Emergency Care for Professional Responders

EMR Course Outline:

Emergency Medical Responder, EMR Course Introductory Notes:

The Emergency Medical Responder, EMR Course being offered in our College is the basic EMS course and serves as an introductory course to those who wish to work in the Emergency Medical Services, EMS industry. The EMR Course duration is 3 weeks maximum. Cost of the entire course is 22,500 Kenya shillings(Kshs.22,500).

EMR Target Group:

Some people may be interested in working in EMS but for some reasons like finances, advanced age, may opt not to do the EMT course and instead do EMR. For instance, there are people already employed in a hospital and have been working there for a very long time and may be feel that they are “too old” to manage the rigors of EMT training. So, because they wish to continue working in the hospital and usually get involved in patient care, they should undergo EMR training to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively deliver professional patient care when called upon.

The following group is also eligible for the EMR course:

  • Hospital allied staff who handle patients
  • Anyone willing to enroll for the EMT course but doesn’t meet minimum academic requirement of C- in KCSE or its equivalent.
  • Veteran ambulance drivers without EMT education

Emergency Medical Responder, EMR Course Contents:

  1. The Emergency Medical Responder
  • Introduction to the Emergency Medical Services System
  • Medical Oversight in EMS
  • Communicating with the Medical Director
  • Communicating with the Receiving Facility
  • Professional EMR Responsibilities
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Self-Care
  • Critical Incident Stress and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Legal and Ethical Issues
  • Duty to Act
  • Scope of Practice
  • Abuse and Neglect
  • Consent
  • Refusal of Care
  • Transfer of Care
  • Documentation
  • Communication
  • Medical Terminology
  • Well-being in Emergency Medical Services
  • Coping mechanisms in EMS

 

  1. Responding to the Call
  • Preparing for the Emergency
  • Response
  • Equipment
  • Plan of Action
  • Communications
  • Training
  • Psychological Preparation
  • Managing Hazards at the Emergency Scene
  • Personal Safety
  • Safety of Others
  • Special Emergency Scenes
  • Specific Scene Hazards

 

  1. Infection Prevention and Control
  • How Infections Occur
  • Disease-Causing Pathogens
  • How Diseases are Transmitted
  • Epidemics and Pandemics
  • Diseases that Cause Concern
  • Immunization
  • Preventing Disease Transmission
  • Personal Hygiene
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Engineering and Work Practice Controls
  • Cleaning and Disinfecting Equipment
  • Spill Management
  • Exposure Control Plans
  • If an Exposure Occurs
  1. Anatomy and Physiology
  • Anatomical Terminology
  • Body Cavities
  • Body Systems
  • The Cell
  • Respiratory System
  • Circulatory System
  • Lymphatic System
  • Immunological System
  • Nervous System
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Integumentary System
  • Endocrine System
  • Digestive System
  • Genitourinary System
  • How Injuries Occur

 

  1. Patient Assessment
  • Scene Assessment
  • Primary Assessment
  • Reassessment
  • Secondary Assessment
  • Treatment/Interventions
  • Documentation of Findings
  • Ongoing Assessment

 

  1. Airway Management and Respiratory Emergencies

 

  • Respiratory Pathophysiology
  • Airway Obstruction
  • Respiratory Conditions
  • Assisted Ventilation
  • Resuscitation Devices
  • Resuscitation Masks
  • Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) Resuscitators
  • Supplemental Oxygen
  • Airway Adjuncts
  • Oropharyngeal Airways
  • Nasopharyngeal Airways
  • Suctioning and Suctioning Devices
  • Care for Respiratory Distress
  • Care for Respiratory Arrest

 

  1. Circulatory Emergencies
  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Angina
  • Myocardial Infarction (MI)
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • Cardiac Arrest
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
  • Compressions
  • Team Approach
  • Using a Defibrillator
  • Special Resuscitation Situations
  • Post-Cardiac Arrest Care
  • Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)
  • Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
  • CVA Assessment Scales

 

  1. Shock
  • Pathophysiology of Shock
  • Types of Shock
  • Stages of Shock
  • Care for Shock
  • Hypoxia
  • Signs and Symptoms of Shock

 

  1. Hemorrhage and Soft Tissue Trauma
  • Infection
  • Dressings and Bandages
  • Stitches and Sutures
  • Tourniquets
  • External Bleeding
  • Internal Bleeding
  • Open Wounds
  • Closed Wounds
  • Burns
  • Major Soft Tissue Trauma
  1. Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Types of Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Splints
  • Slings
  • Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Upper Extremity Injuries
  • Lower Extremity Injuries
  1. Chest, Abdominal and Pelvic Injuries
  • Chest Injuries
  • Rib Fractures
  • Hemothorax
  • Pneumothorax
  • Subcutaneous Emphysema (SCE)
  • Penetrating Chest Injuries
  • Abdominal Injuries
  • Evisceration
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
  • Pelvic Injuries
  • Pelvic Binding
  • Genital Injuries
  1. Head and Spinal Injuries
  • Mechanism of Injury for Head and Spinal Injuries
  • Head Injuries
  • Skull Fractures
  • Objects Impaled in the Skull
  • Injuries to the Brain
  • Cerebral Hematoma
  • Spinal Injuries
  • Spinal Motion Restriction (SMR)
  • Care for Serious Head and Spinal Injuries
  • Rapid Extrication
  • Removing Helmets and Other Equipment
  1. Acute and Chronic Illnesses
  • Altered Mental Status
  • Syncope
  • Diabetic Emergencies
  • Seizures
  • Types of Seizures
  • Epilepsy
  • Peritonitis
  • Appendicitis
  • Bowel Obstruction
  • Gastroenteritis
  • Kidney Stones
  • Peptic Ulcers
  • Gastrointestinal Bleeding (GI)
  • Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

 

  1. Poisoning
  • Poison Control Centers
  • Recognizing Poisoning
  • General Care for Poisoning Emergencies
  • Ingested Poisons
  • Inhaled Poisons
  • Absorbed Poisons
  • Injected Poisons
  • Substance Misuse and Abuse
  • Crowd Management Agents

 

  1. Environmental Illnesses
  • Temperature Homeostasis
  • Heat-Related Illness
  • Heat Cramps
  • Heat Exhaustion
  • Heat Stroke
  • Cold-Related Illness
  • Hypothermia
  • Frost Nip
  • Frostbite
  • Drowning
  • Cold-Water Immersion and Drowning
  • High-Altitude Illness
  • SCUBA-Related Illness
  • Physiology
  • Barotrauma of Descent
  • Barotrauma of Ascent

 

  1. Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery
  • Pregnancy
  • The Birth Process
  • Assessing Labor
  • The Labor Process
  • Preparing for Delivery
  • Assisting with Delivery
  • Caring for the Neonate and Mother
  • Care and Assessment for the Neonate
  • Caring for the mother
  • Midwives and Home Births
  • Complications during Pregnancy
  • Spontaneous Abortion
  • Premature Labor
  • Ectopic Pregnancy
  • Third Trimester Bleeding
  • Complications During Childbirth
  • Prolapsed Cord
  • Breech Birth
  • Limb Presentation
  • Multiple Births

 

  1. Special Populations
  • Pediatric Patients
  • Stages of Development
  • Anatomical and Physiological Differences
  • Assessing the Pediatric Patient
  • Other Pediatric Conditions
  • Geriatric Patients
  • Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Osteoporosis
  • Bariatric Patients
  • Palliative Patients
  • Patients with Disabilities

 

  1. 18. Crisis Intervention
  • Psychological Crisis
  • Suicide
  • Assault
  • Death and Dying
  • Mental Health Crises
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Psychosis

 

  1. Reaching, Lifting, and Extricating Patients
  • Gaining Entry to Buildings
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Stabilizing Vehicles
  • Accessing the Patient
  • Moving Patients
  • Body Mechanics
  • Stretchers and Lifting Devices
  • Lifting and Moving a Stretcher
  • Bariatric Patients

 

  1. Transportation
  • Emergency Vehicle Maintenance and Safety Check
  • Removing a Vehicle from Service
  • Beginning and Ending a Shift
  • Safe Vehicle Operation
  • Air Medical Transportation
  • Patient Considerations
  • Landing Site Preparation
  • Ground Safety Precautions
  • Medical Evacuation from a Ship
  • Preparing the Patient for Transfer
  • Principles of emergency vehicle driving

 

  1. Multiple Casualty Incidents
  • Organizing Resources
  • Caring for the Ill or Injured
  • Triage
  • CBRNE Emergencies
  • Types of Agents
  • Methods of Dissemination
  • Scene Assessment
  • Establishing Perimeters
  • Triage in a CBRNE Incident
  • Control of Contaminated Casualties
  • Transporting CBRNE Patients
  • Psychological Impact of CBRNE Events

 

  1. Pharmacology Overview
  • Assisting with Medication vs Administering
  • Six Rights of Medication Administration
  • Pharmacological Terminology
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • Pharmacodynamics
  • Intravenous (IV) Therapy Maintenance
  • Preparing a Drip Set and Solution
  • Calculating IV Flow Rates
  • Changing an IV Bag
  • Complications
  • Discontinuing an IV Bag
  • How to Administer Medication Intranasally
  • Guidelines for Injections
  • Disinfection