Free Radicals Paramedic Podcast

Scott is immensely proud of his service in the US Marine Corps. 

We know that he misses it. 

He talks about this thing that he misses, this thing that since leaving the military he has never been able to find. 

So what was this thing? 

It was collective purpose. 

The idea that every member of the team, those to your left, to your right, the leaders, the followers, everyone was collectively focused on the mission. 

The collective purpose existed because they believed that someday there would be a moment where all the training, all the focus, all the sacrifice would be the difference between failure and success. 

Success in that moment, would be one of the greatest accomplishments of one’s life.

Scott send us a quote of that moment, described by a young marine during the Battle of Peleliu in 1944. 

We had a chat about it all one day, and decided we would release our chat as a podcast. 

Tonight we sit down with Peter Drew, a Critical Care Paramedic and PHD candidate from Queensland. Peter shares with us his work on occupational violence and his recent paper on mitigation strategies and recommendations for future practice. 

Are all violent incidents the same?

Does the idea of  "zero tolerance" fit in with why and how these violent incidents occur?

Is there a place for body worn cameras?

Where do we sit now with the emergence of chemical sedation into our practice?

Does organisational self defense training work?

These are  just some of the ideas we explore. 

If you would like to read more, you can access Peter's paper below. 

"Paramedic occupational violence mitigation: a comprehensive systematic review of emergency service worker prevention strategies and experiences for use in prehospital care" 

https://connect.jbiconnectplus.org/ViewSourceFile.aspx?0=19494

Aaron sits down with three fantastic academics to delve into the world of tertiary paramedic education. 

Andy Bell, Georgina Sanger and Sandy Macquarrie work to design, deliver and develop university curriculum's within Australia. 

How do we design a course when we are still searching for our identity?

What would the ideal course look like?

Why it's ok for students to fail.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. 

We had the privilege of sitting down with David Krygger, an extended care clinician from Queensland. David is passionate about this area of paramedic practice, and its potential for growth within our profession. We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. 

Today the team take us through hyperkalemia, a tricky and potentially deadly electrolyte imbalance. From physiology to examination and treatment, we summarise  the key points that will help you to better manage these patients in your future practice. 

Scott sits down with Ryan and Nicole Levinson all the way from the tiny island nation of French Polynesia.   

Ryan has a rare form of muscular dystropy, but after 10 years as an EMT in California, Ryan and his wife Nicole chose to not let the diagnosis slow them down. Instead they began a new adventure sailing across the pacific.  

Today's episode is all about overcoming life's challenges, choosing your attitude and not letting anything get in the way of your dreams.

I can safely say, this is our best podcast yet. What a remarkable duo, Ryan you're our hero

You can check them out on their youtube channel, TwoAfloat. 

Aaron and Scott sit down with a very special guest, Sunny Whitfield. 

Sunny shows us how paramedicine can take you to places you never thought possible. From Nepal, to the south pacific and even Mars. Making a difference doesn't mean you have to work for an state ambulance service and that any idea can grow, as long as you have a pen and a napkin.  

After 15 years working in Australia, Scott and his family recently took on the challenge of a career and life in Vanuatu.

Today Scott shares with us his experiences of working in such a difference system and country. 

If you have ever thought about taking your craft overseas, then this is the episode for you. 

Today we challenge your knowledge and understanding of tension pneumothorax. 

Not only is tracheal deviation rubbish, but there are differences found between pneumothorax's created in spontaneous breathing patients and those being ventilated. 

Understanding the difference in mechanics and their presentation is key to diagnosis. 

The abdomen can be intimidating, and assessing  it thoroughly can sometimes end up in the "too hard" basket. 

But with almost 10% of abdominal complaints being life threatening, we want to get the assessment right. 

Today we look at the abdominal assessment, red flags to watch out for, and talk about some of the less commonly known conditions you can look out for on your next case.