Keeping you on the pulse of what’s happening inside the EMS community. Catch up with Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson weekly as they discuss EMS life through good-natured banter and expert perspectives. Their vehicle for delivering the news and know how is that of two medics sitting on the truck between calls. Their mission is to make all listeners, EMS insiders.
Episodes
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
This week cohost Kelly Grayson is joined by guest host Greg Friese, editorial director for Lexipol, and the pair discuss a Canadian research study on the diversity of CPR manikins used in instructive social media posts within North and South America.
During a two year period, researchers found that fewer than 10% of the more than 200 manikin images used in social media instructional posts represented Black or Asian patients, while fewer than 2% represented overweight individuals.
“I kind of rolled my eyes at the study itself, but it does speak to a larger issue,” Grayson said. “No CPR manikin looks like me; none of them have legs and they all have at least one less chin than I do, but [this research] does speak to a larger issue in EMS, and society as a whole, about diversity and inclusivity in our profession.”
What do you think about the study? Listen to the full conversation and add your comments on the topic below.
Additional resources for EMS education
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
Our Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson are joined by guest Major Chris Lokits from Louisville Metro EMS (LMEMS) to discuss paramedic intubations in the field. LMEMS is part of the Prehospital Airway Control Trial (PACT), a four-year Department of Defense research study aimed at "improving survival among people who have difficulty breathing after a trauma," through the University of Louisville. A significant number, up to 15%, of people with traumatic injuries die due to a lack of airway management.
Dr. Raymond Orthober, LMEMS medical director and assistant professor of emergency medicine at UofL, is helping lead the university's participation in the clinical trial.
Additional EMS1 resources for intubation
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
Our cohosts are joined this week by Jeff Hensley, emergency manager for MedTrust Medical Transport in Charleston, South Carolina, who discusses the requirements for the position and the characteristics of a successful emergency manager.
The discussion also touches on the role of emergency management in the community during public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic.
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visitlexipol.com.
Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson respond to the social media discussion on a recent EMS1 article: "Should waveform capnography be in the EMT scope of practice?"
The comments on the topic were divided:
- "If you can bag or insert an airway, you should be able to use ETCO2. As others have said, it’s a fantastic tool for all levels of clinical practice."
- "They need to be good at what is already in their scope of practice and most of the aren’t. They’re just medic dependent."
- "... Why is this even a question? Absolutely yes."
Our cohosts discuss how to train EMTs for this skill and how to make it a reality in the educational process. Chris offers his take on the topic and suggests that nothing needs to be added to the EMT curriculum; instead, he believes it's the responsibility of the agency to teach this skill.
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
Cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the "hidden curriculum" in EMS education on this episode of the Inside EMS podcast, differentiating the fine line between a discussion of the educational components, the potentiality for bad habits and "lore" of EMS – and all three have a place. The duo makes the case for balance when teaching about the good, the bad and the ugly of an EMS career.
The discussion also touches on valuing experience over evidence-based medicine, how to take the ego out of the educational process, and instructor tips for teaching flexibility and the importance of doing the right thing as a matter of principle to students.
Additional EMS education resources:
- Passion: Is it required to teach EMS?
- Addressing toxic heroism in the EMS education system
- How to recognize lazy students, bad instructors
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
By request, this episode of Inside EMS tackles the topic of resiliency, based on a conversation cohost Chris Cebollero had with listener Benoit Rudolphe at EMS World Expo. Cebollero and fellow cohost Kelly Grayson take the idea and run with it, detailing the top six elements of achieving personal or professional resilience.
Additional resiliency resources:
- How to build mental health resilience in EMS
- Quick Take: Building first responder resilience
- Fit for duty: How to be a resilient responder
- Enhancing first responder resilience through mindfulness
- EMT 360: Teach emotional resilience during training
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
Fresh off their appearance at EMS World Expo, Inside EMS cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson break down what it takes to become a successful conference speaker. The duo discuss the process for getting engaged in events at both the state and national level, how to develop a professional presentation, the agonizing-but-cathartic process of crafting a catchy title and the critical need for to fully prepare before the event.
To cap off the episode, Chris gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at his personal preparation process ahead of a speaking engagement.
Learn more about attending and speaking at EMS conferences:
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
This week, co-hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the murder of FDNY EMS Capt. Alison Russo, who was violently stabbed to death by a man just a half mile from her home EMS station. The conversation touches on personal safety, how to prepare the EMS workforce with additional safety equipment and self defense training.
The duo also revisit the fraught discussion about arming EMS providers in the field and how thoughts on the topic have evolved over the years.
Notable quotes from the episode
"Some people say, 'We're not combatants, we're compassionate.' I was a combat medic; we can do both." — Chris Cebollero
"Are we becoming so inured to the violence we face every day that we look at it as part of the job?" — Kelly Grayson
"I think we need to learn hand-to-hand combat, I think we need to worry about wearing Kevlar vests, and we need to think about arming our paramedics with some kind of weapon." — Chris Cebollero
More about fallen FDNY EMS Capt. Alison Russo
- An outpouring of support, outrage over FDNY EMS provider's murder
- Rapid response: Risk of senseless violence is constantly looming
- EMS response is often considered safer than firefighting, but is it?
- Former partner of slain FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo reflects on her love of EMS
- Slain FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo devoted herself to volunteer agency for 30 years
- Fallen 25-year FDNY veteran was months from retirement
- FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo to be posthumously promoted to captain
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
In this episode, host Chris Cebollero is joined by guest co-host Mike Touchstone, who previously served as president of the National EMS Management Association and recently retired as the deputy paramedic chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department. Touchstone outlines the foundations of professionalism in your career, including the integration of your personal values, how to develop a personal strategic plan and how to advance to the next level of your EMS career. For good measure, Touchstone also offers a few tips on developing a national presence through professional writing and speaking on EMS issues at conferences.
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
This episode of Inside EMS is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.
In this episode, cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the drug Ketamine and its use in EMS. Providers may utilize the drug to assist with many different conditions they encounter in the field. The discussion references a recent article regarding ketamine's possible use in treating anxiety and depression, and the conversation turns to other drugs that are being used to treat similar maladies, such as MDMA, which has been touted as helpful when treating terminal patients.
Additional resources for ketamine use in EMS:
6 ways to avoid ketamine pitfalls
Article Bites: Pain management options
Understanding prehospital ketamine: Dosing to drawbacks
Excited delirium: The Long Beach integrated medical response