EMTprep Pulse Check

By EMTprepEducation

EMTprep Pulse Check episodes

November 02EMS Medications
Understanding EMS medications involves more than memorizing medication names and dosages. Providers must understand why a medication is administered, how it works in the body, when it is indicated, and what contraindications, side effects, and precautions should be considered.
In this episode, we review 31 commonly administered EMS medications, covering medications used across provider levels from EMR and EMT through paramedic. The discussion includes each medication's mechanism of action, common indications, contraindications, side effects, and typical adult and pediatric dosing considerations.
Medications covered include analgesics, antiarrhythmics, bronchodilators, cardiac medications, vasopressors, sedatives, paralytics, medications for hypoglycemia, and medications used in overdose, allergic reactions, seizures, and traumatic emergencies. The episode also emphasizes practical considerations such as medication concentrations, administration routes, IV access, medication timing, and the importance of following local protocols and scope-of-practice requirements.
Whether you're preparing for the NREMT or looking to strengthen your understanding of medications encountered in the field, this episode provides a broad review of commonly used EMS pharmacology.
What You'll Learn
Medication Mechanisms of Action: Understand how commonly administered EMS medications work, including their effects on the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems.
Indications and Contraindications: Identify common situations in which medications are appropriate and recognize patient conditions or circumstances that may make their administration inappropriate.
Side Effects and Precautions: Review potential adverse effects, medication interactions, and patient-specific considerations that influence medication administration.
Medication Dosages and Administration: Review common adult and pediatric dosing, medication concentrations, routes of administration, and practical considerations for safe delivery.
Clinical Application: Explore how medications are used in common EMS situations, including cardiac emergencies, respiratory distress, allergic reactions, seizures, overdoses, hypoglycemia, shock, and traumatic injuries.
Key Takeaways
Understand the why behind each medication. Knowing a medication's mechanism of action, indications, and potential complications supports better clinical decision-making than memorizing dosages alone.
Medication administration varies by provider level and protocol. Scope of practice, approved medications, concentrations, and dosing can differ between states, regions, and EMS agencies.
Safe administration requires attention to detail. Consider contraindications, patient presentation, medication concentration, administration route, and potential adverse effects before administering a medication.
Medications Covered
The episode reviews the following 31 medications:
Acetaminophen
Activated charcoal
Adenosine
Albuterol
Amiodarone
Aspirin
Atropine
Calcium chloride
Dextrose
Diphenhydramine
Dopamine
Epinephrine
Etomidate
Fentanyl
Glucagon
Oral glucose
Ipratropium bromide
Ketamine
Ketorolac
Lidocaine
Magnesium sulfate
Methylprednisolone
Midazolam
Naloxone
Nitroglycerin
Norepinephrine
Ondansetron
Rocuronium
Sodium bicarbonate
Succinylcholine
Tranexamic acid (TXA)
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#EMTprep #NREMTPrep #EMSPharmacology #EMSMedications #MedicationAdministration #EMTTraining #ParamedicEducation #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTStudyGuide
1 hr 22 min
October 26Burn Care
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, listeners explore the assessment and management of burn injuries in the prehospital setting. The discussion covers thermal, chemical, electrical, and radiation burns; superficial, partial-thickness, and full-thickness burn classifications; and methods for estimating total body surface area (TBSA), including the rule of nines and the palm method. The episode also examines potentially life-threatening complications, including inhalation injuries, carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning, fluid shifts, hypovolemia, and shock.
The episode reviews practical burn care priorities, including scene safety, airway and breathing management, stopping the burning process, removing restrictive items when appropriate, protecting injured tissue, preventing hypothermia, managing pain within provider scope, and considering fluid resuscitation. Listeners also learn about the Parkland formula, electrical and chemical burn precautions, burn center referral considerations, and the importance of communicating injury characteristics and treatment details during hospital handoff. Throughout the discussion, the central message is to treat the whole patient rather than becoming distracted by the visible injury.
What You’ll Learn:
How to distinguish thermal, chemical, electrical, and radiation burns and classify burn depth as superficial, partial thickness, or full thickness.
How to estimate burn size using TBSA, the adult rule of nines, and the palm method.
How to recognize inhalation injuries, airway compromise, carbon monoxide exposure, and other serious complications associated with burns.
How significant burns can cause fluid shifts, hypovolemia, and shock, and how the Parkland formula is used to estimate fluid requirements.
How to prioritize prehospital burn care, including scene safety, stopping the burning process, appropriate wound coverage, temperature management, pain control, and transport decisions.
Key Takeaways:
Prioritize life threats over the visible injury. Airway compromise, respiratory problems, and shock can be more immediately dangerous than the burn wound itself.
Prevent hypothermia. Burn patients can lose heat rapidly, and excessive cooling or unnecessary exposure can worsen their condition.
Assess the mechanism, burn depth, and burn size. These findings help identify complications, guide treatment, determine appropriate transport, and communicate the patient's condition to the receiving hospital.
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#EMTprep #NREMTPrep #BurnCare #BurnAssessment #BurnInjuries #InhalationInjury #RuleOfNines #TBSA #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare
22 min
October 19Scenario #5 (TXA)
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, listeners take on the role of an EMS provider responding to a 34-year-old male who was thrown from his motorcycle during a collision with a passenger vehicle. The patient has an open left thigh injury with severe external bleeding, pale and diaphoretic skin, tachycardia, and weak radial pulses. Through this scenario, listeners work through scene safety, rapid trauma assessment, immediate hemorrhage control, recognition of compensated shock, and the importance of considering additional injuries following a high-energy mechanism of trauma.
As the call progresses, the patient's condition deteriorates despite control of the external bleeding. Worsening dizziness, hypotension, tachycardia, and altered mental status raise concern for progressive hemorrhagic shock and possible internal bleeding. The episode explores reassessment during transport, trauma center selection, protocol-guided tranexamic acid (TXA) administration, resuscitation considerations, and communication with the receiving hospital. It reinforces why early recognition, rapid intervention, and continued evaluation are essential when caring for a patient with major traumatic hemorrhage.
What You’ll Learn:
How to identify scene hazards at a motorcycle collision, including moving traffic, fuel leaks, and the need for additional resources.
How to recognize major external hemorrhage and prioritize immediate bleeding control with direct pressure and tourniquet application when indicated.
How to identify early signs of hemorrhagic shock, including tachycardia, tachypnea, weak peripheral pulses, pale or diaphoretic skin, and changing mental status—even before profound hypotension develops.
How to reassess a trauma patient whose condition worsens despite successful external hemorrhage control, including consideration of internal bleeding and other associated injuries.
How trauma destination decisions, TXA, resuscitation strategies, and early hospital notification fit into the management of major traumatic hemorrhage, following local protocols and available resources.
Key Takeaways:
Recognize hemorrhagic shock early. A patient can show significant signs of poor perfusion before becoming profoundly hypotensive. Do not wait for a dramatic blood pressure drop to recognize a critical condition.
Don't tunnel vision on the obvious injury. Controlling an external bleed is essential, but persistent or worsening instability may indicate additional injuries or ongoing internal hemorrhage.
TXA is one part of a broader treatment plan. When indicated, early protocol-guided administration may support trauma care, but it does not replace hemorrhage control, appropriate resuscitation, rapid transport, or definitive hospital treatment.
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #EMTScenario #NREMTPrep #HemorrhagicShock #TraumaAssessment #Tourniquet #TXA #TraumaCare #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare
26 min
October 12Scenario #4
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, listeners step into the role of the provider responding to a rural manufactured home park for a 32-year-old male with altered mental status and suspected overdose. The patient is found unconscious and apneic in a vehicle surrounded by drug paraphernalia, with severe hypoxia, hypotension, slow respirations, and vomitus in the airway. The scenario challenges listeners to prioritize scene safety, airway management, ventilation, naloxone administration, vascular access, and rapid reassessment while considering other potential causes of altered mental status.
As the call progresses, the patient's condition changes significantly following naloxone administration. He regains consciousness and respiratory function but develops agitation, vomiting, suspected opioid withdrawal, and persistent hypotension. The episode emphasizes the importance of treating the evolving patient rather than becoming anchored to the initial presentation, maintaining a broad differential even when opioid toxicity appears obvious, anticipating airway complications, and adapting vascular-access strategies when traditional IV access proves difficult.
What You’ll Learn:
How to prioritize scene safety and provider safety when responding to a suspected opioid overdose involving needles and drug paraphernalia.
How to recognize and immediately address opioid toxicity, respiratory failure, severe hypoxia, and compromised airway protection.
How naloxone can change a patient's clinical presentation and why continued reassessment is essential after administration.
How to maintain a broad differential for altered mental status, including stroke, hypoglycemia, seizure, infection, trauma, heat illness, and toxic exposures.
How difficult vascular access can affect treatment and when alternative access strategies may need to be considered based on provider scope and local protocols.
Key Takeaways:
The patient can change rapidly. Treatment priorities may shift from airway and ventilation to managing vomiting, agitation, withdrawal symptoms, hypotension, and other complications as the patient responds to treatment.
Don't let an obvious diagnosis cause tunnel vision. Even when the presentation strongly suggests opioid overdose, other causes of altered mental status must continue to be considered.
Reassessment drives patient care. Repeated assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, mental status, vital signs, treatment response, and vascular access helps providers recognize deterioration or improvement and adjust their approach.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
Thousands of EMT students and providers trust EMTprep.com for exam-focused learning, real-world insights, and content aligned with current EMS education standards.
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #EMTScenario #NREMTPrep #OpioidOverdose #FentanylOverdose #Naloxone #AlteredMentalStatus #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTTraining
24 min
October 05Scenario #3
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, listeners step into the role of the sole medical provider at an ultramarathon aid station and respond to a 50-year-old male runner who arrives covered in blood after falling on the trail. Although the patient reports little pain and appears relatively stable, a large, contaminated right forearm avulsion exposes deeper tissue and raises questions about blood loss, underlying injury, infection risk, and why the patient's presentation does not match what might be expected from the appearance of the wound.
The scenario walks through scene safety, the primary and secondary assessments, differential diagnosis, patient history, wound evaluation, treatment, transport decisions, and reassessment. The episode also explores how an endurance athlete's physiological baseline can affect interpretation of vital signs and emphasizes the importance of understanding a patient's normal findings, avoiding tunnel vision, gathering a complete history, and treating the patient rather than simply reacting to individual vital signs.
What You’ll Learn:
How to approach a patient with a significant traumatic wound while maintaining a broad assessment and avoiding tunnel vision.
How a patient's medical history can affect interpretation of CSM findings, pain, and other assessment findings.
How to consider differential diagnoses such as soft-tissue trauma, hypovolemic shock, and heat illness in an endurance athlete.
How to provide initial wound care, including irrigation, dressing, and bleeding control, while recognizing the limitations of prehospital treatment.
How to interpret and reassess vital signs in an ultramarathon runner and use trends and the overall clinical presentation to guide treatment and transport decisions.
Key Takeaways:
A patient's presentation may not always match the apparent severity of an injury. A complete history and thorough assessment can reveal important factors that explain unusual findings.
Know your patient's baseline. Endurance athletes may have vital signs and physiological findings that differ from those of the general population, particularly during or immediately after prolonged exertion.
Don't let a dramatic injury create tunnel vision. Even when an obvious wound demands attention, providers must continue looking for additional injuries and systemic complications.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
Thousands of EMT students and providers trust EMTprep.com for exam-focused learning, real-world insights, and content aligned with current EMS education standards.
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #EMTScenario #NREMTPrep #TraumaAssessment #WoundCare #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTTraining #Ultramarathon #PatientAssessment
20 min
September 28Scenario #2
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, listeners take on the role of the EMS provider during a 911 call involving a 67-year-old patient with severe difficulty breathing. Starting with dispatch information and scene safety considerations, the episode walks through the patient's initial presentation, primary and secondary assessments, differential diagnoses, vital signs, lung sounds, oxygenation, capnography, and treatment decisions. The patient presents with significant respiratory distress, wheezing, hypoxia, tachycardia, and increased work of breathing, prompting consideration of oxygen therapy, nebulized bronchodilators, steroids, CPAP/BiPAP, and other interventions.
The scenario then follows the patient's response to treatment and highlights how ongoing reassessment should guide clinical decisions. Listeners work through changes in lung sounds, SpO₂, end-tidal CO₂, respiratory effort, mentation, and overall presentation to determine whether the patient is improving or progressing toward respiratory failure. The episode also explores transport destination, indications for escalating respiratory support, and the distinction between respiratory distress and respiratory failure.
What You'll Learn
How to approach scene safety and situational awareness during nighttime respiratory emergencies.
How to assess a patient with respiratory distress using work of breathing, lung sounds, SpO₂, capnography, mentation, and overall clinical presentation.
How treatments such as oxygen, nebulized bronchodilators, steroids, CPAP/BiPAP, magnesium, and epinephrine may fit into the management of severe respiratory conditions, depending on provider level and local protocols.
How to use reassessment findings to determine whether a patient is improving or requires escalation to additional respiratory support.
How to recognize the differences between respiratory distress and respiratory failure, including changes in mentation, respiratory effort, oxygenation, and end-tidal CO₂.
Key Takeaways
Early recognition and treatment matter. Patients with COPD or other obstructive respiratory conditions can deteriorate, making rapid assessment and appropriate respiratory interventions important.
Reassessment should drive treatment decisions. Changes in lung sounds, SpO₂, end-tidal CO₂, respiratory effort, ability to speak, and mentation can help determine whether treatment is working or the patient's condition is worsening.
Know the difference between respiratory distress and respiratory failure. A patient who is initially compensating can progress to fatigue, altered mentation, worsening hypoxia, and inadequate ventilation as respiratory failure develops.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
Thousands of EMT students and providers trust EMTprep.com for exam-focused learning, real-world insights, and content aligned with current EMS education standards.
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #NREMTPrep #RespiratoryDistress #RespiratoryFailure #COPD #Asthma #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTTraining #RespiratoryEmergencies
55 min
September 212025 AHA Guidelines Update
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, we review 10 key updates from the 2025 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care. The discussion covers changes affecting both adult and pediatric patients, including the new universal cardiac arrest Chain of Survival, updated foreign-body airway obstruction interventions, infant chest compression techniques, increased emphasis on public access to naloxone, post-cardiac arrest temperature control, and new guidance surrounding the ethics of resuscitation.
The episode also explores updates related to double sequential external defibrillation (DSED) and vector change defibrillation, IV versus IO access during adult cardiac arrest, neurologic outcome prediction following pediatric cardiac arrest, and the use of cognitive aids during resuscitation. Throughout the discussion, listeners are reminded that AHA guidelines are recommendations and that EMS providers should continue to follow their agency's current protocols, standing orders, and medical direction.
What You'll Learn
How the 2025 universal Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival combines the previous adult and pediatric cardiac arrest chains into one six-step framework.
What changed in the management of severe foreign-body airway obstructions, including alternating five back blows and five abdominal thrusts.
The updated infant chest compression recommendations and elimination of the two-finger technique.
Key updates involving post-cardiac arrest care, including temperature control and neurologic outcome assessment following pediatric cardiac arrest.
Changes and continuing areas of uncertainty surrounding DSED, vector change defibrillation, IV versus IO access, and cognitive aids during resuscitation.
Key Takeaways
The 2025 AHA Guidelines place a greater emphasis on consistency and streamlined approaches to resuscitation across patient populations.
Not every AHA recommendation automatically means an immediate change to local EMS practice—know and follow your current protocols and medical direction.
Cognitive aids, algorithms, and reference tools can help providers maintain high-quality, consistent care during high-stress resuscitation events—but providers should already understand the underlying algorithms rather than relying on the reference to teach them in the moment.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #AHAGuidelines #2025AHAGuidelines #NREMTPrep #CPR #CardiacArrest #ChainOfSurvival #EMSeducation #EMTTraining #Resuscitation
26 min
September 14Scenario #1
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, we take a different approach to EMS education by placing the listener in the provider role during a simulated 911 call. The scenario follows an 11-year-old patient who sustained an electrical injury after contacting an active power line while standing on a ladder, allowing listeners to work through scene safety, primary and secondary assessment, vital signs, differential diagnoses, treatment decisions, transport considerations, reassessment, and hospital handoff. Throughout the scenario, listeners are encouraged to pause and consider what they would do at each stage of the call before hearing the provider's approach.
As the scenario develops, the patient's presentation highlights the importance of looking beyond obvious burn injuries and considering the potential for internal injury, dysrhythmias, trauma, and rapid clinical deterioration. The episode also explores pediatric assessment, cervical-spine considerations, pain management, fluid resuscitation, trauma-system entry, transport destination and priority, and the importance of reassessment when a patient's condition worsens. The episode concludes with key lessons about electrical injuries, pediatric patients, provider judgment, and maintaining scene safety around electrical hazards.
What You’ll Learn:
How to approach scene safety and resource considerations when responding to a patient involved with an electrical hazard
How to assess a pediatric patient with an electrical injury, including recognizing signs of shock and potential dysrhythmias
Why electrical injuries can cause significant internal damage that may not be apparent from the patient's external burns
How to make treatment, transport, reassessment, and destination decisions as a patient's clinical condition changes
How provider judgment, trauma-system criteria, and a structured hospital report contribute to effective prehospital care
Key Takeaways:
Scene safety comes first: Never rush into an electrical-injury scene without confirming that the electrical hazard has been controlled and that it is safe for responders to access the patient.
Don't let the visible injuries become tunnel vision: Electrical injuries can cause significant internal damage along the pathway of the electrical current, even when external burns appear limited.
Reassessment drives decision-making: A patient who initially appears relatively stable can deteriorate, making continuous reassessment, appropriate monitoring, and willingness to adjust treatment and transport decisions essential.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
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#EMTprep #EMTScenario #NREMTPrep #ElectricalInjury #ElectricalBurns #PediatricEMS #TraumaAssessment #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTTraining
30 min
September 07Fentanyl and Naloxone
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, we take an in-depth look at fentanyl, including what it is, how it is used as a prehospital pain medication, common adverse effects, and important considerations for safe administration. The episode explores fentanyl's role in treating acute pain, procedural sedation, RSI/DSI, cardioversion, and pacing, while emphasizing the importance of titrating medication to effect and following local protocols. The discussion also addresses patient concerns about fentanyl and how EMS providers can educate patients about the difference between appropriately controlled medical use and illicit fentanyl.
The episode then shifts to fentanyl and opioid overdose emergencies, focusing on recognition of opioid toxicity, respiratory depression, scene safety, airway and ventilatory support, and the use of naloxone (Narcan). You'll learn why ventilation remains a critical priority while waiting for naloxone to take effect, why patients may become agitated or combative after reversal, and why EMS providers should continue evaluating for other causes of altered mental status. The discussion also covers the potential for recurrent opioid toxicity, the importance of following local transport and refusal protocols, and safety considerations for responders working around illicit drugs.
What You’ll Learn:
How fentanyl works as a synthetic opioid and why it is commonly used for prehospital pain management
Common fentanyl adverse effects, including respiratory depression and nausea, and the importance of titrating doses to patient response
How to recognize the hallmark findings of an opioid overdose, including altered consciousness, respiratory depression, and constricted pupils
Why airway management and ventilatory support are essential during an opioid overdose and how naloxone fits into the treatment of respiratory depression
Important considerations after naloxone administration, including agitation, vomiting, recurrent opioid toxicity, differential diagnoses, patient refusal, and responder safety
Key Takeaways:
Fentanyl can be an effective prehospital analgesic when appropriately administered, but EMS providers must understand its potential adverse effects and follow their local protocols.
In opioid overdose, ventilation and correction of respiratory depression are immediate priorities; naloxone is an important treatment but does not replace basic airway and ventilatory support.
A patient who responds to naloxone still requires careful reassessment because the opioid may outlast naloxone, and providers must remain alert for recurrent toxicity or another underlying medical condition.
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
Thousands of EMT students and providers trust EMTprep.com for exam-focused learning, real-world insights, and content aligned with current EMS education standards.
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Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #Fentanyl #Naloxone #Narcan #OpioidOverdose #NREMTPrep #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EMTTraining #EMSPodcast
38 min
August 31CVA/Stroke
In this episode of EMTprep Pulse Check, we explore stroke and the critical role EMTs play in recognizing this time-sensitive neurological emergency. Listeners will review the different types of stroke, common signs and symptoms, important assessment findings, and why rapid recognition and transport are essential to improving patient outcomes.
The episode connects stroke pathophysiology with practical prehospital assessment, emphasizing the importance of recognizing sudden neurological changes, determining the patient's last known well time, and identifying patients who may benefit from specialized stroke care. By understanding how strokes affect the brain and recognizing their clinical presentation, EMTs can make faster, more informed decisions in the field.
What You’ll Learn:
The difference between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes
Common causes and risk factors associated with stroke
Signs and symptoms that may indicate an acute stroke
The importance of stroke assessment tools and determining last known well time
The EMT's role in providing supportive care and prioritizing rapid transport
Key Takeaways:
Stroke is a time-sensitive emergency in which rapid recognition and treatment can significantly affect outcomes
Identifying sudden neurological deficits and determining the patient's last known well time are critical components of the assessment
Strong stroke recognition and assessment skills help EMTs provide appropriate care and facilitate timely access to definitive treatment
✅ Want to stay current, informed, and confident as an EMS professional?
Thousands of EMT students and providers trust EMTprep.com for exam-focused learning, real-world insights, and content aligned with current EMS education standards.
👉 Start learning today at EMTprep.com.
Access begins at just $25 per month.

#EMTprep #Stroke #StrokeRecognition #NeurologicalEmergencies #NREMTPrep #EMSeducation #PrehospitalCare #EmergencyMedicalServices #EMSPodcast #PatientAssessment
26 min

About EMTprep Pulse Check

From the publisher's feed

EMTprep Pulse Check is your go-to audio companion for NREMT success and real-world EMS readiness. Brought to you by the team behind EMTprep.com, this podcast delivers high-yield content to help you sharpen your knowledge, ace your exams, and stay field-ready.