RideAlong: EMT School

When an ambulance leaves the scene, who decides where the patient goes? Is the closest hospital always the right choice? And what happens when a patient's preferred destination isn't the most appropriate facility for their condition?

This week on the RideAlong: EMT School Podcast, Mike and Jonathan tackle hospital selection and patient routing. From trauma centers and stroke centers to cardiac, pediatric, and burn facilities, we explore the different capabilities hospitals offer and how EMS providers determine where their patients should go. We also discuss patient preferences, medical command, transport protocols, and the unexpected challenges that can complicate even a seemingly straightforward destination decision.

Before diving into our main discussion, we're bringing back the Pocket Prep Study Question of the Week! Mike and Jonathan work through a question about increased intracranial pressure, discussing the clinical findings and reasoning behind their answer.

We also catch up on Jonathan's critical care education, Mike's anatomy and physiology coursework, and some of the experiences and connections from EMS World Expo. Then, in Current Topics in EMS, we look at an Iowa community working to restore local ambulance coverage after losing its service a decade ago, followed by a conversation about artificial intelligence in EMS. Could AI transform how we train, document, and make clinical decisions? And where should we draw the line between using technology as a tool and becoming dependent on it?

Whether you're a new EMT learning your local hospital system or an experienced provider navigating difficult transport decisions, this episode explores why choosing the right destination is an essential part of patient care.

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Intro

08:00 – Patreon & Supporter Recognition

11:36 – POCKET PREP: Study Question of the Week

17:51 – Catching Up With Mike & Jonathan

36:42 – ROTATING SEGMENT: Current Topics in EMS

38:11 – Iowa Community Working to Restore Ambulance Service

49:00 – Artificial Intelligence in EMS

1:10:14 – MAIN DISCUSSION: Hospital Selection & Routing

1:11:05 – Understanding Specialty Hospitals & Levels of Care

1:23:09 – Patient Stability & Choosing the Appropriate Destination

1:29:52 – Agency Policies & Hospital System Considerations

1:35:00 – Patient Preference vs. Medical Necessity

1:41:18 – Medical Command & Difficult Transport Decisions

1:45:48 – Hospital Diversion & Unexpected Transport Challenges

1:49:00 – Geography, Weather & Routing Considerations

1:57:09 – Understanding Your Local Hospital System

2:09:36 – Closing & Final Thoughts

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

What happens when you discover EMS later in life—and realize it might be the career you were looking for all along?

Almost exactly one year after first hearing his name in EMT class, Mike and Jonathan sit down with Kevin Grange, award-winning author of Lights and Sirens: The Education of a Paramedic and Wild Rescues. Kevin's journey into EMS began in his mid-30s, eventually taking him through one of the country's best-known paramedic programs, urban EMS in Los Angeles, the National Park Service, firefighting, wilderness and search-and-rescue medicine, and now critical care and flight medicine.

We talk about starting over later in life, the differences between urban and rural EMS, and why experiencing both can make you a better provider. Kevin takes us inside EMS in the National Park Service, where transport times can stretch for hours, helicopters and multiple agencies become part of everyday logistics, and scene safety can literally include grizzly bears. He also shares the story of responding to a double grizzly bear mauling and how that call affected his relationship with the wilderness afterward.

Then we get into the evolution of EMS, critical care and flight medicine, the importance of strong BLS fundamentals, and Kevin's philosophy that a career doesn't have to follow one predetermined path. Finally, we talk about how writing has helped Kevin process his experiences, the value of sharing our mistakes and vulnerabilities, finding great mentors, and why staying curious and focusing on the positive can help build a long and fulfilling career in EMS.

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Introducing Kevin Grange

04:37 – Finding EMS Later in Life

08:29 – The Daniel Freeman/UCLA Paramedic Program

11:30 – Urban vs. Rural EMS

17:31 – Learning From Different EMS Systems

21:20 – Choosing the Wilderness Over the City

27:18 – EMS in the National Park Service

30:54 – EMS at Yellowstone & Long-Distance Transport

34:42 – Wilderness Medicine & the Unexpected

35:33 – Responding to a Double Grizzly Bear Mauling

39:41 – Grizzlies, Wolves & Wilderness Scene Safety

41:33 – Does Urban or Wilderness EMS Make You Better?

43:37 – Improvisation in Wilderness Medicine

45:01 – How EMS Has Changed Since 2011

51:44 – Kevin's Favorite Part of Being a Paramedic

57:07 – Moving Into Critical Care Medicine

1:01:36 – Flight Medicine & Becoming a Flight Medic

1:07:47 – Writing Lights and Sirens & Wild Rescues

1:13:33 – Advice for New EMTs & Paramedics

1:16:20 – Finding Great Mentors

1:17:16 – Staying Positive & Finding Longevity in EMS

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

[https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com](https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com)

EMS World Expo 2026 – Indy Crew Hangout

What happens when you put a bunch of EMS providers together in Orlando for a week of education, new technology, networking, and just a little bit of chaos?

Fresh off EMS World Expo 2026, Mike gets together with some of the Indianapolis EMS crew who adopted him for the week: Steve, Jamie, Bree, and Matt. They compare their experiences at the conference from the perspectives of attendees, educators, EMTs, paramedics, and EMS World faculty—and talk about why an event like EMS World is about a lot more than walking around an expo floor looking at new gear.

The crew talks about standout classes and instructors, mental health and provider wellness, learning from other EMS systems, evaluating new technology, and the importance of sharing both successes and failures across the profession. They also get into some of the products that caught their attention, including new airway and patient-movement technology.

But this one is also a hangout. We talk about the people we met, the friendships that came out of the week, exploring Orlando after the conference, and an unexpectedly competitive trip to Game Show Battle Rooms. In the end, the biggest takeaway from EMS World wasn't a product or a class—it was the people and the opportunity to connect with providers from around the country and learn from one another.

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Meet the Indy Crew

07:44 – Talking EMS World Expo

10:47 – Steve & Jamie Take the Stage

13:38 – Why Go to EMS World?

25:00 – Orlando & the EMS World Experience

30:21 – Standout People & Presentations

36:04 – Active Shooter & MCI Lessons

40:43 – Learning From Other EMS Systems

42:00 – BLS vs. ALS & Building Confident EMTs

45:47 – The People Behind EMS World

50:15 – Experiencing Orlando

56:19 – Game Show Battle Rooms

1:04:39 – Biggest Takeaways From EMS World

1:06:17 – New Airway Technology

1:12:28 – Mental Health & Provider Wellness

1:20:23 – Steve's Biggest Takeaway

1:21:51 – Mike's Biggest Takeaway: The People

1:25:09 – People Who Made the Week Memorable

1:27:12 – What's Coming Next

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

EMS asks us to take care of people on some of the worst days of their lives—but how well are we taking care of ourselves and each other?

This week, Mike, Max, and Jonathan have an important conversation about provider mental health and the cumulative impact of working in EMS. We talk about how calls affect everyone differently, why it isn't always the gruesome or dramatic calls that stick with us, the effects of stress both on and off the job, and the importance of recognizing when you—or someone you work with—may be struggling.

We also talk about suicide prevention, supporting our partners, finding people we can actually talk to, and breaking down some of the cultural barriers that can make it difficult for EMS providers to ask for help. Mental health isn't something that only matters after a particularly bad call; it's something providers should be paying attention to throughout their careers.

Plus, Jonathan introduces a brand-new rotating segment: Call of the Week. Mike and Max work through a patient scenario, talk through their assessment and treatment decisions, and discover that running calls from the comfort of a podcast studio isn't quite the same as doing it in the back of an ambulance.

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Want to support the podcast? Join our patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/cw/RideAlongEMTSchool

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Welcome Back / Updating the RideAlong Intro

04:30 – Provider Mental Health & The Hurt Locker

12:00 – Patreon & Our First ALS Crew Members

17:00 – EMS World Expo & What's Coming Up

39:47 – Introducing Call of the Week

40:00 – Call of the Week: Working Through the Scenario

1:06:27 – Main Topic: Provider Mental Health

1:07:00 – Suicide Prevention & Why This Conversation Matters

1:08:00 – Why EMS Can Be So Hard on Mental Health

2:09:00 – Checking In on Yourself & Each Other

2:10:00 – ALS Crew Shoutouts & Closing

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

[https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com](https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com)

What does it take to provide EMS coverage for everything from an NBA game to the Indiana State Fair—and what happens when a planned special event suddenly becomes an unplanned one?

This week, Mike sits down at Indianapolis EMS headquarters with Laura Herring, Special Events Lieutenant and a 19-year veteran of EMS. Laura shares her path from originally pursuing nursing to falling in love with EMS, becoming a paramedic, spending 12 years on an Indianapolis ambulance, helping pioneer IEMS's district medic program, and eventually finding her way into leadership and special event planning.

Then we dive into the world of EMS special events. Laura explains how Indianapolis EMS prepares for sporting events, concerts, the Indiana State Fair, the Indianapolis 500, severe weather, mass-casualty incidents, and other situations that fall outside normal 911 operations. We talk about planning resources, working alongside fire, police, event organizers and other medical providers, preparing for the things you can't predict, and what it takes to provide medical coverage for some of the biggest gatherings in Indianapolis.

Finally, Laura talks about stepping away from day-to-day street medicine, finding a new way to serve her community through leadership, and offers some great advice for new EMS providers about compassion, listening to patients, and remembering that even when something doesn't feel like an emergency to you, it may still be an emergency to the person who called.

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Meet Laura Herring

01:18 – What Counts as a Special Event?

03:08 – From Nursing School to EMS

05:14 – Going From EMT to Paramedic

08:16 – Learning EMS in Indianapolis

12:56 – 12 Years on an Indianapolis Ambulance

15:25 – The District Medic Program

18:30 – Moving Into EMS Leadership

23:10 – Finding Special Events

27:01 – The Indy 500 & Indiana State Fair

30:38 – Planning Large-Scale Events

35:31 – What EMS Sees at the State Fair

39:23 – Sporting Events, Concerts & Venue Coverage

42:34 – EMS at the Indianapolis 500

43:53 – The Logistics of Special Events

46:12 – Leaving the Street Without Leaving EMS

48:32 – Laura's Dream Special Event

50:39 – Advice for New EMS Providers

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

This week, Jonathan is out working, leaving Mike and Max unsupervised as they catch up on a busy week in EMS. Max shares a memorable psych call, Mike officially starts Anatomy & Physiology, and after more than a year of going through EMT school and starting their EMS careers together, Mike and Max finally get the chance to work their first shift as partners.

For Tools of the Trade, we look at Trauma Bears and how something as simple as a stuffed animal can be a surprisingly useful EMS tool—not only for comforting pediatric patients, but also for helping with assessment and providing reassurance to patients experiencing dementia or distress.

Then we get into our main topic: EMS standby events. After working a community festival together, Mike and Max talk about providing EMS coverage at fairs, football games, concerts, races, and other special events. We discuss preparing for the event, knowing the layout and available resources, staging equipment, coordinating with other responders, handling everything from minor first aid to calls that become full 911 responses, and the challenge of staying alert when hours of downtime can suddenly turn into a real emergency.

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GET IN ON THE XSHEAR GIVEAWAY!!

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Welcome Back / Jonathan Is MIA

04:57 – XShear Giveaway & Patreon

10:52 – Mike & Max Finally Work Together

18:05 – Max's Psych Call

26:00 – Mike Starts Anatomy & Physiology

35:10 – Tools of the Trade: Trauma Bears

52:27 – Main Topic: EMS Standbys

57:30 – Types of Standby Events

1:03:48 – Standbys vs. 911

1:07:50 – Calls From the Polish Festival

1:11:24 – Preparing for a Standby

1:21:24 – The Carnival Ride Call

1:30:03 – Lessons Learned From Standbys

1:36:41 – Staying Alert During Downtime

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

Season 2 is officially underway!

Now that EMT school is behind us, there’s another challenge waiting: actually finding a job. This week, Mike, Max, and Jonathan talk about the job search and interview process in EMS, including where to find opportunities, networking, volunteering, building a reputation, preparing for interviews, and figuring out whether an agency is actually the right fit for you.

We also catch up on what everyone has been doing during the break. Jonathan is heading into Critical Care Paramedic training, Mike is starting A&P and working through the paramedic school entrance process, and Max recently completed TECC training.

Then we debut our new Current Topics in EMS segment with a preview of EMS World Expo 2026 in Orlando, including some of the sessions and presenters Mike is looking forward to and a few of the topics generating buzz in EMS right now.

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10% off with code: ridealong

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Welcome to Season 2

09:00 – What’s Next for Mike, Max & Jonathan

29:00 – Current Topics in EMS: EMS World Expo

1:08:00 – Job Searching in EMS

1:23:00 – Networking and Getting Your Foot in the Door

1:39:00 – Preparing for the EMS Interview

2:02:00 – Interviewing the Agency

2:16:00 – Rejection, Reputation, and Final Advice

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

Re-Education Through Labor (What's Next?)

It’s the end of Season 1! After 53 episodes of following Mike and Max through EMT school, certification, volunteering, and eventually getting hired in EMS, the crew takes a look back at just how much has changed since the journey began — and how much there still is left to learn.

Mike, Max, and Jonathan revisit some of the biggest skills and lessons from EMT school, from CPR, airway management, bleeding control, splinting, medications, and patient assessment to the less tangible lessons of finding a community in EMS and realizing just how rewarding the profession can be. Jonathan also reflects on how watching two brand-new EMTs experience EMS for the first time helped reinvigorate his own passion for the field.

Then it’s time to look forward. The crew explores what lies beyond the BLS scope, including IV and IO access, cardiac monitoring, pharmacology, advanced airway management, chest decompression, and other ALS skills. Finally, everyone shares what comes next personally — fire and special operations for Max, critical care and flight medicine for Jonathan, and a potential trip to paramedic school for Mike — before looking ahead to Season 2 of RideAlong.

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Intro

00:30 – Welcome to the Season 1 finale

02:20 – Looking back at how much we learned

07:11 – Thanking our listeners

08:43 – Thanking the sponsors who supported Season 1

13:30 – The upcoming RideAlong giveaway

18:40 – Re-Education Through Labor: What comes next?

21:19 – Looking back at the BLS skills we learned

37:01 – CPAP, medications, and patient assessment

42:08 – The biggest lessons we took away from EMT school

47:07 – What did Jonathan learn from the journey?

57:50 – What comes after BLS?

01:01:24 – IV and IO access

01:09:12 – Cardiac monitoring and advanced cardiac care

01:12:34 – ALS pharmacology

01:19:14 – Advanced airway management

01:25:17 – Chest decompression and advanced trauma skills

01:29:18 – What’s next for Max?

01:33:05 – What’s next for Jonathan?

01:38:24 – What’s next for Mike?

01:43:48 – What’s next for the RideAlong podcast?

01:46:04 – Wrapping up Season 1

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

The final countdown is here.

With the EMT curriculum behind them, Mike and Max revisit one of the final—and most intimidating—steps in the certification process: the psychomotor exam.

The crew explains what psychomotor testing evaluates, how practical exams differ between programs and states, and why verbalizing every assessment, decision, and intervention is essential. They break the patient assessment process into manageable phases, review common critical failures, and share strategies for staying organized when the pressure is on.

Then Jonathan puts Mike and Max back in the hot seat with two full patient scenarios: a 55-year-old experiencing chest pain after mowing the lawn and a 10-year-old in severe respiratory distress on a school playground. Can they still perform a textbook assessment after months of working in the field—or will real-world habits derail the process?

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Check out PocketPrep!

www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com/PocketPrep

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Welcome to the Final Countdown

05:33 – Pocket Prep and Season 2 Updates

19:59 – Medical Term of the Week: Psychomotor Exam

46:39 – Preparing for the Psychomotor Exam

55:49 – The Optimal Patient Assessment Flow

1:21:57 – Top 10 Psychomotor Exam Pitfalls

1:33:32 – Scenario 1: The Pastrami Problem

2:05:42 – Scenario 2: Pediatric Respiratory Distress

2:37:23 – NREMT Test Prep Questions

2:51:12 – The Importance of Repetition

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com

This week on RideAlong: EMT School, Mike and Jonathan are joined by longtime EMT, EMS educator, hockey goalie, and lifelong friend Brian Santora for a conversation about mentorship, EMS education, and preparing for the NREMT exam.

Brian shares how a desire to work in the air-conditioned health lodge at a remote Scout camp unexpectedly launched his EMS career, why teaching and mentoring new providers became a calling, and what students should expect as they move from textbook medicine into real-world patient care.

Then the crew breaks down NREMT test preparation, including how to approach scenario-based questions, why students must separate local protocols and street experience from textbook answers, which subjects commonly cause trouble, when to take mock exams, and how tools like Pocket Prep can identify weaknesses before test day. The episode wraps up with five practice questions that prove even experienced providers can get tripped up—and why getting a question wrong should become a learning opportunity instead of quicksand.

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NREMT TEST PREP WITH POCKET PREP

Practice NREMT-style questions, review detailed answer explanations, and track your performance across the exam categories.

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com/PocketPrep

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Episode Breakdown

00:00 – Intro and Pocket Prep

01:30 – Welcome and introducing Brian Santora

04:43 – Treasure Island, Scouting, and the beginning of a lifelong friendship

10:01 – How an air-conditioned health lodge led Brian into EMS

17:20 – The Sprite story

24:44 – Brian’s EMS career and passion for mentorship

35:20 – Becoming an EMS educator

41:04 – IFT versus 911 experience and building clinical skills

50:17 – Welcoming and mentoring new EMTs

54:06 – NREMT test preparation

58:42 – Textbook answers versus street medicine

1:02:21 – Test anxiety and understanding how you learn

1:06:28 – How to read and break down NREMT questions

1:10:20 – Pediatric vitals and commonly missed material

1:14:08 – Reading what the question actually asks

1:23:51 – The most difficult NREMT subject areas

1:38:12 – When to take NREMT mock exams

1:44:21 – Using Pocket Prep and modern study tools

1:49:27 – NREMT practice questions

2:15:09 – Learning from missed questions

2:17:27 – Avoiding test-day quicksand

2:23:36 – Brian’s advice: listen twice as much as you talk

2:26:19 – Wrap-up

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and storytelling purposes only. It is not medical advice or official EMT training. Always follow your accredited instructors and local protocols.

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🚑 RideAlong: EMT School Links

https://www.RideAlongEMTSchool.com