(23:49) Ron’s not going to be a paramedic in the near future so we are talking with some other newbies. JD Meyerdirk is getting ready to start paramedic school and we sit down with him to talk about it. We also talk about Kilted to Kick Cancer a lot. It starts September first and Kelly’s got another contest with even more great prizes. Mentions: Ki…

(25:00) Despite many many failures, Ron has finally come to the end of his Paramedic training experience. This week he retook the skill he failed, and took his NREMT-P cognitive exam. Listen to find out the results. What I Did This Week On Saturday I went to the ALERT Academy in Big Sandy Texas and retook my pedi-vent skill. A very nice female para…

(34:56) Ron passed his oral boards but didn’t pass all of his skills. This week we talk about pediatric airways and prepping for the written exam. Also mentioned, doing drug math, paramedic test prep books and CPR HD. Mentions: MedicTests.com Listener Questions Matt asks: I will be graduating college this coming December with a bachelors degree in …

(22:48) Well I thought I was done, but it turns out I was living an illusion. What I Did This Week I did not pass my orals, as a matter of fact I failed them miserably. 12 Lead and ECG interpretation Drug Doses Hit the stress wall and flamed out during PALS. Failed PALS Doses are my nemesis Mentions: MedicTests.com Listener Questions I wanted to fi…

(58:06) In this episode Ron talks with Licensed Paramedic Sarah Francis McClure his paramedic clinical internship preceptor about the time they spent together. Tell us a little about you and how you became a paramedic. What are your memories of your own clinical internship? How do they effect how you interact with students? You have a lot of studen…

(46:21) For Ron paramedic school is over. Finished his clinicals including getting his vaginal birth, took his department’s oral board exam and 180 question final. Ron and Kelly noticed today that this podcast has become a lot less newbie friendly because he now understands all those terms he didn’t earlier in his school time, so we make a special …

(35:31) Ron finally had that call he was so worried about when he started EMT Basic all those years ago. He’s almost done with paramedic school, finishing up clinicals and classes over the next couple of weeks. What I Did This Week Assessment Based Management Learned from one of the instructors – stick by what you decided. Don’t doubt yourself. The…

(38:42) Ron has a bit of an emotional breakdown during a clinical this week and we talk about the effects of fatigue and how you handle not knowing what to do. Also how do you know when you are ready? What I Did This Week Assessment Based Management More scenarios and I’m wondering a little how much it is helping. Clinicals You know you are in EMS …

(26:25) This week the Newbie sets down with Joseph Storm of MedicTests.com and talks about preparing for the national registry EMT and Paramedic tests. Joe gives some really great tips on taking and passing the test. What are the most common questions about Incident Command? What is the most common acidosis question and answer? Listen to this episo…

(32:01) Starting a new semester with testing. And doing medic things everyone does, but that he hasn’t learned yet. What I Did This Week Assessment Based Management Tested all our paramedic skills. The one that got the most people was Static Cardiology. I got all the rhythms, but mess-up 2 drug doses Also you have to treat the patient, meaning if t…

(45:44) We’re back from a long break and the Newbie has been busy. Ron started his clinical internship and have now done 4 24 hour shifts with one crew at the Harris County Emergency Corps. He’s learning a lot, here’s some of the thing Ron and Kelly talk about: How to use the IV cath right How to do CHART. I now understand it and even take notes in…

(21:58) Ron goes through his final final and some skills testing. No more lectures, no more teacher’s dirty looks. What I Did This Week Clinicals Paper work. What a pain. Mentions: Bob Page on Stethoscopes Listener Questions I had originally planned to contact Kelly directly, but then realized his answer would probably be useful for EMS Newbie fans…

(29:40) Ron has his last lecture of paramedic school and it is about Environmental Emergencies. What I Did This Week Medical Emergencies Environmental Emergencies Heat Cold Do you have a low temperature thermometer? We’ll see hypothermia in Houston because there are lots of ways to have it happen, but she said not going to see frostbite. Then my wi…

(33:54) Blooooodddd, maybe this should have been the halloween episode. Ron learns about blood diseases. Its also scary how burned out everyone in class is getting at this point. Only 3 weeks to go. Ron gets his textbook changed. He also gets an EMS job, find out what’s scary about that on this week’s episode. What I Did This Week Got something add…

(27:30) This week Ron and Kelly podcast live from the 2011 Texas EMS Conference. They discuss the different lectures and sessions they attended, which were good, which were packed so full of information it was tough to keep up and which left the brain as soon as the feet left the room. There’s talk of C-PAPP, the number one reason of geriatric alte…

(42:15) Ron and Kelly talk about overdoses and antidotes, how to deal with calls that have signs of domestic abuse, and we hear that Ron’s white cloud, may be getting a bit more grey… What I Did This Week Medical Emergencies *What are typical overdoses?* Do you carry any antidotes? Warming activated charcoal? Carry ipecac syrup? Use it? Given/use F…

(24:42) Ron and Kelly talk about the upcoming Texas EMS conference, Syncopal episodes in geriatric patients, the rainbow of newborns and why or why not there can be male L&D nurses. What I Did This Week Medical Emergencies Had a test. Don’t know what I made, but still improving. Special Populations Geriatrics What’s the most common reason you see f…

(42:07) This week we talk note taking technologies, nephronology, bio-chemistry, greek god’s wooden parts, and army medics. Kelly also points out lucrative markets for lawyers in EMS that might change it for the better. What I Did This Week Ron wwitched note taking and recording technologies. Livescribe to Evernote Medical Emergencies Nephronology …

(44:59) Kelly has an abdominal complaint just for the show, so Ron tries not to make him laugh. What I Did This Week Medical Emergencies Gastric emergencies What’s the most common gastronomic complaint you see? Phergan vs Zofran What’s the most common missed gastro complaint? Kidney stones Special Populations Test and scenarios Clinicals Road with …

(29:26) What I Did this week: Medical Emergencies Tests and scenarios Special Populations Dextrose IO? How do you recognize child abuse? Most common household substance for pediatric poisoning? Meningitis exposure. If you treat a patient you get treated? Cushing’s triad metaphor Bandaging the neck by running it under the arm Clinicals None but a vo…

(45:41) Lots of stuff on pediatrics and the body’s defenses. Let’s try a slightly different version of the show notes. Here’s my actual outline from the show. From last week’s episode Laryngospasm Article about post op laryngospasm and management 1. succacoline does stop laryngospasm 2. ultimately they used lidocaine and did a “bilateral superior l…

(49:11) 2 tests two fails. Ron says, “The ICU scares me.” Kelly talks about how is GSW, first ICU patient, and first dead body transport were the same person. In Pediatric IO how do you hold the leg? In Newborn resuscitation, using the ET for suctioning, do you use a new tube each time you go in? In the past it was “baby is pink, baby is good”, now…

(29:02) In Special Episode 7, Ron interviews Jeff Isaac from Wilderness Medical Associates. Ron and Jeff discuss how wilderness doesn’t necessarily mean deep in the back country or in a cave, how the definition has changed over the years, and why WEMT is useful for all EMT and Paramedic practitioners. Jeff is a physician assistant with a particular…

(41:29) We’re talking birthing babies, vomit and poop this week. Ever seen a breech deliver? Heard the term “Macro peds”? The changing rules of suctioning meconium babies. Projectile vomiting and being covered in vomit. Kelly discusses laryngo-spasm. Mentions: Episode 10 – Don’t Know Nothing About Birth’n No Babies Black Box warning from FDA on Ter…

(37:17) The EMS Newbie Podcast live from Las Vegas at the 2011 EMS World expo. Thanks again to ProMed for bringing us to Las Vegas and doing a great job netcasting all the podcasts done from there. Now on to the kilted ones.By Ron Davis & Kelly Grayson

(27:11) Ron missed the first week of school because off EMSWorld Expo, so the guys talk about what happen there. Answering questions like, “What’s the most memorable thing that happen to you at the expo?”, “See any cool gadgets at the show?” and “What’s it like to be kilted in Vegas?” Mentions: Ron’s Kilted to Kick Cancer Page Kelly’s Kilted to Kic…

(25:57) Ron has his cardiology finals. Both the written, which was a third of my grade, and the practical which was 3% and got him his ACLS card. But it was 3% if you don’t pass, you don’t pass the course. Now he’s asking Kelly, is cardiology really that hard? Do you know when you are stressed out? Turns out the Newbie didn’t. This episode sponsore…

(36:47) Ron learned the basics of 12 leads finally. We also talk about equipment failure on scene, and changing stethoscopes. Listener Questions Newbie resource page. 3M Littmann 2632 Master Classic II Stethoscope Listener Questions Gary Stewart posted on Confessions of an EMS Newbie’s Wall. “Just received my card in the mail so now I’m looking for…

(36:33) This week Ron studied CHF and asks “Why do they call it congestive heart failure?” He also had Exam III cardiology. He and Kelly discuss how traing for a code is different for nurses and paramedics. Last week we talked about how everyone shouldn’t get oxygen and Ron mentioned his medical director sent out a protocol memo saying almost the e…

(25:26) Stroke and Acute Coronary Syndrome were the ACLS topics of the week. Kelly talks about AHA’s sorid past with stroke, and Ron talks about medics that missed his father in law’s stroke. “Everyone gets Oxygen” Really? Kelly doesn’t think so. Nor does the AHA. Hey Nurses, what the mass of a grain? Doesn’t matter, cuz Kelly says any doc that sti…

(21:40) Ron took his second cardiology exam this week. Also learned about aberrant conductions rhythms, and practiced the pushing of adenosine. During listener questions you will learn two ways for paramedics to do 2 finger CPR. Mentions: Listener VinceD’s comment on Kelly’s comment on hypomagnesemia. PHTLS blanket extraction technique Listener Que…

(36:05) Continuing on learning the language of the heart Kelly & Ron discuss Battlestar Galactica (the original series) as well as places further down the heart. Ventricular rhythms, the pulseless part of the algorithm (PEA), why to give drugs or epi first, when to use Edison therapy, or when it is time to all in to end efforts. Also, Kelly discuss…

As we’ve said many times, Kelly and I were not judging the essays. We had a team of judges score each of the 51 essays to produce the finalists. Those final 10 essays were then scored by our judges. The finalist judges team was, Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, Lou Jordan of Emergency Training Associates, and Nancy Perry of EMSWorld magazine and expo. They each …

(42:27) Move’n on down the heart we get to the AV node and junctional rhythms this week. We also talk about the ACLS tachicardiac algorithm and stable vs non-stable patients. Also Kelly summarizes all the pediatric course like PALS in 30 seconds. Mentions: Six Second ECG Sex Relationships and the Cardiac Conduction System Taigman’s Advanced Cardiol…

(31:01) This week Ron learned about dysrhythmia – and wonders whether the interpreting of rhythms is an art or a science. Ron and Kelly discuss different methods of reading strips, whether or not Ron should have multiple sources for learning to read them, and the difference between ECG and EKG. Mentions Basic Arrhythmias by Gail Walraven Rapid Inte…

(29:01) This week the newbie learned how to break up, interpret, analyze, something EKG wave forms. We talk about the algorithm he learned and some tips from Kelly. And Kelly says he loves poo poo. Ron was also shown three cardiac monitors and we talk about the good and the bad of monitors. Mentions: Interpreting Algorithm Rhythm – regular/irregula…

(21:10) Ron talks about learning the electrical parts of the heart, as well as the different chambers, and the part of the heart that looks like a Bishop’s mitre hat. Kelly talks about why one needs the anatomy of the heart even though it isn’t used directly all that often. There is also discussion of syncytium, and intercalated discs. Ron also had…

(48:11) Ron started cardiology this week and they went back to basics CPR. For about 6 hours this week. He and Kelly discuss changes to CPR. We talk about the Phillips cardiac monitor “hockey puck” and the Zoll AED’s talking. Survivor Paramedic has Ron’s class down to 7 students, but we supplemented by 8 nursing students, meaning there are more wom…

(22:40) Ever wonder what it is like to go from paramedic to doctor? Well in this episode you will find out. Ron interviews Dr Ryan Hodnick a resident in Emergency Medicine at UNLV medical school in Las Vegas. He answer’s Ron’s questions about why ER docs do things and what EMS can do to help them. Also talks about what it is like to change from par…

(48:42) It is the end of Ron’s second semester in Paramedic school, and time for another best of episode. Here are some of the best clips of the last few months. Get complete information on the The Confessions of an EMS Newbie Podcast. Subscribe or review on iTunes.By Ron Davis & Kelly Grayson

(39:57) School is over and Ron has taken his EMT-I exam…but does not yet know the results. And so we devote an entire episode to listener questions! And don’t forget to write your entry into the… EMS Newbie EMSWorld Essay Contest Links to the other Podcast in which Ron is appearing: Ron: In the Rabbit Hole (Urban Survival Podcast): Listener Questio…

(29:10) It was finals week at the end of Ron’s first year of paramedic school. In this episode we go back do an overview of the classes he took and what we thought of them. EMS Newbie EMSWorld Essay Contest Listener Questions JulesThere is a tip offered at the end of the commentary on this app. I would be interested in hearing comments about this. …

(29:00) More trauma skills testing, EMS Ops test, and a volunteer shift, for Ron this week. He also has some questions about how long it is before the new paramedic becomes the in-charge. Clinical internship – should you do it with your own service? Mentions: EMS Newbie EMSWorld Essay Contest Listener Questions Episode Post Listener Questions AJ – …

(55:38) Ron is starting to think he’s on “Survivor: Paramedic School” as classmates seem to be leaving in droves. He took is National Registry EMT-I skills tests this week, listen to learn how he did. In EMS Operations he studied Crime Scenes and asks Kelly “How do you handle crime scenes? What about cases where you aren’t sure there is a problem? …

(39:41) This week we talk about abdominal trauma, shock and weight, and Ron’s last EMS shift of the semester. We also answer a number of listener questions. Mentions: An article on Assessing the Abdomen by Kelly. The last episode where we talked about C-spine was Ep 41 Hartwell Vacum Mattress CDC Field Triage Decision Scheme EMSEducast Ep where CDC…

(34:42) Kelly saves drowning woman! News at 11! And other great EMS rescue stories. Ron did some more scenarios and managed not to kill the patient this time, but most of his week was spent studying rescue in EMS Operations. Learn about the different kind of rescues Kelly has been a part of over the years. Mentions: EMS Newbie EMSWorld Essay Contes…

(35:21) After obscure references to comedic science fiction, Kelly and Ron talk about Thoracic Trauma and answer some listener questions. Chest decompression, sucking chest wounds, and pericardialtamponade, oh yeah. Mentions: EMSWorld Newbie Essay Contest Listener Questions From Kevin T: Hello, I’m almost finished with my EMT-B class and I was wond…

(45:33) Has it only been a week since our last episode? For Ron it seems like a month. Here everything you wanted to know about spinal immobi….oops I mean spinal motion restriction. Kelly will tell you how he really feels about strapping people to backboards. We also talk rural medicine. Get a cool tip on Rapid Trauma Assessment. Ron also spent som…

(38:41) This week we talk about the time Kelly stripped down in class. Ron’s trauma test and scenario. Learn how chest decompression really works. Handling belligerent bystanders, and HazMat. After the Harris County HazMat team talked to Ron’s class, he learned how a thumb has been replaced with a pinkie. Kelly informs us of the rule of donut. List…

(55:55) While Ron is on Spring Break we bring you a special episode of the EMS Educast on Organ Procurement. The EMSEducast Episode. Mentions: Buck Feris – http://gomerville.com/ Greg Friese – connect at Blog.CentreLearn.com and EverydayEMSTips.com Rob Theriault – connect at Paramedic Tutor, EMS Connect and JEMSConnect Bill Toon – connect on Twitte…