Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Department permission required. Passing grade of "C" or higher in EMS 240 required, as well as completion of all EMS 240 competencies, including Clinical Readiness Simulations.  Current Oregon EMT, AEMT, or Intermediate license, current American Heart Association Basic Life Support Health Care Provider card required.  Completion & acceptance of PCC criminal background screening and vaccination verification required.

The student will be able to:

1. Integrate pathophysiological principles and the assessment findings to formulate a field impression and implement the management plan for clients/patients with a burn injury, suspected abdominal trauma, environmentally induced or exacerbated medical or traumatic condition, a behavior emergency, difficulty breathing, and a pediatric and/or geriatric patient with an illness or injury.

2. Demonstrate recognition of EKG rhythms and identify appropriate pharmacological and medical treatment.

3.Describe safe, empathetic care for patients with behavioral emergencies. >Integrate knowledge of the developmental stages when determining an appropriate interaction with an infant or child, and identify the potential emotional impact of the infant/child illness on the parent/guardian. Identify the steps of evaluation in hazardous materials emergencies, appropriate resources, and describe the cold zone.

4. Describe the warning signs, delineate EMS considerations, identify appropriate emergency evasive techniques for types of violent or potentially violent situations, and detail the essential elements of crime scene preservation.

5. Synthesize facts and principles from the psychosocial sciences in describing the unique challenges in dealing with themselves, adults, children, and other special populations when faced with a death and dying situation.

6. Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to be certified in ACLS and PEPP
 

Objectives are met through integrated lecture and lab activities that allow for a gradual progression to complex depth and comprehensive breadth of EMS knowledge, training, and competency.  Emphasis on strong interpersonal skills, critical thinking abilities, good decision-making skills, and the capacity for making quick and appropriate judgments regarding patient care.

Student mastery is evaluated by written quizzes, section examinations, and final examination; psychomotor skill competency evaluation and final exam; and affective evaluations.  Additional critical activities include case study review; similation lab competency, including clinical readiness simulations; written/oral reports; small group sessions; problem based learning; special projects; and volunteer/community service verification.

Subject Matter, Concepts, Themes, Issues:

The course content follows the design and objectives of the Paramedic National Emergency Medical Services Standard Competencies.

• Section 6  Medical
  • Gynecological Emergencies
  • Endocrine Emergencies
  • Hematologic Emergencies
  • Immunologic Emergencies
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatric Emergencies

• Section 7  Trauma
  • Trauma Systems and Mechanism of Injury
  • Bleeding
  • Soft-Tissue Trauma
  • Burns
  • Face and Neck Trauma
  • Head and Spina Trauma
  • Chest Trauma
  • Abdominal and Genitourinary Trauma
  • Orthopedic Trauma
  • Environmental Emergencies
• Section 8  Shock and Resuscitation
  • Responding to the Field Code
  • Management and Resuscitation of the Critical Patient
• Section 9  Special Patient Populations
  • Obstetrics
  • Neonatal Care
  • Pediatric Emergencies
  • Geriatric Emergencies
  • Patients with Special Challenges
• Section 10  Operations
  • Transport Operations
  • Incident Management and Multiple-Casualty Incidents
  • Vehicle Extrication and Special Rescue
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Terrorism
  • Disaster Response
  • Crime Scene Awareness