What Every EMS Educator Should Know About
What Every EMS Educator Should Know About
What Every EMS Educator Should Know About
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CORPORATE PARTNER FEATURE<br />
MedicAlert® is a non-profit membership foundation with over 4 million members worldwide. Only MedicAlert provides<br />
the protection and life saving information people need in an emergency. Our 24-Hour Emergency Response<br />
Center gives first responders vital information on medical conditions, medicines, allergies, or other circumstances<br />
that can help avoid life threatening complications and help save lives. As our member is being treated, we reach out<br />
to their family members and let them know what has happened. In addition to live support, MedicAlert educates the<br />
medical community on the importance of medical identification and emergency service protection. Call MedicAlert<br />
at 800-432-5378 to protect yourself or someone you love.<br />
MedicAlert Testimonnial<br />
By: Eric Dotten, REMT-P, NCEE, National Association of <strong>EMS</strong> <strong>Educator</strong>s Member since 2006<br />
I have been teaching for 15 years and have had the pleasure of working with some of the finest first responders in<br />
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida where I have lived and worked. Last year, I met someone from MedicAlert<br />
Foundation and asked for material to use in our simulation lab training. MedicAlert Foundation provided everything<br />
I asked for, FREE, including some sample MedicAlert® ID bracelets to use on the manikins. I was surprised by the<br />
depth of the service they have and many of the students were shocked by the information available from the MedicAlert<br />
24-hour emergency response center when presented with a very probable scenario.<br />
Your crew responds to a call for a man down. The victim received smoke inhalation on a fire ground, no further information<br />
is available. Upon arrival on scene you find a middle aged man that is unconscious and unresponsive. The<br />
physical exam reveals that patient is unresponsive, but breathing and has a pulse. Based on signs and symptoms, you<br />
suspect cyanide and carbon monoxide poisoning. As you begin treatment with high flow oxygen and deployment of Cyanokit<br />
based on suspicion of cyanide, your partner continues the secondary assessment. There is no one around to give<br />
any information about your patient. Then your partner notices a silver MedicAlert ID bracelet on his left wrist. <strong>Every</strong>one<br />
in <strong>EMS</strong> and public safety knows the bracelet as a valuable tool containing engraved medical history. Your partner<br />
looks at the bracelet and writes down the pertinent information but by only doing this, he failed to get all information<br />
available. This was the scenario that we recently used in our Simulation Lab in Orlando, Florida.<br />
The students were all asked to read everything on back of the bracelet. Like the crew in the scenario they read “diabetes,<br />
multiple food allergies, anaphylaxis to bees, and carries EpiPen.” All of this was engraved on the bracelet with<br />
an identification and telephone number as well. I instructed the paramedic to call the number on the back and they<br />
agreed, but stated they already had all the information. Upon being connected, they were greeted with “MedicAlert<br />
Emergency and Safe Return. How may I help you?” The conversation lasted only 3 minutes but the crew was stunned<br />
with the additional information about the heart valve replacement, allergies to morphine, and a list of ten other pertinent<br />
facts. When asked what facility we were transporting to we were again surprised, because a fax of the complete<br />
record on file would be sent to the receiving facility ahead of the patient arrival. When the crew hung up, they stated<br />
they never knew that MedicAlert is more than a bracelet, but a valuable resource. As a Nationally Certified <strong>EMS</strong> <strong>Educator</strong><br />
and a Paramedic, I have made this training part of all our emergency medicine education programs and simulations.<br />
I believe we are doing our students and their patients a disservice if we don’t show the students how to access<br />
information even when the patient is unresponsive.<br />
MedicAlert Foundation has partnered with the National Association of <strong>EMS</strong> <strong>Educator</strong>s to create an excellent and<br />
FREE education program for <strong>EMS</strong>, Fire Rescue, and Ambulance Operations. If you would like further information,<br />
email education@medicalert.org.<br />
10 | <strong>Educator</strong> Update | www.naemse.org
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