Disaster Drill AAR

In the Army, we have this thing called an AAR - after action review.  It gives the commanders and the soldiers an opportunity to talk about training, what was supposed to happen, and ways to improve for the future.

Now that a couple weeks have passed, I'd like you guys to provide me some feedback on the disaster drill.  What did you like?  What didn't you like?  What can be done better for next time?

I hope you guys enjoyed it and got some good training, but I want to make sure it is improved for next years class!

Summertime!

Class:

As we talked about last week, instead of doing a weekly blog during the summer, I will be expecting each of you to complete some FEMA online training.  The link below is where you can access the courses and the final exams:

http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

Please complete the following courses:

IS-100(b)
IS-200(b)
IS-700(a)
IS-800(b)

At the end of each course, there will be final examination and once you pass that, FEMA will e-mail you a course completion certificate.  You will need to send those to me or give them to me in person as you see me.  All of this courses will need to be completed by 0800 on 08 September 2012 before we start work on disaster management and completion of the mock disaster drill.

If anyone has any access problems or gets stuck in any way, please call or e-mail me.  Each of these courses takes about 90 minutes each, so it would behoove you to not wait until Friday the 7th to start working on them.  Each certificate is worth 30 points, or the equivalent of 3 weekly blogs. 

Week 14 - Care to guess?!

It occurred to me this morning as I was about to post your week 14 blog, that maybe it was time for a little break!  As such, I want you each to e-mail me a short status update about how you are marching through Cardiology and what you need some extra help on.  I have a couple classes coming up that I am going to be teaching, so if you have any suggestions of stuff to go over to help you guys understand something more, please let me know!

Week 13 - Cardiac Ablation Procedure

Watch the following video on Cardiac Ablation, and then answer the questions below.  Your responses are due NLT 26 APR 12.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubK1n9F1aFY&feature=relmfu

1.  About how long does a typical cardiac ablation procedure take?
2.  What is the function of the blue wire?
3.  What is the function of the red tube?
4.  How long does the actual ablation usually take?
5.  How long is a typical hospital stay for the procedure?

Week 12 - GIK Study

Class:

Below is a link to an article that was published by JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services) in late March.  This article discusses a clinical trial that was conducted with a cocktail of drugs called GIK.  Please review the article, and write a short summary of the results of the study and how it could affect you as future Paramedics.

This assignment will be due NLT 19 APR 2012.

http://cl.ly/0y3j1o2c2C330f1f2U1A

Week 11 - HAPPY EASTER!

 Please watch the video below on the Cardiac Conduction System and then answer the questions that are listed below. 

Your responses are due to me NTL 12 APR 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUQJTEEJSPI

1.  What does the term "action potential" represent?
2.  In a normal heart, each beat begins where?
3.  Which node is the hearts natural pacemaker?
    a.  AV Node
    b.  SV Node
    c.  SA Node
    d.  VS Node
4.  Which segment of the EKG represents depolarization of the ventricles?
5.  Ventricular repolarization is represented by what on the EKG?

Week 9 - Legal & Operational Drug Issues

Week 9 – Legal & Operational Drug Issues

A couple weeks back we listened to a Podcast from Dr. Jeffrey Guy with the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.  Just a heads up, you’ll be hearing his voice a lot over the next several months because some of the information he delivers is extremely valuable, and as the course proceeds I intend to expose you to more of his podcasts.

The podcast for this week deals with some of the legal issues surrounding the drugs we give.  As we start our basics of pharmacology, there is some vital information that you should be aware of as we advance through the course.

A link is provided below and then some questions at the end for you to answer and reflect upon what you’ve heard.

This blog will be due NLT 5 April 2012.

Link

http://cl.ly/2t2T3u2p2d422d1S232c

Practical Exercise

1.     Dr. Guy provides a comparison between the medications we give and the “tools” that rescue personnel carry.  Do you agree with this?  Why or why not?

2.     The shelf life of medications is based on many factors.  Which is NOT a factor?

a.    Chemical composition of the drug;

b.    Stability or volatility;

c.     Medication half life;

d.    Expected period of effectiveness.

3.     Administering a medication that has been exposed to extremes in temperature (being hot or cold) does not benefit the patient.  If the paramedic administers one of these drugs, which of the following can happen?

a.    Patient has an allergic reaction;

b.    Paramedic could be liable for negligence;

c.     Paramedic could face disciplinary action;

d.    Patient develops hypotensive crisis.

4.     Dr. Guy refers to the ABCs and says he has his own version, the IABCs.  What does the “I" stand for and why does he include it

5.     While performing your morning check off, you note that a seal on a vial of Morphine has been compromised.  The medication was not used during a call the shift before and the outgoing crew did not share this mishap with you.  If you are affiliated with an agency, share what your agencies policy is on this.  If you are not affiliated, tell me what you would do in this particular instance.