Well-Being of the EMS Provider

Course overview

Objectives Describe the roles and responsibilities of an EMS provider List factors that contribute to illness injury or stress in the EMS provider Identify techniques that will help protect the EMS provider against injury illness and burnout Content Information Covered Roles Responsibilities Professionalism of EMS Personnel Roles and Responsibilities Leadership Affective Characteristics Attributes of professional Integrity Empathy Self motivation Appearance and personal hygiene Confidence in skills and ability Communication Verbal Written Time management Teamwork and diplomacy Respect for patients coworkers and other health care professionals Patient advocacy Careful delivery of service Administration Record keeping and reporting Special project coordination and implementation Station duties Interagency relationships partnerships Credentialing Licensure Certification National registration Reciprocity Maintenance of certification and licensure Personal responsibility Continuing education Skill competency verification Criminal implications Fees Less Traditional Roles Expanded scope of practice Paramedics in Other Settings Emergency departments Clinics Health departments Physicians office Interfacility transport Critical care transport Neonatal transport High risk obstetric transport Operational Responsibilities Preparation Response Scene assessment Patient assessment Management Following protocols Interacting with medical direction physician as needed Appropriate disposition Disposition issues ED transport Alternative destinations Ground Air Selection of the proper receiving facility Requires knowledge of the receiving facilities Hospital designation categorization Based on hospital resource capabilities Clinical capabilities and specialty availability Transfer agreements Payers and insurance systems Non Transport Against medical advice No assistance needed Transfer to other EMS Medical examiner investigations Transfer of care Documentation Returning to service Education Education principles practices National EMS Scope of Practice Model National EMS Education Standards Paramedic education accreditation National EMS Program Accreditation State accreditation Patient education Pre incident Post incident Public education Role modeling Community involvement Leader activities Community activities Prevention activities Episodic non acute care activities Patient home assistance Social assistance Home health care assistance Professionalism Profession Specialized body of knowledge or expertise Self regulating Maintains standards Professionals Education Follow standards of conduct and performance Adhere to code of ethics Health care professional Conforms to the standards of health care professions Provides quality patient care Instills pride in the profession Strives for high standards Earns respect of others High societal expectations while on and off duty EMS personnel occupy positions of public trust Unprofessional conduct Commitment to excellence Image and behavior Paramedics represent a variety of people Self EMS agency State county district EMS offices Peers Affective characteristics Integrity Empathy Self motivation Appearance and hygiene Self confidence Time management Communication Verbal Written Teamwork and diplomacy Respect for patients coworkers and other healthcare professionals Patient advocacy Careful delivery of service Quality Improvement System for continually evaluating and improving care Continuous quality improvement CQI Dynamic process Patient Safety Significant one of the most urgent health care challenges Incidence IoM report To Err is Human up to 98000 patients die due to medical errors High risk activities Hand off Communication issues Medication issues Airway issues Dropping patients Ambulance crashes Spinal immobilization How errors happen Skills based failure Rules based failure Knowledge based failure Preventing Errors Environmental Clear protocols Light