As every EMS provider knows, a patient must be “competent to refuse” in order for them to decline treatment or transport. In other words, they must be able to understand the risks of foregoing care and also be able to accept legal responsibility for doing so.Read More

It doesn’t matter what profession you work in, chances are good at some point you’ll find yourself working alongside someone who is underperforming, difficult to work with or downright inappropriate.Read More

Have you ever thought about how the public perceives the emergency medical services? Do you ever question how you’re doing when you’re administering care to a patient? Patient surveys are extremely common in the healthcare field in today’s society.  Though they are most common in hospitals and doctor’s offices, but they can be helpful for...Read More

The implementation of technology for distance learning enhances both the convenience and availability of education of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) learners. As access to high speed internet continues to grow, post-secondary administrators and EMS educators are increasing the number of educational courses as well as other offerings via distance learning. The availability of this tool extends...Read More

Almost 50 years ago scientists discovered that tranexamic acid (TxA) causes an inhibition of plasminogen to the active form or plasmin. As a result fibrinolysis and clot breakdown was inhibited thus leading to a greater control over the loss of blood. Originally, TxA was the treatment of choice  for patients with hemophilia as well as to decrease...Read More

Alex Dougherty is a master’s student who also earned his bachelor’s degree in paramedicine from EKU. He’s currently a graduate assistant for the Emergency Medical Care degree program. When asked about why he was so passionate about EMS, he had this to say, “Paramedicine became a passion for me when I was a junior in...Read More

EMS is a crossroads unseen since the early 1970s. Make sure when your career in EMS is over that it occurs on your terms and not because of an unwise action that you should have foreseen.  Make it fun while it lasts!Read More

This is my second semester teaching at EKU, but I graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2007 and stayed connected with EKU as a member of the International Alumni Association Board of Directors.Read More

Over the last four decades, many in the field of EMS have called for more education in emergency medical services (EMS) leadership. According to Time Magazine, EMS is projected to grow an astounding 22% over the next ten years.Read More

A recent Chicago research paper, “Outcomes of Basic Versus Advanced Life Support for Out-of-Hospital Medical Emergencies,” analyzed the outcomes of patients who received advanced life (ALS) support versus basic life support (BLS) and the impact on mortality. It’s certainly created an uproar in the EMS community. Read More