CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Emergency Medical Services

HANDOUT 1-1: Evaluating Content Mastery Student’s Name

EVALUATION

CHAPTER 1 QUIZ

Write the letter of the best answer in the space provided.

______ 1. Most states require refresher training for EMTs every:

A. 1 to 2 years.

B. 5 to 7 years.

C. 2 to 4 years.

D. 4 to 5 years.
______ 2. Who is accountable for the activities of E MS personnel within the

EMS system?

A. EMT–Intermediate

B. ER nurse

C. Medical Director

D. shift commander
______ 3. Which of the following is NOT a role or responsibility for an EMT?

A. Transfer of care

B. Personal safety

C. Lifting and moving

D. Providing medical direction

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______ 4. The first concern of an EMT must be:

A. patient safety.

B. crew control.

C. vehicle safety.

D. personal safety.
______ 5. A policy set by an EMS Medical Director that allows EMTs to ad-

minister naloxone to patients in certain circumstances without

speaking to the physician is an example of a(n):

A. direct order.

B. on-line order.

C. standing order.

D. Q I order.
______ 6. An order from an EMS system’s on-duty physician given by radio

or phone is an example of:

A. off-line medical control.

B. on-line medical direction.

C. designated direction.

D. standing orders.
______ 7. The level of EMS training in which the emphasis is on activating

the EMS system and controlling immediate life-threatening emer-

gencies is:

A. EM R.

B. EMT.

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 C. AEMT.

D. Paramedic.
______ 8. A good personal trait for an EMT is someone who:

A. is independent.

B. is insincere.

C. is nonjudgmental.

D. always follows others.

______ 9. Lists of steps, such as assessment and interventions, to be per-

formed in different situations by EMS personnel are known as:

A. protocols.

B. care directives.

C. enhanced Q A.

D. EMDs.
______ 10. Which of the following is a way for an EMT to have a role in the

quality improvement (QI) process?

A. Have someone else check equipment.

B. Read patient’s hospital chart.

C. Continue his or her education.

D. Submit run reports quickly even if incomplete.

______ 11. Which is an example of EMS being involved in public health?

A. Responding to a mass-casualty incident

B. Public vaccination programs

C. Providing free blood pressure checks at the station

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 D. Running calls with the fire department
______ 12. What is one outcome of medical research for EMS?

A. Evidence-based techniques

B. New EMS shift designs

C. Better EMS documentation

D. Improved ambulance design

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HANDOUT 1-2: Reinforcing Content Mastery Student’s Name

REINFORCEMENT

IN THE FIELD

Review the following real-life situation. Then answer the questions that follow.

You and an EMT partner are assigned to EMS Unit 5 one morning in September. At

10:35 A.M. the emergency dispatcher directs you to an accident on Pumpkin Hollow

Road. A woman driving her car along that road called 911 on her cell phone to report

that the car ahead of her had swerved to avoid a dog, gone off the road, plunged into a

ditch, and hit a tree.

Your unit pulls up at the scene six minutes later. As you don your personal protec-

tive equipment, you note that a county sheriff’s car is already on scene. A deputy is

kneeling beside a male in his early 20s who is lying on the ground. Even from the top of

the ditch, you can see that the young man’s shirt and pants are blood soaked. The dep-

uty is applying direct pressure to the patient’s right wrist. As you approach, the deputy

tells you that after the crash, the patient, who had been wearing a seat belt, did not be-

lieve himself injured. However, before the deputy arrived, the patient attempted to get

out of the car. In doing so, he sliced his wrist on jagged metal. Your partner takes over

holding direct pressure to the wound. Meanwhile, you introduce yourself to the patient

as you begin your assessment of his condition. The patient seems anxious and restless,

and as you assess him, you talk to him, explaining what you are doing, and try to calm

him. Because of the circumstances of the accident, you are especially alert during the

assessment to the possibility that the patient may have received internal or spinal inju-

ries. In fact, you determine that the patient is showing signs and symptoms of internal

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bleeding and shock (hypoperfusion). Shock is a life-threatening condition, so you decide

that he needs immediate transport to the hospital, some 20 minutes away.

You have provided the patient with high-concentration oxygen. Now, as you pre-

pare him for transport, you ask the police officer to call in a request for a rendezvous

with Paramedics of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit. When he has done so, he

joins you and your partner in moving the patient, now immobilized to a backboard, to the

ambulance. You remain with the patient, holding direct pressure on the wrist wound,

while your partner drives. You also monitor the patient’s airway, breathing, and circula-

tion and reassess his vital signs.

Seven minutes later, you meet the Paramedics of the ALS unit at the parking lot of

a farm produce stand. You provide the Paramedics with a concise report of the patient’s

condition and your interventions. The Paramedics assume care of the patient. They

contact medical direction and report on their findings and expected time of arrival at the

hospital as transport continues. Just a few minutes after 11:00 A.M., the ambulance

reaches Memorial Hospital. The emergency room staff is briefed on the patient’s status

and vital signs and on the care he has received. The hospital crew takes over and

wheels the young man off to surgery.

1. Which components of the EMS system were involved in this scenario?

2. What roles and responsibilities of an EMT-B were demonstrated in this scenario?

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HANDOUT 1-3: Reinforcing Content Mastery Student’s Name

CHAPTER 1 REVIEW

Write the word or words that best complete each sentence in the space provided.

1. The modern Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system has been developed to

provide what is known as ___________________ or ___________________ -

___________________ - ___________________ care.

2. In 1966 the National Highway Safety Act charged the United States

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ with developing

EMS standards.

3. All transporting prehospital personnel should, at a minimum, be trained to the level of

___________________ , using a standardized curriculum taught by qualified instructors.

4. The type of specialty hospital in which surgery teams are available on a round-the-

clock basis is the ___________________ ___________________ .

5. The specially trained EMS personnel who obtain information about emergency situa-

tions from callers and who also provide instructions for emergency care to callers

are ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ .

6. The ___________________ ___________________ system has the capability of auto-

matically identifying the caller’s phone number and location.

7. A(n) ___________________ ___________________ is an EMT who has passed specific additional

training programs and is authorized to provide some advanced-level care.

8. The process of continuous self-review with the purpose of identifying aspects of the

EMS system that require improvement is known as ___________________

___________________ .

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9. Standing orders that allow EMTs to give certain medications or perform certain pro-

cedures without speaking directly to a physician are examples of

___________________ - ___________________ medical direction.

10. An EMT has responsibility for a patient until ___________________ ___________________

___________________ to hospital personnel has been properly completed.

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HANDOUT 1-4: Reinforcing Content Mastery Student’s Name

LISTING EMT BASICS

Complete the following lists.

1. List at least seven of the ten categories in which the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration Technical Assistance Program sets standards for EMS systems.

___________________________________________________________________

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2. List three types of specialty hospitals.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. List two responsibilities of emergency medical directors.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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4. List the four general levels of EMS training and certification.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. List at least four roles and responsibilities of the EMT.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

6. List three ways that an EMT can participate in public health.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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HANDOUT 1-5: Reinforcing Content Mastery Student’s Name

EMS BASICS TRUE OR FALSE

Indicate if the following statements are true or false by writing T or F in the space

provided.
______ 1. Each EMS service or agency has a Medical Director who as-

sumes the ultimate responsibility for oversight of the patient-care

aspects of the E MS system.

______ 2. As an EMT, you will be one of the many persons and profes-

sions that come together to form an E MS system.

______ 3. Legal and ethical issues that affect physicians and nurses are

not the concern of E MTs.

______ 4. Trauma centers are not yet considered “specialty” hospitals.

______ 5. Certification as an EMT requires only that a person successfully

complete the DOT EMT National Standard Training Program.

______ 6. Keeping yourself safe is your second priority after patient safety

when providing medical care.

______ 7. The care an individual patient requires may range from simple

emotional support to life-saving CPR and defibrillation.

______ 8. You must never abandon care of the patient at the hospital until

transfer to hospital personnel has been properly completed.

______ 9. As an EMT you should be able to lift and carry a minimum of 175

pounds.

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______ 10. Good personality traits are really not very important to an E MT

with excellent clinical skills.

______ 11. Good quality continuing education can often take the place of

an original E MT training course.

______ 12. Many states use the National Registry examinations as their

certification exams.
______ 13. Quality improvement is designed and performed to ensure that

the public receives the highest quality prehospital care.

______ 14. The EMT has no direct role in the quality improvement process.

______ 15. Striving for quality in the care you personally give to patients

and as a collective part of an ambulance squad upholds the

highest standards of the E MS system.

______ 16. Medical research does not play an important role in patient out-

comes.

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