The Weekly Pulse

If your National Registry EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic certification expires on March 31, 2027, recertification season is here. The National Registry began accepting continuing education recertification applications on October 1,...

ATV and motorcycle crashes expose riders to high-energy trauma that can cause life-threatening injuries. Because riders lack the protective structure of a passenger vehicle, EMS providers must rapidly identify hidden...

A patient calls 911 for shortness of breath. Is it asthma, COPD, pulmonary edema, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, anxiety, sepsis, or something else? At first glance, several of those conditions can...

Water rescues are among the most challenging emergencies EMS professionals encounter. Patients involved in near-drowning incidents may appear stable initially but can deteriorate rapidly due to hypoxia, aspiration, or underlying...

Working in EMS is fundamentally different from practicing in a hospital or clinic. It requires adaptability, independence, strong communication, and the ability to make decisions in unpredictable environments. For many...

If you’ve spent years caring for patients as a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or another licensed healthcare professional, the medicine may be familiar, but...

If you’re already licensed as a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or another qualified healthcare provider, you’ve already completed the rigorous education and clinical training...

Dehydration is one of the most common medical conditions EMS providers assess in the field. Although mild dehydration may cause only thirst and fatigue, severe fluid loss can quickly progress...

EMS professionals routinely work in some of the most challenging environments. While first responders focus on recognizing heat emergencies in patients, they must also recognize the warning signs in themselves...

A patient is sitting upright, struggling to breathe, and wheezing loudly. Your first thought is asthma. Then your assessment continues. The patient is hypertensive, diaphoretic, and coughing up pink, frothy...

Patient assessment is more than completing a checklist. Every patient encounter requires EMS clinicians to gather limited information, recognize life-threatening conditions, make timely decisions, and adjust their treatment plan as...

Shortness of breath is one of the most common complaints encountered in prehospital medicine. Most respiratory patients present somewhere along a spectrum ranging from mild distress to complete respiratory failure....

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the most challenging respiratory emergencies EMS providers encounter. Patients often present with nonspecific symptoms and relatively normal lung sounds, but their condition can rapidly...

Respiratory emergencies are among the most common and high-risk calls EMS providers encounter. Whether a patient presents with wheezing, crackles, hypoxia, or severe respiratory distress, effective treatment begins with understanding...

Most ambulance safety training focuses on avoiding crashes, EVOC, speed management, intersection clearing, and/or backing drills, which are all necessary. But very few agencies or departments train crews for what...