75 Things in 75 Minutes

I was pleased to see the nice comments made by Greg Friese, Editor-in-Chief of EMS1.com on his blog about my presentation at EMS World Expo in Las Vegas last month. It was a different style of presentation that seemed to be very well received.

I liked it because it was based on several of my core philosophies:

1. EMTs can and must think.

2. Asymmetry is good. Most presenters do one topic or related topics over a 75-minute presentation. Here I did 75.

3. I like to have fun when I teach.

Since the presentation covered many points I saw attendees taking photographs of my slides. I paid attention to what resonated from the comments I saw on Facebook and Twitter. We decided we should share some of the more popular points with you:

I am always amazed at how my students don’t acknowledge grey. They want the exact answer—especially in relation to the test. There are few black and white concepts in EMS and a lot of grey.

When a patient has altered mental status it is usually a very serious condition. The brain can only deal with a lack of oxygen or glucose for a very short time. It may be because of hypoxia, hypoglycemia, stroke, head injury, or something else. Never underestimate the significance of altered mental status.

This is the one that people seemed to comment on the most. How you make decisions, how you put it all together at the scene (choreography) and how you treat people may well be the most defining traits of a successful EMT. There is a lot to success but I believe this boils it down to some core components.

My 75 Things presentation at EMS World Expo was a blast and I’m thrilled that it lives on in my ability to share these with you. Please share this post or the images with your colleagues and friends. Send me your comments or things that you would include if you made a “75 Things” list. Every popular show has a sequel…