Intro to EMS
What does the abbreviation EMS stand for?
Emergency Medical Services
What equipment should an EMT use to reduce exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material?
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
When lifting a patient, should you primarily lift with your back or your legs?
Your legs
What type of consent is generally assumed for an unconscious patient with a life-threatening emergency?
Implied consent
What directional term means toward the head?
Superior
What level of EMS provider is trained to provide basic emergency medical care and transportation?
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
What three-letter abbreviation describes the body's protective equipment used by EMS personnel?
PPE
What is the term for using the body correctly to prevent injury while lifting and moving?
Body mechanics
What legal concept describes an EMT's responsibility to provide care once a provider-patient relationship has been established?
Duty to act
What directional term means farther away from the trunk or point of attachment?
Distal
What physician provides medical oversight for an EMS system?
The EMS medical director
What term describes physical and emotional exhaustion that can develop from prolonged occupational stress?
Burnout
During a power lift, approximately where should the feet be positioned?
About shoulder-width apart, on a firm base of support
What is it called when an EMT terminates care without ensuring that care is continued by someone with appropriate training?
Abandonment
What does the prefix brady- mean?
Slow
What type of medical direction occurs when an EMT communicates directly with a physician or other authorized provider during a call?
Online medical direction
After caring for a critically injured child, an EMT has intrusive thoughts, poor sleep, and difficulty concentrating. What type of reaction may the EMT be experiencing?
A stress reaction / traumatic stress response
You find an unconscious patient on a bathroom floor and need to move them only far enough to begin immediate lifesaving care. What type of move is appropriate?
An emergency move
A competent adult refuses transport after you explain the risks and possible consequences. What type of refusal should you obtain and document?
An informed refusal
A wound is located on the anterior surface of the patient's right forearm. Where is it?
The front surface of the right forearm
An EMT performs a procedure according to established written orders without contacting a physician during the call. What type of medical direction is being used?
Offline medical direction / standing orders or protocols
Your partner has become withdrawn, irritable, is sleeping poorly, and says that recent calls keep replaying in their mind. What is the most appropriate general response?
Recognize the signs of stress and encourage appropriate peer/professional support rather than ignoring them
A patient is stable, there are no immediate hazards, and there is no urgent need to move them. Should an emergency move be performed?
No. Use an appropriate nonemergency move/device and minimize unnecessary movement
Name the four commonly taught elements that generally must be established in a negligence claim.
Duty to act, breach of duty, damages/injury, and causation
What is the difference between proximal and distal?
Proximal means closer to the trunk or point of attachment; distal means farther away