Greg Friese is the Editorial Director of EMS1.com among other things. He brings a very interesting view of how EMS providers should be compensated for the work they do. In January of 2022, he wrote a piece discussing the importance of EMS providers not just receiving a living wage, but rather for EMS workers to make much greater than a living wage. He recently wrote about the dismal raise that Austin EMS providers received to provide a voice to workers who felt voiceless.
Dan Gerard is a man of many hats. He is the current President of the IAEMSC as well as the EMS Coordinator for Alameda county in California. He has spent his lengthy EMS career pursuing new advancements in pre-hospital medicine and is currently piloting a program in Alameda county that may be a game changer when it comes to recognizing and treating seizures in the field. Ceribell is a device that wraps around a patient’s head like a headband and produces real-time EEG tracings that can be interpreted by an EMS clinician with little to no training. The best part about this system is that it is already FDA approved an is being used in hospitals with encouraging results. Take a listen and let us know what you think!
Natalie Zink is a paramedic and medical student in Georgia who speaks extensively on women’s rights and the medical treatment of abortion. Her work can be found in EMSWorld and in other publications. This episode, recorded May 22, 2022 discusses the leaked Supreme Court brief suggesting the overturn of 1973’s Roe v. Wade and 1992’s Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Ed and Natalie discuss what field providers can expect and how to treat abortions in the field. This episode is wide-ranging from the logistics of certain legislation to how it effects healthcare providers. Countries such as Poland have attempted similar legislation to no avail. Abortion is a safe and (currently) legal intervention that will occur regardless of the current laws. It is important that EMS and pre-hospital providers know how to treat these patients and what they can expect moving forward should this case become law.
Hilary gates is a real life educator at American University who happened to join EMS and fall in love with it. The program she works with, Prodigy EMS, is at the forefront of EMS education. As we move forward out of our collective nightmare that has been the past two years, Ed and Anna discuss how EMS education can grow from here. Hilary speaks with focus and passion about expanding the role of EMTs and medics moving forward and what we can do as educators and providers in the classroom to take the lessons from the past two years and implement them to make systems better for their patients. #FOAMED #FOAMEMS.