EMTprep Free Training Materials

One might assume you could take what you’re proficient at with static cardiology and walk into dynamic cardiology and be good to go. Wrong. Remember the AED station during your EMT practicals? The proctors want to see that you’re capable of operating your monitor and are able to treat cardiac patients who are going in and out of ACLS related arrhythmias. 

Attacking these scenarios is doable. Practice and train like you fight. Over and over again. When the time comes to perform the skill, follow these steps, and BE SURE TO ACTIVELY LISTEN TO THE PROCTOR:

1. BSI. Ask yourself if the patient appears stable or unstable. Be ready to defend your decision....

In this station, you’re tasked with showing the proctor you know how to correctly diagnose a rhythm strip and then state your treatment of the patient experiencing that arrhythmia. Attacking these scenarios is easy, just follow these steps in order:

1. Review the scenario presented out loud and then examine the strip. 
   • Look closely for pulse status (absent or present) and any clues regarding whether you feel the patient is Stable or Unstable.
2.  State to the proctor, “This is __________ . I believe they are (Stable or Unstable) based on the information provided.
3. General treatment of a patient experiencing this is _____________ . 
   • This is simply...

In this article, we are going to discuss some common ECG interpretations that are beneficial for EMT-Basics to understand in the field. Although performing electrocardiographic rhythm interpretation is outside of the EMT scope of practice, having a basic understanding can be advantageous during calls so that you have a better grasp of what is going on with the patient. REMEMBER: ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR LOCAL PROTOCOLS!!

First, let's look at a normal heart rhythm, then we can examine some common morphologies that may indicate the need for treatment.

Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR)

Normal sinus rhythm is the natural-looking rhythm in a healthy heart. It...

Bundle Branch Blocks Study Guide

One of the more confusing topics for EMS students enrolled in an Electrophysiology course is that of Bundle Branch Blocks. They can be sneaky, they can mask things, and they can also be hard to diagnose if you don’t remember a few key things. This study guide will prepare you for the material you will be tested on and give you some tips and tricks for the field.

As you can recall, when an impulse is traveling normally, it is sent from the SA node, through the internodal pathways, to the AV node, down the bundle of His, to the right and left bundle branches, to the respective fascicles, and into the purkinje...