Advanced EMS Foundations - EMS 180 at Tidewater Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/tcc/courses/EMS180-AdvancedEMSFoundations
Effective: 2024-01-01
Course Description
Introduces fundamental concepts established by the National Emergency Medical Service Education Standards (NEMSES) for the Advanced EMT curriculum. Includes EMS systems, introduction to research, workforce safety and wellness, EMS system communications, therapeutic communication, and legal and ethical issues.
Lecture 1 hour. Total 1 hour per week.
1 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
The purpose of this course is to introduce the novice student to the foundational aspects of advanced life support care.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Prerequisite: Current Virginia EMT and CPR certification as approved by the Virginia Office of EMS.
Course Objectives
- Identify components of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system
- Correlate valid research findings to evidence-based practice
- Identify elements of workforce safety and wellness
- Define components of EMS communication systems
- Demonstrate understanding of effective communication
- Describe legal aspects related to patient care
- Explain ethical and moral issues related to patient care
Major Topics to be Included
- The student will be able to integrate comprehensive knowledge of EMS Systems, including the following topics, in order to improve the health of EMS personnel, patients, and the community:
- EMS Systems:
- Roles, Responsibilities, and professionalism of EMS personnel;
- Quality Improvement vs Quality Assurance;
- Role of medical oversight;
- Culture of safety and concepts of patient safety;
- Systems of care (i.e. Stroke, STEMI, Trauma, Pediatrics);
- Foundational knowledge of the continuum of care;
- Foundational knowledge of the history of EMS; and
- Foundational knowledge of Mobile Integrated Healthcare/ Community Paramedicine, and other EMS-related specialty roles.
- Workforce Safety and Wellness:
- Standard safety precautions;
- Personal protective equipment;
- Lifting and moving patients;
- Stress management;
- Prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses;
- Responder mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention;
- Wellness principles;
- Disease transmission; and
- Foundational knowledge of Crew Resource Management.
- Research:
- Impact of research on paramedicine;
- Data collection;
- Evidence-based decision making; and
- Foundational knowledge of research principles to interpret literature and advocate evidence-based practice.
- Documentation:
- Recording patient findings;
- Supporting medical necessity; and
- Comprehensive knowledge of principles of medical documentation and report writing.
- Communication:
- EMS communication system;
- Communication with other health care professionals to include cohesive and organized patient handoff;
- Team communication and dynamics; and
- Simple knowledge of telemetric monitoring devices and transmission of clinical data, including video data.
- Therapeutic Communication:
- Health Care Literacy;
- Interviewing techniques;
- Managing communication challenges;
- Adjusting communication strategies for age, stage of development, patients with special needs;
- Non-discriminatory communication that addresses inherent or unconscious bias, is culturally aware and sensitive, and intended to improve patient outcomes;
- Medical/Legal and Ethics:
- Consent/involuntary consent/refusal of care;
- Confidentiality;
- Advanced directives;
- Tort and criminal actions;
- Statutory responsibilities;
- Mandatory Reporting;
- Ethical principles/ moral obligations;
- End-of-life issues;
- Health care regulation;
- Patient rights/advocacy;
- Ethical tests and decision making;
- Foundational knowledge of evidence preservation.
- EMS roles in public health;
- Human trafficking;
- EMS HER Reporting and data collection;
- Governmental and nongovernmental roles and resources;
- Public health mission and goals;
- Social, geographic, economic, and demographic determinants of health;
- Patient and community education;
- Injury prevention and wellness;
- Unique pediatric, geriatric, and special populations of public health concerns;
- Foundational knowledge of infection prevention and control; and
- Foundational knowledge of the impacts of political, social, and economic issues.