Friday March 25 8:00am to 9:00am
Embracing Challenges
Eric McElvenny
CONED: 1.0 Other

Eric McElvenny is a veteran of the US Marine Corps, an amputee Ironman, and a Paralympian Triathlete.
What is one hard truth that we ALL share? CHALLENGE and ADVERSITY. No one is exempt. In fact, the most successful people go a step further then experiencing it.... they welcome and embrace it. Our lives are filled with challenges that don't just test us, but that promote growth morally, mentally, and physically. Our character is defined, developed, and revealed through these tests.
In this presentation, Eric shares the story of his personal growth after the traumatic experience of losing his leg. He teaches how to put your best foot forward. Easy for him...he only has one. While chaos seems to take over our busy lives, there are several habits that we can choose to implement that allow us to:
Thrive in change; Take ownership of our unique personal situations; Experience continuous growth; Shape culture and environment; Put your best (or only) foot forward
Eric will highlight the habits that have led him from the hospital bed to his first ironman finish line and his continued quest to break the ironman world record for an amputee athlete. This presentation will entertain, but more so inspire you to reflect on these habits and begin to implement them into your own lives and work.

We will discuss cultural considerations and much more when it comes to providing care to newly arriving immigrants and the challenges they face when trying fulfill their healthcare needs. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.  

Prehospital providers have not been given the necessary tools to combat the overdose crisis. In the face of one of the worst public health crises our country has confronted, EMS providers have served as a safety net for vulnerable individuals who use drugs that our health and human services systems have failed to support. The result is a crush of patients experiencing opioid overdoses and an EMS system that is struggling to keep up. This session will explore the expanded role that EMS can play in preventing opioid overdoses. The City of Pittsburgh has taken a novel approach to overdose prevention by using data to inform a wide range of targeted public health interventions and menu of policy options. This includes a program that allows paramedics to administer buprenorphine to treat opioid withdrawal, the first program of its kind in Pennsylvania. Hear about the City of Pittsburgh's overdose prevention efforts and learn how these programs and policies can be applied to your EMS agency. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Have you ever almost had a panic attack when you heard dispatch say pregnant patient with contractions? This lecture quells that anxiety by enhancing your knowledge about OB/GYN & childbirth emergencies along with reviewing pregnancy physiology. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Want better outcomes for your patients? Want more from your career? Start asking better questions. This lecture will challenge your thinking, stretch your perspective and improve your practice. Learn the power of asking effective questions and be the change that you want to see in your profession. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

When does that daily pick-me-up cup of coffee turn into potential bodily harm? We explore the various components of nutritional supplements & energy drinks and how fatigue can affect medical decision-making. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

We've all been there.. the monitor shows an organized cardiac rhythm, but, there is no pulse and the ultrasound shows no cardiac activity, or, maybe, just the slightest flicker. Should we be trying something more than additional CPR and another epinephrine here? Is all PEA really the same, or, can the morphology of the PEA that we observe on the monitor, suggest possible interventions? There is literature to suggest that that morphology of the PEA that we see on the monitor, couple with some history and physical findings, may suggest a cause of the arrest. In turn, this may allow us to focus on addressing the cause of the arrest, rather than simply addressing the end result. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

As Pennsylvania faces more ambulance services shutting down or facing high volume, the fire dept based QRS can help fill the gap. Learn how to build a quality QRS team and maintain it with relationships, training, equipment, and recruitment. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Patient care delivery has been changing for years, but those changes have been dramatically accelerated in the setting of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The use of synchronous live audio/video telemedicine has been one of the modalities most impacted. One consequence of the pandemic has been to move care traditionally provided in the hospital to outpatient locations. The benefits, including a beneficial economic impact to patients, providers, and payors are just being realized. Paramedics are uniquely positioned to deliver care in a variety of outpatient settings, especially in non-traditional locations such as the home. We present a new model of "on demand" acute care delivery that deploys specially trained paramedics to perform an assessment, point of care laboratory tests, facilitation of a telemedicine visit with a physician, and implement a treatment plan with the ultimate goal of avoiding transport to the hospital. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

It's the year 2022: and did you know that taxi services can locate you faster and more efficiently than our technology can act or locate you or your loved one in an emergency? Let's discuss this problem and potential solutions. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Bring your list of questions and do not miss this opportunity to meet with Commonwealth EMS Medical Director Dr. Kupas and Interim Director Dr. Rhone. At the end of this session, you should have a better understanding and knowledge of state processes and the complexities of a diverse Commonwealth EMS plan. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Fever and rash is a common presentation in a child needing prehospital resources. While the diagnoses vary widely in severity and danger to the patient and provider, an algorithmic approach helps to clarify risks, what to do, and what to expect. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

The FAST mnemonic has long been drilled into EMS providers as a go-to tool for stroke recognition. However, there are many other neurological emergencies that can occur but may be missed in the field. This session will encourage EMS providers at all levels to expand their knowledge of anatomical regions of the brain, their functions, and clinical correlations, with the goal of improving neurological assessments. We will also discuss vascular supply, cranial nerves, and types of intracranial hemorrhage. Sample CT scans will be utilized to emphasize the relationship between anatomy, function, and clinical exam findings. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

"I don't know how to ask that!" "Aren't they going to get offended?" "How am I supposed to remember all of these new words?" These are common questions for emergency responders when interacting with transgender patients. In this course, we will discuss common terminology, general medical concerns, and best practices related to the transgender/non-binary community. We emphasize respecting someone's identity while still taking into account critical elements of their anatomy. If you have questions you don't know how to ask, are afraid of "offending someone," or had an experience you want feedback about, this session is for you! This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Applying medical ethics to the dynamic situations frequently experienced in prehospital medicine can be especially challenging. Between suicidal patients, unclear "Do Not Resuscitate" orders, and patients who may lack decision-making capacity, doing what's right for the patient may not always be straightforward. The session starts with a description of the four pillars of medical ethics. Students will learn a method for rapidly approaching emergency ethical problems and three tests to evaluate new ethical dilemmas. Students will apply what they have learned to five real-life EMS case studies. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

In EMS we often take care of patients with all sorts of injuries. Mangled extremities, impaled objects, disloated joints, and arms clean off the body. Ever wonder what happened to the patient after the EMS providers did their part? Dr. Martin-Gill will review cases of significant injuries encountered and treated by EMS providers, what the x-rays showed, and what the treatment and outcomes for these individuals was. He will review critical actions that should be performed by EMS providers to best handle these situations, and when key interventions can mean the difference for life and limb. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

De-escalation is a useful tool that can help to calm people in times of stress or crisis. In this lecture, we will discuss techniques that will help you to help patients, in your role as an EMS provider. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Public health emergencies, active shooters, mass gatherings, and daily EMS events require EMS personnel and directors to be ready to speak to the media and the public about events unfolding in their communities. This presentation will prepare you and your EMS agency to communicate with the media and your communities when faced with a crisis or other emergency event. We will explore real cases where people got it right and people got it very wrong when interacting with the media and the public. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

This presentation will provide attendees with information on the different Medicaid funding programs available for ambulance service agencies to increase ambulance Medicaid reimbursement.  This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Death is omnipresent in prehospital care and yet most clinicians receive little to no training on how to communicate about it and cope with it. This presentation will empower EMS providers to discuss death and dying with surviving family members and loved ones in an honest, compassionate, and effective manner that minimizes trauma to all involved. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.

Heat illness is the leading cause of death among U.S. high school athletes. Survival from EHS is nearly 100% if adequate cooling methods are initiated on scene. Multi-organ failure and death can occur if cooling is delayed. This session is appropriate for all EMS levels.