Introduction to Paramedicine

This course provides paramedic students with the principles of advanced pre-hospital care and EMS operations under varying circumstances including operations and paramedic roles and responsibilities. There is an added emphasis on personal wellness and injury and illness prevention, the medical-legal aspects of emergency care and ethics, the Incident Command System, and managing resources at the emergency scene, particularly at scenes involving multiple ambulances and multiple agencies. Time is devoted to rescue operations, and an overview of hazardous material is presented. The student is made aware of their role in protecting the crime scene. An overview is provided in rural EMS, to raise awareness of the special circumstances that many providers face regarding distance, terrain, weather conditions, and EMS staffing.