improve community
response to domestic violence (DV) by studying DV cases
that end tragically in homicide. In the last two years,
the panel reviewed twelve DV homicide cases that occurred
between 1998 and 2003. The entire report can be
downloaded by clicking: http://www.state.me.us/ag/dynld/documents/HR_Panel_5th_report.pdf
The Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel is a
multidisciplinary group that reviews domestic abuse
homicide cases with an eye to potential systems changes
that would positively impact the lives and safety of
victims of domestic violence and their children.
Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese is a homicide
prosecutor and the current chair of the panel. Marchese
said, "We try to extract the lessons from each case
we review. It is difficult, but worthwhile work. We see
progress; there is hope."
The report includes observations and recommendations that
address many different community systems and groups
including law enforcement, domestic violence service
providers, state human services programs, the media, the
healthcare system, batterer intervention programs, faith
communities, and others. The goal of the recommendations
is to identify gaps in services or in communities that
may have left victims more vulnerable and that may, if
addressed, help prevent future homicides from occurring.
The panel's recommendations seek to enhance Maine's
coordinated community response to domestic violence by
focusing on victim safety and abuser accountability.
Recognizing the devastating effect of domestic violence
homicides on children, the panel makes several
recommendations to law enforcement, the courts, schools,
and others, to increase response, services, and
information to those young people who are left parentless
by a domestic violence homicide, who are exposed to
domestic violence, or who exhibit signs of being victims
or perpetrators.
For the first time since the panel's inception in 1997,
the report also includes updates and progress on the
implementation of recommendations.
Charles Dow
Special Assistant Attorney General
Director of Communications & Legislative Affairs
#6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
207-626-8577
207-287-3145 (fax)
207-580-3001 (pager)
November, 2003
Trained EMT-Basics to be Allowed to
Transport Patients with IV Pumps
According to a new
MEMS policy, dated September 24th, 2003, it is
now within the scope of practice for properly trained EMT-Basics
to transport patients who are receiving non-medicated
fluids via an infusion pump. The training for this, which
is to be done at the service level, and for which the
service must maintain records, is to include
*Training
based on Maine EMS approved IV Setup Lesson Guide
*A review of the model of pump to be used in the
transport/transfer
*How to activate and deactivate the pump
*How to set infusion rates
*Any concerns or issues related to that specific pump or
the use of infusion pumps in general.
This new policy does
not mean that infusion pumps are to be included in EMT-Basic
licensure courses; this is meant to be a service-specific
practice only.
Emergency Drug
Addition to Maine EMS Protocols
Effective September
23rd, 2003, MEMS providers now have a
treatment protocol for cyanide overdose/exposure patients.
The protocol does not require that services or
regional hospitals acquire, or have in stock, cyanide
kits, but rather gives EMS providers a protocol to follow
in using cyanide kits that are available at the setting
where the exposure/overdose occurred. What follows is a
summary of this protocol.
Responding EMS
personnel will notify Medical Control as soon as possible
upon discovering or suspecting cyanide overdose/exposure.
*Basic-
and Intermediate-level EMTs will:
*Establish and maintain a patent airway
*Assist ventilation if necessary
*Provide oxygen by non-rebreather mask at 10-15 liters
per minute
*If the patient has eye contamination, the EMT-B and the
EMT-I will flush the eyes immediately with copious
amounts of water, and irrigate continuously with normal
saline during transport
*If the patient has ingested the cyanide, the EMT-B and
the EMT-I will have the patient rinse his mouth with
water, then administer 5 mL/kg by mouth (to a maximum of
200 mL) of water to the patient, provided he can swallow,
has an intact gag reflex, and is awake and oriented.
EMT-Paramedics
will continue the above treatment as applicable, and:
*Use the cyanide kit kept at the site
*Provide the patient with amyl nitrate pearls, crushed,
for inhalation for 30 seconds of each minute, while IV
access is being obtained
*Give 10 mL sodium nitrite (3% solution) IV over 2-4
minutes
*Give 50 mL thiosulfate over 10-15 minutes
*Contact Medical Control if there is any doubt or
conflict as to indication, route, or dosage of any of
these medications.
For more information about this
protocol, please contact MEMS or your Regional
Office.
December, 2002
Revised Maine
Spine Assessment Protocol resources available
By now you've
probably heard about the revised Maine Spine Assessment
Protocol. The MEMS web site has four resources you can
view or download related to this new protocol. One is a
full PowerPoint presentation, complete with x-rays and
other illustrations, to help when you present your
program. Also available is the new "booklet"
about the protocol, so you can print off your own copies
to distribute during classes, or have your students print
off their own. There's also a listing of the program
objectives and a copy of the QA form that is to be filled
out every time the protocol is used (regardless of
whether the assessment ends in immobilizing the patient.)
You can find all these MSAP documents
here.
The biggest change
I can find from the old Protocol to the new is the change
in focus on mechanism as the primary factor in whether or
not to immobilize a patient. In the original Protocol,
mechanisms were defined as "positive," in which
patients were automatically immobilized, "negative,"
in which it was determined that there was no possibility
of spinal cord injury, and therefore the patients did not
need any immobilization, and "uncertain," which
is when the Protocol was utilized. New research has
called this approach into question, and as a result,
"mechanism" is now being used not to make the
determination of which patients need immobilization,
which don't, and which to use the Protocol on, but rather
to alert EMS providers to the need for spinal injury screening.
The new Protocol
also moves the question of reliability from the end of
the process to the beginning. Any patient, in order to be
acceptable for assessment by the Protocol, must be calm,
cooperative, sober, and alert, and must not suffer from
any significant distracting injury.
The questions of
abnormal sensory/motor exam and spine pain/tenderness
remain in the protocol, although I do note that the order
of these (we used to assess for spine pain/tenderness before
we performed the sensory/motor exam) has been reversed. And
the new protocol seems to have eliminated instructions as
to how to perform a sensory/motor exam, leaving
it up to the individual clinician. No longer do we have
clear instructions about finger ab/adduction, hand
flexion/extension, sharp/dull discrimination and so on.
Instead we get the following very unclear
instructions: "This examination should include
commonly accepted assessment means for consideration of
motor or sensory deficits from spine injury." I am
concerned that this lack of direction.
I have often been
surprised over the years by how many times EMS providers
get a blank look on their faces when I'm doing a
continuing education program and mention the MSAP. Now,
to be fair to instructors, I remember spending nearly 3
hours teaching the protocol myself during an EMT-Basic
class several years ago, complete with handing out Dr.
Goth's book on the topic to every student, having that be
required reading, noting it all on the syllabus, and also
handing out some of my own study sheets on the topic.
During the final practical review before the final exams,
I had an indignant assistant come to me, just beside
herself at the thought that I hadn't taught the protocol.
Of course I had, as I said, taught the protocol,
but that particular student she was speaking to didn't remember
it, so she believed him when he said I'd
never even taught it. Oh, and for the record, he was not
absent the day we covered that topic, either! So I often
keep that incident in mind when students tell me "my
teacher never taught us that." But with that said, I
understand that not all teachers have been
teaching the protocol in their basic classes, although it
is, and has been, a required component since the adoption
of the National Standard Curriculum for EMT-Basics for
Maine EMS licensure programs back in 1995.
There are a couple
of misunderstandings I have noticed by those people who have
had the program:
In the past, they
checked the "Maine Spine Assessment Protocol Used"
check box on the run report form inappropriately. In some
cases they checked it whenever they had a patient with a
spinal injury, regardless of mechanism, regardless of
anything else -- if they saw a spinal injury, they filled
in this box. In other cases they checked it whenever they
immobilized a patient. What they had not understood from
their initial training program was that this box was to
be used only when the Protocol was used for the purpose
of helping them determine whether or not to immobilize
the patient. Now, however, that's exactly what we
are supposed
to do: check the box whenever there is any
possibility whatsoever that there might have been a
spinal injury. What's more, the state is doing QA on all
potentially spine-injured patients, all those we've
checked the box on. Basically, if you've got a concern
that a person might have a spine injury, we're
to do the QA form. I'm told this won't be a forever thing;
after about a year, assuming the state collects the data
it needs to back up the change, the QA element of this
might go away. Obviously, stay tuned for more on this.
Another
misunderstanding I've found is that people don't
understand the importance of "reliability" in
using the Protocol. A two-year old patient, an
intoxicated patient, a patient who does not speak or
understand English -- these are not reliable
patients, and therefore cannot be adequately assessed
using the Protocol. If there is any doubt at all with
these patients, they must be fully immobilized.
Last but not least,
if you wish to read about how the NEXUS studies apply to
pediatric patients, see this electronic article: A Prospective Multicenter Study of
Cervical Spine Injury in Children
I've joined the
Cell Phone generation!
I swore I'd never
get a cell phone. But I did, a couple of months ago. I
plan on using it only for emergencies, and won't be
taking it into meetings, classes, restaurants, malls, etc.,
where it could ring and disturb everyone else there. But
with what I plan to use it for in mind, I didn't want to
spend much, nor did I want a monthly bill to deal with.
So I looked into (and bought) a TracFone.
For $95, I got a digital Nokia cell phone, fully
functional, complete with caller ID and voicemail, as
well as one year of uninterrupted service and 150 units
of talk time (a unit is a minute within my calling area.
Outside my calling area two units is a minute). While the
per minute rates are expensive as compared to some of the
monthly service plans out there, for anyone who doesn't
plan to use the phone on a regular basis, it can't be
beat. And if I find myself using it for more than just
emergencies, and wanting to add minutes, I can just buy
all the minutes I want. I think it's a great arrangement.
ePocrates v. 6.0 has made some not-so-welcome changes
I'm sad to say that
ePocrates newest release, 6.0, now has two versions of
its popular drug database, a new "lite" version
for those who don't wish to pay, and the full version for
those who do. What's the difference? To many users, not
much. But to those of us who utilized the "tables"
feature (did you know about this? Just type in the word
"table" as you would the name of a drug you
were searching for, and a listing of a whole bunch of
tables will come up. The list included all the ACLS
protocols, as well as many other tables, including one I
found especially useful: inhalers identified by the color
of the bottle and cap. How many times has a patient told
you he uses an inhaler with a white body and an orange
cap, but can't remember the name?) it's going to be
sorely missed. Unless, of course, we're willing to pay
the "introductory" price of "only" $49.95
per year!
So, what about the
lite version? Well, the good news is that it still allows
you to access the whole drug database, by drug name and
by class. It still allows you to check for interactions
among drugs. It still updates the database with each hot
sync. So the truly basic functions haven't changed. But I
miss my tables!!!
I guess if it seems
too good to be true, as ePocrates has since its
introduction, it probably is!
July 20, 2002
ALS version of
Teaching Resource for the Instruction of Prehospital
Pediatrics (TRIPP) is now available
The
long-awaited ALS version of the TRIPP resource is now
available, and yes, it's free!. It incorporates
AHA 2000 guidelines for emergency cardiac care for
children. See the CPEM (Center for Pediatric Medicine) web site to view or download this
resource. It's great!
Also
available from the same site is the BLS version of the
TRIPP,
The
CPEM web site also contains a number of free enhancements
to the TRIPP resources, including files on the use of the
Broselow tape, defibrillation of children, administration
of diazepam, medication administration through the ET
tube, IM injections, IO access, use of Magill forceps,
nebulizers, needle decompression, pulse oximetry in kids,
non-pharmacologic pain management techniques, tracheal
suctioning, and methods of tube confirmation. There are
FAQ pages on topics such as AEDs, blood pressures,
capillary refill, dental emergencies, insect stings,
needle cricothyrotomy, sizing BVMs, and even one that
gives reasons why, in some cases, leaving kids in car
seats for transport might not be such a good idea.
To find these resources, you need to go to the newsletter
page of the CPEM site for the current issue, or chose the
archives for back issues.
Copyright and Fair Use
Ever
wonder what the copyright rules are for what you use from
books, magazines and the Internet when you're teaching?
Here's a site that discusses Fair Use and Copyright in the classroom,
on the Internet, and on the Web
April, 2002
Sister's bragging
rights
Take a minute and
look at my sister's new web site. If you're into art at
all, to buy or just to look at, go to www.julliettecarignan.com.There's something for everyone there!
February 20, 2002
North Yarmouth on
the Internet
My service finally
has its own site! See the North Yarmouth web site, a work still in its early stages! Feel
free to click on the link on that page if you want to
write to Tod, the webmaster, with any suggestions.
©
Jacky Vaniotis, 2010
Please contact Jacky Vaniotis to obtain permission for
copying and/or distributing
anything from these pages, in any format, electronic or printed.
Latest revision: 01/01/10