EMTprep Free Training Materials

Sepsis & Septic Shock Study Guide

When EMS providers are called to treat someone experiencing signs and symptoms of sepsis, the disease process is already well on its way to negatively affecting the individual. More and more studies are showing that sepsis requires rapid identification and intervention to ensure positive outcomes with our patients. Knowing this, we should be asking ourselves, what can I do to better my abilities to recognize sepsis and how can I treat it quickly?

Septic shock is a type of shock that begins with an infection in the bloodstream. This infection eventually overloads the compensatory mechanisms in the body and when left...

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...

Atrioventricular Blocks Study Guide

Arguably the most difficult thing to remember in ECG class is Atrioventricular (AV) Blocks. The goal of this study guide will be to clarify any information you find confusing AND provide you with an easy way to remember the different types.

Let’s go back to some A&P. We learned that the AV junction is the area that links the atria and the ventricles. Should a person experience a problem with conduction in the AV node itself, the bundle of His, or the His-Purkinje system, they will present with an Atrioventricular Block.

We get asked many times throughout the year, how do you differentiate between the 4 types...

Diabetic Emergencies Study Guide

What Happens When the body regulates its own blood sugar levels normally?

Glucose is used in the human body as energy to perform all essential functions, from a neuron to the cellular level. Normally, the pancreas is the major organ responsible for regulating blood sugar levels in the body. When somebody eats a meal, glucose is transported in the bloodstream which signals the pancreas to releases insulin, helping glucose move into the cells to be used as energy. If blood sugar levels become too high, the body will signal the pancreas to release insulin and the liver to convert glucose to glycogen. If blood sugars...

Pitting Edema Study Guide

Edema is the collection of watery fluid within any cavity in the body that produces swelling in that area. It is primarily due to injury or inflammation the body has withstood from a variety of causes. These different injuries and conditions produce leaky blood vessels. When those vessels leak, they produce swelling in localized or general areas, (depending on the injury or condition). However, this isn’t always a bad thing. For example, if you are suffering from an infection, those leaky blood vessels are likely to call more white blood cells to the injured area. This helps battle infection.

In EMS, we need to evaluate...

The START Triage Method

S.T.A.R.T. = Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment

• Developed by Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California.
• This type of triage has quickly become one of the most popular forms.

RPM = Respirations, Pulse and Mentation

This is the way EMS professionals are taught to rapidly assess patient’s airway, respiration, pulse and mental status while at the scene of a MCI, or multiple casualty incident. After the assessment has been completed, the patient is placed in one of the following four categories:

• Immediate: RED
• Delayed: Yellow
• Minor: Green
• Dead/Dying: Black

It is estimated that when working in pairs of...

In EMS, we have a few diagnostic tools. A 12-lead ECG is one of them. The goal of this study guide is to lay the foundation for how you interpret each 12-lead ECG you run on your patients. This is by no means the end-all, be-all guide for 12-leads. Reading and interpreting a 12-lead ECG takes hundreds of repetitions and lots of study time. As always, follow your local protocols. No piece of information found on our website is ever meant to be a substitute for the protocols by which you operate in your department/agency.

Axis Determination

Why do we care about axis determination?

A shifted axis may indicate:

• Infarct
• Hypertrophy
• Conduction...

Med Math 101: The Basics Everyone Should Know

Trust us, you need to know this stuff…

The Units of Measurement

In the EMS setting, we worry about three metric units of measurement…

1. Grams (g) – weight
2. Meters (m) – distance
3. Liters (L or l) – volume

Attached to these units of measurement will be one of the following…

1. Kilo – one thousand (1,000)
2. Centi – one hundredth (.01)
3. Milli – one thousandth (.001)
4. Micro – one millionth (.000001)

Now let’s combine the two…

• Kilogram (kg)
• Gram (g)
• Milligram (mg)
• Microgram (mcg)
• Centimeter (cm)
• Liter (L)
• Milliliter (ml)

Metric System Practice Problems

Tip: If you’re going from a...

In EMS, routine auscultation of heart tones is largely ignored. Often times this is due to a lack of education on what to listen for. The goal of this study guide is to equip the EMS provider with the tools necessary to add routine heart tone auscultation to their patient assessment.

Heart tones are often difficult to hear as they require a very quiet environment to detect through our stethoscopes. We rarely have an environment conducive to detecting heart tones due to the loud background noises present during patient care. The time to auscultate heart tones is usually on scene where road noise and/or lights & sirens are not likely to be...

At EMTprep, we often hear of the struggles our students have with the oral station during their NREMT practical skill exams. Students will usually complain that their proctor was too strict, they were asked questions they were unaware were even in their scope, etc. We created this study guide to shed some light on this specific skill station, and also to equip you with the tools and tips you need to pass it.

In Paramedic school, we (EMTprep staff) teach our students one single trick that makes failing the skill station harder than passing it. What is that one trick you ask? Let us show you. Below you will find a very simple picture with acronyms you...