The AEIOUTIPS acronym holds a special place in my paramedic heart. It stands alongside OPQRST and SOAP as one of the three most useful acronyms I ever learned in medicine. I'm a believer in AEIOUTIPS … [Read more...]
The Three Collision Rule
November 3, 2010 by 6 Comments
I imagine it was probably my first Prehospital Trauma Life Support class back in 1990 that I first heard of the three collision rule. Since then, it has remained a useful tool in examining the … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide to EMT Vital Signs
June 8, 2010 by 4 Comments
Part 3: The First Rule of Vital Signs This is probably a good time to bring up the number one rule of vital signs. Remember the movie Fight Club? Everyone knew the first rule of fight club was to … [Read more...]
Safe At Home
March 6, 2010 by 7 Comments
A good friend of mine is being sued by a former patient. I don't know if that statement gives you anxiety the way it gives me anxiety. I'll admit it, I have an underlying fear of having to defend … [Read more...]
Mastering The Head-To-Toe Assessment
February 8, 2010 by 15 Comments
You probably practiced your head-to-toe assessment a bunch in your EMT class. Maybe more than any other skill in the EMT curriculum. If your class was or is anything like mine (as a student or a … [Read more...]
Medicine Between The Frames
January 28, 2010 by 5 Comments
One of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin, recently introduced me to the work of Scott McCloud, an author who's written several classic books on understanding comic books. Scott dissects the comic … [Read more...]
The E-Book is Coming!
January 14, 2010 by 6 Comments
OK, I can't keep this to myself any longer. It's time for the big announcement. With the final draft still in the mail from my editorial team and the final design still lacking a few details, it would … [Read more...]
The Art of The Pulse Check
December 19, 2009 by 23 Comments
Fast or Slow, Strong or Weak, Regular or Irregular I'd like to teach you how to take a pulse in three seconds or less. Yes it's possible. I am, quite possibly, about to contradict … [Read more...]
Test For Unconsciousness: The Sternal Rub
November 17, 2009 by 14 Comments
Ahhh the embattled sternal rub. Revered, reviled ... the sternal rub is the Ann Coulter of medical interventions. Abrasive, annoying, loved by many, hated by many more. The subject of the usefulness … [Read more...]
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