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Can EMS really become a true profession without providing a clinical ladder that allows continued education and growth? Currently when a paramedic graduates from Paramedic school, that's really all there is. There are additional certifications to be obtained, but in obtaining them there is still very little room for growth in terms of ownership and authority. David Fifer and I transition from a conversation about degrees for Paramedics and to a conversation about the Paramedic Practitioner in part two of "One Degree of Separation: Paramedics and Practitioners".

Degrees shouldn't be a divisive topic in EMS, but they are. It's a also a topic that tends to be fatiguing, but there's a saying "When you're tired of saying it, people are just starting to hear it". David Fifer doesn't seem to have tired of the message, and I'm here for it. David and I got together to talk about degrees for Paramedics, where the nuance is in the discussion is, why we often sound like elitist pricks when we talk about degrees, and why the discussion has almost nothing to do with being able to start an IV or follow a protocol. This is part one of the discussion. Part two will transition over to the topic of the paramedic practitioner.

Nick Nudell returns one year following his debut appearance on my debut episode of my podcast. We get right into it, discussing EMS as an essential service, volunteerism, rural overtime, degrees for paramedics, the fire/EMS paradigm, and what paramedics need to do to become a profession. No stone is left unturned! One correction to a statistic mentioned within the episode- I cited 15% as the percentage of paramedics working full time in the field. This number is closer to 30% according to pooled sources.

Dr. Brandon Morshedi is a humble, unassuming physician and medical director who is in a significant position of influence, both locally and nationally. He is also ahead of the curve as far as keeping up with educational trends and harnessing the power of those trends keep providers invested in that education. We discuss his position on the National Association OF EMS Physicians, recent positions NAEMSP has taken on subject like pelvic binders and spinal immobilization, the rise of the social media educator, and how that impacts EMS education.

New Orleans EMS has been making headlines. But not for the reasons they SHOULD be making headlines. Bill Salmeron, the chief and director for New Orleans EMS joins me to tell me what New Orleans EMS is doing RIGHT, and acknowledging that whatever struggles New Orleans EMS has isn't a unique or localized problem. EMS is struggling. Not meeting response times is indicative of how outdated using response times as a benchmark of performance is to begin with. Recruitment and retention is a nationwide problem. Compensation is a nationwide problem. The social safety net that EMS becomes is not specific to New Orleans. But what IS specific to New Orleans is their early adoption of a blood/component program. They published the receipts and demonstrated how an EMS services rises above whatever challenges it faces and does right for the community it serves. Bill was also able to confirm that on the very day we recorded he secured increased compensation for his people!

Gavin Istre has done his bid for king and country and has come out a little worse for wear. After having served in an historic and storied city of New Orleans and starring on the EMS Reality show "Nightwatch", Gavin now finds himself in a position thousands of other providers have found themselves in- unable to continue give to a field that has taken everything. We also explore the enduring legacy of Nightwatch in the reels age, where social media has given Nightwatch clips new life and unfortunately- increased scrutiny. We also directly address a widely seen clip that I myself criticized in one of my reels.

You sent "One does not simply have a 3 minute conversation with Jeff Jarvis on airway management." This was supposed to be a reel. But, like Dr. Jarvis, I can talk about this stuff all day. So 20 minutes later it became a podcast on airway management in cardiac arrest. I try to hit all of the beats I can when it comes to being practical and pragmatic with our approach, and I don't avoid putting our training paradigm under the microscope. Dr. Jarvis is an airway guru and die-hard intubation enthusiast, so his admission to what our challenges are, and what our practice should probably be is sobering.

Wind him up and let him go! The LEGEND! I loved talking to Bob in this episode. More than I loved talking to him, I loved LISTENING to him. Bob is a man who knows himself, knows his stories, knows his job and doesn't need help in talking about either. Bob is also a man who found his way after a bad outcome attributed to lack of understanding, and has pursued excellence in practice and teaching ever since. He is also someone who is still committed to learning and who will pivot to new information when it is presented. Bob has come to be my conference circuit buddy, something I could never have imagined decades ago when I was trying to work. My way through MultiLead Medic and Slap the Cap. I hope you enjoy listening to Bob as much as I did! Manual Ventilation Academy: https://manualventilationacademy.org/

What do a bunch of nerdy EMS podcasters at an EMS conference do once the day of lecturing is over? Relax in a hot tub? Watch The West Wing reruns on Netflix? Go out to dinner? Take naps? NOPE! We re-convene and nerd out for one big crossover episode. And we nerd out on...AIRWAY! Because Jeff Jarvis. This crossover episode was a blast to record!

A patient becoming alert during a resuscitation is a best-case scenario, right? Mission accomplished! Not so fast, we're not talking about ROSC, we're talking about a patient who becomes alert during CPR because we're perfusing the brain THAT well. But they don't have a pulse. When compressions stop, the patient "stops". This is traumatic for the patient, but it's also traumatic for the provider. Dr. Alex Jabr and I break down CPR induced consciousness for talk about ways to mitigate the impact it has on everyone involved. References: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ptq8EeBp19E5rs_iWuEm-Io1gank2heV/view?usp=drivesdk Emergency Resilience: https://www.emergencyresilience.com/

Elizabeth has it all! A great career! Influence in that career. She's a wife and mother. She has a home. She has recognition and brought the house down at EMS World. But at one point in her life she lost it all. Liz suffered from opioid use disorder, and her story from addiction to freedom is an inspiring account of how being offered kindness and compassion at your lowest point can be a seed that's planted that eventually sprouts and fuels recovery! Link to Liz's Paramedic Scholarship Organization: https://www.paramedicpathways.org/

Podcast GOAT Ginger Locke of Medic Mindset joins me to discuss introversion in EMS. What is an introvert? Do introverts even like people? Are introverts barely surviving in an extrovert's EMS playhouse or are we actually the thrivers? Come recharge your batteries with Ginger and I as we settle into some quiet introspection and explore the minds of both introverts AND extroverts that make up the field of EMS. That's right extroverts, we saved a spot for you!

In the second episode of season 2, I discuss the successes, failures, lessons, and challenges of being an educator on social media with the always amazing Nurse Gwenny. We talk about the rewards of the job, navigating community engagement, disparities in the way men and women are treated in the creator space, what to do when you get it wrong, and what it feels like to get it right.

There is an overwhelming sense amongst EMS providers that they are trapped in EMS. They got in not quite knowing what the reality VS the promise of EMS was. That feeling was only intensified during the pandemic. Now they feel like there is no way out. It can almost feel like a prison sentence without a released date. Former inmate and now advocate Jesse Crosson relates to this as he served a considerable amount of time in prison (More so than sentence guidelines recommended) and found that while he couldn't change his surroundings, he COULD change his mind and his attitude. Hopefully this can inspire others to build resilience and internal change in order to rise above unfavorable circumstances.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Ben Abo, a well known physician and researcher (Who maintains his Paramedic license) about a recent paper that he co-authored that found absolutely no evidence to support the practice of spinal immobilization, including the use of rigid cervical collars. This paper was a comprehensive review and meta-analysis, which is the highest form of evidence on the hierarchy of evidence. We dive into the data, the dogma, and how patients' quality of life and well-being are being ritually sacrificed to the use of these devices.