EMS Intro to Medicolegal—No Need for Lecture!
Pry yourself AWAY from lecture and TOWARDS “facilitation” When asked why they chose EMS your brand new EMT candidates will almost universally reply, “I just could never sit behind a desk for 8 hours per day.” Yet, in many cases, this is exactly what we’ve expected of...
EMT Students: Breaking Down Personal Space Barriers
So, you’ve started a new semester full of eager EMT candidates. The students have no experience being “up in people’s business.” They are learning about gloves and consent. Raised in the digital age, they need additional guidance on making personal interactions...
Why You MUST Support EMS NOW
The family is all together—joking, smiling, laughing. You’ve just set the table for a massive brunch with all the fixings. Just as everyone takes their seats and begins to fill their plates, the one who holds a special place in your heart falls out of the chair...Student Minimum Competency Matrix—Planning and Communication
The first time you look at the CoAEMSP Student Minimum Competency (SMC) Matrix (formerly known as “Appendix G”), you wonder how you will ever get your students through all of the requirements. The mere volume of required skills is overwhelming. Then, you add to that...
What is a DAV and how can it minimize my liability?
EMS and the Affective Domain: What is a DAV and how can it minimize my liability? CAAHEP Standards inform us that we must “teach” the affective domain. This aspect of our programs has always been a little “squishy” and fraught with liability. Invariably, behaviors...
EMS and the Affective Domain: Building behaviors with positive reinforcement
The human condition makes us so quick to focus on the negative that we oftentimes fail to celebrate the positive. Can we find some balance and enhance the affective domain at the same time?Hopefully, you’ve read about our DAV system to track undesirable...
A Message to EMS Students: Remind Me
I’ve been a paramedic for two decades. I’m not perfect and I know it–hopefully, that is an advantage. As you enter my classroom, I ask you to do me a favor.You see, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be a normal person. Of course, I...
Productive Storytelling in EMS Education
The value of storytelling in any type of education is undeniable…when done correctly. We’ve all had those EMS instructors who tell one “war story” after another. They can be very entertaining but minimally informative. If the reason for the...