EMTpro Podcast

In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly have the opportunity to chat with Dr. Selbak in the studio. Dr. Selbak introduces an exciting case he came across while working in the emergency department and discusses with the team how he went about treating it.

In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly discuss their experiences with OB calls, specifically field deliveries, that were outside a typical “textbook” experience. They dive into the aspects of the scene, patient, transport, and crew to discuss what made their experiences stand out. Each provider will also take the time to address a unique OB emergency related to the patient in their story or that they have experienced and how they treated that patient to benefit both mom and baby.  OB calls, specifically those in which deliveries are imminent, are low frequency with the potential to be very high risk. So the team discusses how they felt going into the call, what they did that helped set them up for success, and what about the scene created a roadblock as they attempted to provide the best possible patient care.  While each patient discussed delivered otherwise healthy babies, listener discretion is advised as these stories involve less-than-ideal scenarios with challenges in both patient care and scene management. 

In this special episode, we celebrate our co-host, Dan Livengood, on his retirement after 27 years in the fire and EMS service. Dan is one of the most selfless and caring people you'd ever hope to have show up at your door during your time of need. We learn from his co-workers just how much fun it was to work with Dan and what life in the firehouse with him was like. 

In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly discuss EMS education with Adam Culbertson, a current educator in North Carolina. The team has the opportunity to ask Adam about EMS education and how it is changing, as well as some trends we can expect to see in the coming years.

In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly are joined by Dr. Ramsey Selbak, EMTprep's Physician Advisor. Dr. Ramsey discusses his background in emergency medicine as well as his experience and relationship with field providers. The team then delves into an age old rut into which many EMS providers fall - chasing numbers. What do we mean by this?  Trying to correct specific lab values or vitals without taking into account the entirety patient. What do they look like? Why might this vital or value be skewed? How long did it take the patient to get to where they are now? And, of course, is the patient stable as they sit? Dr. Ramsey provides a couple brief examples of times where seemingly critical patients remain stable with limited intervention in the ED, which implores the crew to discuss the role of EMS providers in the field, and re-evaluate their responsibility to "fix" or "reverse" patients with advanced disease processes.

In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly discuss calls that are not "black and white", and have forced them to think outside the box. Steve provides Dan and Holly with a case he encountered and has them walk through their decision making. He then reflects on how he and his crew responded to the scenario. Holly reviews a call she had that presented a variety of challenges and forced her to work in the "gray zone" and defend clinical decisions she made. The team closes by reviewing the importance of critical thinking and its application in the world of emergency medicine. 

Steve, Dan, and Holly are back in the studio after a 6-month hiatus. The team reviews disaster medicine, how to get in the door, and what to expect on deployments. Dan Livengood is interviewed and discussed his multiple deployments that started in 2001 in El Salvador up to his most recent deployment to Ukraine. 

Steve is back in the studio to give you a quick update on our friend and guest, Debbie Bailey. Steve gives a timeline for when the trio will be back in the studio again to record the next episodes of the show. 

Steve, Dan, and Holly bring special guest Debbie Bailey on the show to discuss the process of dying and death itself. The trio listen as Debbie describes her battle with a terminal illness and what her recommendations are for EMS providers who are called to treat those in their final days and moments. 

Steve, Dan, and Holly bring in Dr. Ramsey Selbak to discuss Ketamine use from an ER Physician's perspective. In addition to some case reviews, key aspects of Ketamine dosing, indications, and side effects are discussed.