EMS Today

Building Better Scenarios: A Conversation with Joe Slattery on EMS Simulation in Healthcare Education

Hosts: Bradley Dean and David Blevins

Guest: Joe Slattery, BS Homeland Security & Emergency Management, Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS)

Overview: In this episode of the EMS Handoff Podcast, Bradley and David welcome Joe Slattery, a dual-certified healthcare simulation expert with over 30 years of experience in EMS. Joe’s extensive background and passion for EMS education, specifically in simulation, shine as he shares insights into his work developing state-of-the-art simulation labs and curriculum for multiple hospitals and residency programs across southeast Florida. His projects aim to elevate EMS education by integrating hands-on, realistic scenarios that build critical thinking and clinical skills for healthcare providers.

Key Takeaways

1. Joe’s Background in Simulation and EMS Education
   Joe discusses his journey in EMS and simulation-based education, including his academic background in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He holds dual certifications as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) and a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS). He has dedicated his career to advancing EMS training and has presented at leading EMS and simulation conferences, including the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH).
2. Designing Effective Simulation Scenarios
   Joe dives into the nuances of creating successful simulation scenarios, emphasizing how scenario design can either build or inhibit a learner’s critical thinking. He advocates for a thoughtful approach to setting learning objectives and aligning them closely with scenario details to prevent distractions or misdirected focus.
3. Safety in Healthcare Simulation: A Simple Scenario
   Joe shares a scenario he uses in his “Safety in Healthcare Simulation” lecture:

• Objective: Assemble a nebulizer and administer 2.5 mg of Albuterol Sulfate.
• Scenario Components: Using a manikin, a nebulizer, saline solution as a substitute for albuterol, and an oxygen source delivering 6-8 LPM.
• Patient Presentation: The manikin should have signs like wheezing, rhonchi, a history of asthma, or possible pneumonia. However, rales/crackles and peripheral edema are intentionally excluded as they would mislead the learner regarding the appropriateness of albuterol.

Importance of Testing Scenarios Before Implementation
Joe explains how testing scenarios can prevent potential pitfalls by ensuring they meet educational objectives without introducing misleading elements. He illustrates that adding symptoms like rales or peripheral edema would alter the scenario's purpose, forcing learners into unnecessary critical thinking exercises outside the intended scope. This testing step is crucial to ensure the simulation accurately reflects real-life decision-making. Practical Advice for EMS Educators
Joe offers practical tips for EMS educators looking to incorporate simulation in their teaching. From setting clear objectives to aligning simulation elements with real-world scenarios, he highlights how educators can provide safe yet challenging learning environments.

Connect with Joe Slattery

• Joe shares his passion for teaching and simulation and discusses upcoming projects where he is expanding simulation training in hospitals and residency programs. His expertise is shaping the next generation of EMS professionals, bringing essential skills to the forefront of healthcare education.

Tune In To Learn

• Best practices for simulation-based EMS education.
• How to craft scenarios that support—and not confuse—learning objectives.
• Real-world applications of simulation in healthcare for better patient outcomes.

Whether you're an EMS educator, a simulation enthusiast, or an EMS provider looking to refine your skills, this episode provides valuable insights into making simulations impactful, relevant, and effective for learners.

Paramedic Perspectives on COVID Through Qualitative Research

By Bram Duffee, PhD, EMT-P

Qualitative research often remains a mystery to those in medicine who are accustomed to the clear-cut, numerical results of quantitative studies. Yet, when it comes to understanding complex, human-centric issues, qualitative research is indispensable. Take the COVID-19 pandemic, for example—an event where numbers alone cannot fully capture the profound human experiences involved.

Unlike quantitative research, which answers yes or no questions or delivers numerical data, qualitative methods delve deeper into the human elements of a topic. One powerful approach is conducting interviews, especially when the interviewer shares a cultural or professional background with the participants as an insider to the community. This method promotes openness and authentic disclosure, as demonstrated in two studies exploring the experiences of paramedics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent episode of "EMS Research with Professor Bram" a spotlight was cast on these insights.¹ Paramedic researcher Nigel Barr, PhD, RN, RP, from Australia shared his research study where they interviewed Australian paramedics about the challenges and facilitators they faced while responding to COVID-19 cases. His research uncovered themes that included communication, fear and risk, leadership, protective work factors, and change. Intriguingly, some paramedics reported a reduced perception of risk and heightened empathy for COVID-19 patients after personally contracting the virus themselves.²

Highlighting the significance of qualitative research, Dr. Barr remarks, "Numbers work well for testing theories, but when it comes to generating new ones, the hard work of interviews, coding and theming is essential."

Parallel to this, as a paramedic researcher myself, I was conducting a similar study in the United States, interviewing American paramedics. This research was different because it sought to understand how treatment of respiratory patients shifted when looking at the time before covid versus during the pandemic. Findings of this study showed that paramedics had a tendency to over-categorize all respiratory patients as COVID-positive. Also, participants noted changes in practice, such as reduced use of stethoscopes and avoidance of nebulized treatments in confined spaces due to transmission fears.³

These qualitative studies offer insights that mere data cannot, underscoring the need for paramedics to engage in research that directly impacts their field. “We should be trying to support the capacity of paramedics to do research. We should have the control over our own discipline ... Because if we take research from another discipline, another area, another setting, it is always going to be a square peg round hole. We have to test those outcomes in our own environment. We have to find out what works. What doesn't work,” says Dr. Barr.

Research studies involving paramedics in both Australia and the United States demonstrate the unique benefits of qualitative research through interviews. By employing paramedic researchers to engage directly with their peers on topics that deeply impact them, these studies reveal the nuanced understanding that only rich, narrative-driven descriptions can provide. Qualitative interviews shed light on the human side of medical practice, revealing details and challenges that numbers alone might miss. These interviews help us understand the deeper aspects of healthcare, offering insights that go beyond traditional numbers.

References

1. https://youtu.be/_lBTF-8x7p4
2. Howarth, U., Zimmerman, P. A., van de Mortel, T. F., & Barr, N. (2024). Paramedics’ experiences of barriers to, and enablers of, responding to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 678.
3. Duffee, B. (2023). COVID-19 and paramedic response: Overcategorization concerns in respiratory patients. Journal of Paramedicine and Emergency Response. Available online https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail/P20210804002-N202311070009-00029

Operative IQ

JEMS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ted Lee speaks with Operative IQ President / CEO EJ Aufderheide.

Operative IQ is committed to serving first response industries with controlled substance tracking, RFID solutions and Operative IQ Front Line to address the need for faster and better answers for managing operational readiness.

Hennepin (MN) EMS Paramedic Program Addresses Staffing Issues

JEMS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ted Lee speaks with Kerry Degen and Jill McCafferty of Hennepin EMS. Through it’s paramedic program, Hennepin has grown its system.

The Importance of PulsePoint

JEMS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ted Lee talks with Richard Price, founder and president of the PulsePoint Foundation. PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit foundation building applications that help public safety agencies inform and engage their citizens.

It Takes Collaboration to Improve Patient Outcomes

ESO's Electronic Health Record makes it easy to produce high-quality EMS clinical documentation, saving your team time and ensuring accuracy. To learn more, visit eso.com/ehr/pod.

New Orleans EMS Maj. Tom Dransfield has a wide-ranging conversation with host Eric Chase. Topics include: SPARC Academy, whole blood and blood product initiatives, POCUS, Axon body-worn cameras and more.

Friday Night Lights: Shift 6 – Nacho Normal Chest Pressure

Nothing beats starting your overtime shift on a nice, clear Taco Tuesday night with your regular partner on overtime, too. You both play rock paper scissors to decide which of your favorite food trucks you’ll be getting dinner at. Your partner is hell-bent on chicken tacos while you’re craving your favorite grouper tacos at Rick’s with the mango salsa. As you throw down rock and she throws down paper, your CAD chirps.

Read the full article here.

Resuscitation Academy and the Future of Resuscitation with Dr. Andrew McCoy

ESO's Electronic Health Record makes it easy to produce high-quality EMS clinical documentation, saving your team time and ensuring accuracy. To learn more, visit eso.com/ehr/pod.

Hosts: Bradley Dean and David Blevins

Guest: Dr. Andrew McCoy, MD, assistant professor of Emergency Medicine; medical director for Shoreline Medic One and AMR Puget Sound Operations; program director for the University of Washington EMS Fellowship; and medical director for the Resuscitation Academy.

Episode Summary: In this episode, Bradley Dean and David Blevins sit down with Dr. Andrew McCoy to explore everything about resuscitation and the Resuscitation Academy (RA). Dr. McCoy shares the history of the RA and its mission to improve survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest in communities.

With a focus on resuscitation science and EMS education, the discussion covers the impact of the CAROL Act, improvements in local EMS practices, and the ongoing growth of the RA, including the innovative Lighthouse Program.

Guest Bio: Dr. Andrew McCoy is an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington and has been a faculty member at the Resuscitation Academy in Seattle for 10 years.

A graduate of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Dr. McCoy completed his Emergency Medicine residency in Buffalo, New York, before moving to Seattle for an EMS fellowship.

He now serves as medical director for Shoreline Medic One, American Medical Response (AMR) Puget Sound Operations, and the Resuscitation Academy, where he helps EMS professionals improve cardiac arrest survival rates across the country

Points of Discussion:

• What is the Resuscitation Academy (RA), and its history?
• Bradley’s experience with the RA and improvements made in his community.
• The future of the RA: How the CAROL Act will influence resuscitation efforts and the opportunities for growth.
• The Lighthouse Program and its role in driving continuous improvement in resuscitation practices.

Resources Mentioned:

• Resuscitation Academy: www.resuscitationacademy.org
• CAROL Act: Barr's CAROL Act
• American Heart Association – Resuscitation Guidelines: CPR and ECC Guidelines
• CARES Registry: CARES Registry
• RESUSCITATE!: Resuscitate! Book

Key Takeaways: Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death, but survival rates vary significantly from community to community. The Resuscitation Academy's mission is to train EMS personnel and equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to improve survival rates.

With programs like the Lighthouse Initiative and new legislation like the CAROL Act, the future of resuscitation looks promising, offering pathways to reduce preventable deaths from cardiac arrest.

Listen in to learn more about how your community can improve resuscitation outcomes and get involved with the Resuscitation Academy.

Dr. Orlando Rivera

ESO's Electronic Health Record makes it easy to produce high-quality EMS clinical documentation, saving your team time and ensuring accuracy. To learn more, visit eso.com/ehr/pod.

Dr. Orlando Rivera joins the Not A-Fib Podcast to discuss his writings for JEMS and his LinkedIn posts on EMS. We discuss why it's time for advocacy for a "revolutionary" change in EMS in the United States and getting that conversation started.

We also discuss why it's time to change the way EMS in our country is funded, and the downstream effects of that lack of adequate funding. We also discuss the importance of mental health, and end the podcast with a discussion on his passion for obstacle course racing.

Death Talk from the Paramedic

ESO's Electronic Health Record makes it easy to produce high-quality EMS clinical documentation, saving your team time and ensuring accuracy. To learn more, visit eso.com/ehr/pod.

Dr. Zachary Tillett, a paramedic who works as an emergency department physician in Maryland, talks about his new article, “Breaking Bad News in the Prehospital Setting: A Guide for EMS Clinicians.”