EMS 20/20

By Christopher M Pfingsten, Spencer Oliver

What's EMS 20/20 about?

EMS 20/20 is podcast hosted by two experienced Paramedics. Spencer Oliver and Christopher Pfingsten discuss real calls run by real responders and pull out the lessons you won't find in a text book. This podcast is aimed at Paramedic students, seasoned Paramedics looking to refresh, or any one interested in a deeper dive into pre-hospital health care.

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EMS 20/20 episodes:

04.24.2024
T is for Terrible Manners
N is for neuro symptoms, S is for stroke, and U is for uncaring agency that needs a reality check. What do you do when a responding agency is responding angrily? Listen and find out!
04.10.2024
Please Don't Take Me There
So what do you do when the nearest "appropriate" hospital is actually the lair of the Shredder? Do you pass it up or go by the book? Listen to this week's episode and see if the Turtles go rogue or...
03.27.2024
It's Just My Arm... Promise.
When is it ever really as easy at it seems? Take a helluva dive with the guys as they figure out what was missed as a vaping patient complains about their arm.
03.13.2024
Quick! To The Bat Scanner!
Well now here's a fun one: what happens when a fall patient who just needs a hand up suddenly becomes an altered patient? Find out in this week's totally copyright infringement free episode!
02.28.2024
Put The Bunny Back
Does this weeks crew get conned into using air for their cardiac patient? Spencer and Chris talk nitro, 90's movies, and Nicholas Cage in this weeks clip filled episode!
02.14.2024
Systemic Failure
Each and everyone of Chris' triggers are pulled in this harrowing tale of herding cats. A severely injured/ejected patient is treated by a severely injured system... and the result is... not great.
01.31.2024
It's All About the Delivery
Everyone's favorite call type is front and center as an expecting mother does what expecting mothers do. Listen as Chris makes terrible guesses at this episodes theme... but also be sure to listen to our SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
01.17.2024
Vaguely Non-Emergent?
Does a crew let the dispatch information lead them astray? Are they able to see through the smoke screen of a convoluted history? Listen and find out if being sick for two days means you won't see a third!
01.03.2024
Pulling a Code Out of a H.A.T.
Sometimes illusions of trauma can get the better of us. Spencer and Chris see if the crew in today's episode is fooled by sleight of... car, or if they manage to see past the tricks and get to the bottom...
12.21.2023
That's Kenough Ketamine!
It's just a code one leg pain... how hard could it be? Spencer and Chris find out in today's episode as the guys examine easy errors with difficult consequences!
12.06.2023
Salmon Stabs Spaghetti
Chris and Spence review a call that goes clinically... fine. But what happens when the patient suddenly doesn't like the direction the call is going? And what happens when a doctor is.... WRONG?!
11.22.2023
Choosy Medics Choose STEMI
The guys review a nutty situation where a responder is sandwiched between a DNR and a very serious diagnosis... and also their partner...
11.08.2023
A *Very* Sticky Case
Spencer and Chris bring in the big guns from the Standard of Care podcast, Samantha Johnson and Nick Adams! This episode is probably one of the most disturbing cases of neglect we've reviewed in a while, so you've been warned!
10.25.2023
Railroading Rod
Ashlyn O'Dell joins Chris and Spence as the trio try and be very useful engines on a trauma call! With an object stuck... somewhere and a rather un-useful little engine on scene, the team has their work cut out for...
10.11.2023
You're Tearing Up My Heart
It might sounds crazy, but it ain't no lie... Spencer and Chris try to navigate what to do when a big mistake is made on a severe trauma patient... and it's not a mistake that is hard to make, either.
09.27.2023
Avoiding SeDEADtion
The guys try to figure out exactly where the line between sedation and death is, and as a bonus, Spencer teaches you how to smoke meth.
09.13.2023
12.875 Kilometer
Crossing into Canadian terrain, Spencer and Chris delve into a call where a patient does their best attempt at refusing treatment for their... gunshot wound?
08.30.2023
MI Bleed?
Chris and Spencer see if they can solve why a man with the most rancid of toots can't stay upright. And also... Chris totally screws up! Also be sure to check out this week's sponsor, In Case at getincase.com/EMS2020!
08.16.2023
Who has the Baby!?
Spencer throws Chris for a loop by making him critique... himself(ves)? In today's VERY strange episode, two BLS responders care for a sick baby, make a last minute switch on who is doing what, while the patient's mother seems...
08.02.2023
You Can't Make Me!
Sometimes patients don't just say no, but sometimes they say f&^$ no! What happens when two responders are confronted by a verbally hostile patient? Does fighting fire with fire work? Spoiler: no, it does not. Check out this episode's sponsor at...
07.19.2023
Methany and the Frog
In this week's episode, Spencer tells Chris a tale about meth, altered levels of consciousness, and maybe even child protective services. Also, frogs.
07.05.2023
Hive-way to the Danger Zone
Can the guys see where (or if) a handful of secret agents went wrong? Did they go wrong? Try to keep up with the twists and turns of this weeks episodes as everything from airway management to scene management is...
06.21.2023
Making a List... For Low SaO2
In a Lucky Charms fueled rage, Chris shares his thoughts on what it takes to be a Paramedic before the guys try and figure why a patient is so short of breath. Is it bronchoconstriction? Pulmonary Edema? Heart problems? Listen...
06.07.2023
Snapping Necks and Calling Helis
So we might not be COPS, but this episode is still bound to make you sweat as an accident in treacherous terrain interrupts the Catalina Wine Mixer. From hiking to helicopters, Chris puts Spence through the paces in this week's...
05.24.2023
The Legend of Vent Machina
Spencer and Chris roll the dice on today's episode as we follow brave adventurers into the unknown as they set out with a vented patient to a nearby kingdom. What could possibly go wrong? Lots. Lots can go wrong.
05.10.2023
LetterSTEMI Problems
Pitter patter! New episode out TODAY! Chris hops on a bus driven by Spencer headed to struggle street when it comes to a wonky ECG. To STEMI or not to STEMI? Can Chris get it right, or is he 10-ply?
04.26.2023
Breaking Blood Vessels
In this BLS focused episode, what you get is quintessential EMS 20/20. Multiple treatment options, CVA symptoms with hypotension, complicated crew dynamics, agency culture issues, and Chris ranting about kits.
04.12.2023
Seizure Victim Unit
Is this episode's patient faking a seizure? Does it even matter? Or at least, does it matter more than the anger of a salty medic who terrorizes their trainee? Does THAT matter more than the ensuing medication error?
03.29.2023
A-Hip-A
After Chris defends his position on TXA, Spencer UTTERLY STUMPS him in this week's episode where a patient is KILLED by HIP PAIN! Spoiler: Patient not actually killed by hip pain.
03.15.2023
Bad to the (T)Bone
Spencer gives Chris some supervisor flashbacks as the guys analyze a call that may send the patient... and maybe even the crew... to their final destination. Listen and find out who lives, who dies, and who escapes death for at...
03.01.2023
You Give Love... A Bad Name
Spencer let's his playlist decide the title, but can the crew in today's episode decide where all the blood is coming from? Listen and find out! Listen at GuardianCME.com to get free CE!
02.15.2023
Concert Concern
Today we fly our F-18's while launching our AAM's at some MDMA during and EDM concert! Or maybe it's SSRI's, or SS, or MAO-I's, or TCA's... or maybe we just need to RTB...
02.01.2023
Pandammonia
Can Chris navigate his way and find the right direction as Spencer pitches an ALOC curveball? How does the crew do? And why is the receiving doctor so so mean?!
01.18.2023
Pacing/Pressor Pressure
Special Guests from GuardianCME! Jason Seitz and Dr. Chris Seitz join the guys as they attempt to cook up an answer to a fork in the road on this weeks episode!
01.04.2023
The One Where Bad Stuff Happens
Spencer and Chris are there for you in today's episode where a patient is "checked for police". Was the check good enough or should the crew have been more thorough? We also discuss the value of good... and honest... charting.
12.21.2022
This Call Bugs Me
Are we dealing with another Peanut Butter Spider Sandwich situation, or is this title just clickbait? Or is it neither? An altered LOC patient has some curious and life threatening symptoms in this week's episode, and Chris briefly discusses how...
12.07.2022
Teenage Heartbreak
Maybe don't overthink the cover art, but do Chris and Spence finally argue about what to do about a really, really sick pediatric patient? Stir the oxygen tanks as the guys try and solve Houston's problem, and check our Facebook...
11.23.2022
The Fallout of Fallot
The title is not the give away you think it is! The guys follow a BLS crew that responds to the call no one ever wants to respond to. (WARNING: This episode contains sensitive subject matter.)
11.09.2022
Type 1 For Doctor
Type 2 for Billing... Type 1 For Doctor. In today's episode the guys (finally) follow a BLS crew through a confusing call that involves spousal arguments and a good old fashioned dollup of just plain winging it when a patient...
10.26.2022
The Bourne Lift Assist
Chris and Spence are joined by Dr. Ritu Sahni and Mike Verkest of the EMS Show! Have a listen to this uplifting cross over episode that suffers from a little bit of title confusion.
10.12.2022
G.I. Joe!
The guys go to battle with Snake Eyes and Duke against the evils of confirmation bias and... coffee grounds? Have a listen and see what goes right (and wrong) in this week's episode!
09.28.2022
Falling into Hypoglycemia
A patient is found in the bottom of a flooded ditch and the only thing lower than their temperature is their blood sugar... a crew navigates a call that could go in any direction. Do they choose the right path?...
09.14.2022
What's in the Salad? (AMS)
In these week's episode, Spencer and Chris pick apart a BLS call with really, really weird symptoms. Chris is put through the gauntlet as he tries to figure out what's causing the patient's odd behavior. Spoiler: Chris fails.
09.02.2022
Severus Arterious!
SORRY FOR THE DELAY! BLAME CHRIS! The guys review a call with a patient that needs just a touch of magic to a large neck wound. Was the crew able to cast the right spell? Listen and find out!
08.17.2022
Drop It Like It's Hot
With help from gravity, two EMT's find themselves doing the one thing we swore to never do. Is today's episode a master class in recovery, or did the crew grab shovels and dig even deeper? Listen to find out as...
08.03.2022
The Request For Calcium Is Denied
On today's episode Spencer and Chris exam a broken system and some broken... Calcium Channels? A sweetly named crew takes on an overdose! Do they succeed? Listen and find out!
07.20.2022
Bicycles and Minivans
In our 101st episode Zach Dunlap presents a call to the guys and they judge him right to his face... will Zach get the Golden Buzzer? Join us as we talk about trauma, blood, volume resuscitation, and sedation, and be...
07.06.2022
worst. chaser. ever.
EPISODE 100!!! The guys follow the ups and downs of a call that gets some rarely used, but often talked about treatments. Did the guys learn something new? Will you? Listen and find out!
06.22.2022
Fight and Flight
The guys get to talk about helicopters and weather and flight things in today's episode where a flight crew walks in on a call at a local ER that is being run perfectly. They have very little to add and...
06.08.2022
Lawsagna
Chris and Spencer bring on Samantha (a REAL LAWYER!) and Nick from the Standard of Care podcast for a call that is plagued with legal complications. An EMT is put in the awkward position of taking a patient that may...

What's EMS 20/20 about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

EMS 20/20 episodes:

T is for Terrible Manners

Please Don't Take Me There

It's Just My Arm... Promise.

Quick! To The Bat Scanner!

Put The Bunny Back

Systemic Failure

It's All About the Delivery

Vaguely Non-Emergent?

Pulling a Code Out of a H.A.T.

That's Kenough Ketamine!

Salmon Stabs Spaghetti

Choosy Medics Choose STEMI

A *Very* Sticky Case

Railroading Rod

You're Tearing Up My Heart

Avoiding SeDEADtion

12.875 Kilometer

MI Bleed?

Who has the Baby!?

You Can't Make Me!

Methany and the Frog

Hive-way to the Danger Zone

Making a List... For Low SaO2

Snapping Necks and Calling Helis

The Legend of Vent Machina

LetterSTEMI Problems

Breaking Blood Vessels

Seizure Victim Unit

A-Hip-A

Bad to the (T)Bone

You Give Love... A Bad Name

Concert Concern

Pandammonia

Pacing/Pressor Pressure

The One Where Bad Stuff Happens

This Call Bugs Me

Teenage Heartbreak

The Fallout of Fallot

Type 1 For Doctor

The Bourne Lift Assist

G.I. Joe!

Falling into Hypoglycemia

What's in the Salad? (AMS)

Severus Arterious!

Drop It Like It's Hot

The Request For Calcium Is Denied

Bicycles and Minivans

worst. chaser. ever.

Fight and Flight

Lawsagna

A Very Sticky Case