So, you caught the COVID. You have endured the fever, cough, sore throat, diarrhea, and abject boredom of being home. When can you be let out of this prison? In this micro episode we talk about the return to work criteria. BLUF: No, you don’t have to be in quarantine forever.

Covid is now a pandemic, the real kind, the not-the-zombie-kind. In this episode we talk about what the Office of the Medical Director, Austin Public Health, and Austin/Travis County EMS is doing to respond to what is now a declared disaster.

Buy in from the workforce is necessary to bring any useful change to an organization. While unions and leadership are often set against each other, the things they can accomplish when they work together far exceed those they can accomplish when moving in different directions. The union can give the MD valuable feedback on wants and barriers to implementation, and the MD can get an idea of how to effectively introduce change to the department with wide support. I’m fortunate to get to work with Selena Xie, who is smart, politically savvy, collaborative, and has an eye for the immediate future and years down the line.

Some causes of headache are benign, but the EMS provider would be wise to consider carefully some “bad actors” that cause headache. Here we will talk too about how to manage these patients in the prehospital setting.

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ep-31-headache.m4a

Jessica Sasser, RN, is one of the amazing staff at our public safety wellness division which supports the physical and mental health of Austin/Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department. In this episode she discusses meditation and how it can be useful to the first responder. Hint: it doesn’t just make you feel better, it makes you better. Please don’t meditate while driving.

Resources for ATCEMS and AFD employees can be found at: atxpublicsafetywellness.com

Insight Timer can be downloaded from the Apple app store.https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/episode-30-jessica-sasser.m4a

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ep-29-medic-to-pa-or-md.m4a

Combat medic, paramedic, PA, and now medical student Andy Fisher talks about his journey. If you’ve thought about making the leap from #EMS, don’t miss this episode.

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ep-28-andy-fisher-talks-blood.m4a

In patients with hemorrhage, nothing else can take the place of #blood. Andy Fisher talks about why, and how, you can bring #blood to your #EMS system.

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ep-27-syncope.m4a

Syncope, or fainting, is an incredibly common complaint seen by #EMS providers. This short episode discusses some of the exam findings and considerations.

The Epsilon wave: https://litfl.com/epsilon-wave-ecg-library/

Wolff Parkinson White syndrome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K098rnvqRE0

Lown Ganong Levine syndrome: https://ecglibrary.com/lgl.html

If you are not using #EtCO2 during airway management and monitoring, then you are wrong. Fix yourself. Dr. Pickett tells you why. #EMS #Prehospital #Paramedic #maybeifIsqueezethisbagashardandfastasIcanthepatientwillgetbetter #morewavylines #butIjustlearnedEKGs #Isawthetubegothroughthecords #sodideveryonewhoevermisplacedanETtube

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ep-26-etco2.m4a

https://atcomd.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ep-25-tracheostomy-disasters.m4a

Do you get nervous when you are faced with a patient with a tracheostomy tube? This short episode covers common problems and how to troubleshoot them. Be nervous no more.  #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #criticalcare

In this episode, I make reference to a couple of great YouTube videos on the subject. One is from RT Clinic on the ins and outs of tracheostomy devices. The other is from The Crashing Patient Series from the University of Maryland and goes into greater depth on care of the crashing tracheostomy patient.