Essentials of Paramedic Care

This textbook, the 2nd edition of Essentials of Paramedic Care, will serve as your guide and reference to advanced prehospital care. It is based on the 1998 U.S. Department of Transportation’s Emergency Medical Technician―Paramedic National Standard Curriculum and is divided into five divisions:

Division 1 Introduction to Advanced Prehospital Care

Division 2 Patient Assessment

Division 3 Trauma Emergencies

Division 4 Medical Emergencies

Division 5 Special Considerations/Operations.

Division 1, Introduction to Advanced Prehospital Care, presents the foundations of paramedic practice as well as an introduction to pathophysiology, pharmacology, medication administration, and airway management and ventilation. Division 2, Patient ­Assessment, adds the cognitive and psychomotor skills of patient assessment, communications, and documentation. This knowledge base expands as the series applies it to the trauma patient in Division 3, Trauma Emergencies, and to the medical patient in Division 4, Medical Emergencies. Division 5, Special Considerations/Operations, enriches these general patient care concepts and principles with applications to special patients and circumstances we commonly see as paramedics. The product of this complete and integrated series is a set of principles of care you will be required to practice as a twenty-first-century paramedic.

Your paramedic education program should include ample classroom, practical laboratory, in-hospital clinical, and prehospital field experience. These educational experiences must be guided by instructors and preceptors with special training and experience in their areas of participation in your program.

BRYAN E. BLEDSOE, DO, FACEP, EMT-P

Dr. Bryan Bledsoe is an emergency physician with a special interest in prehospital care. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and his medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  He completed his internship at Texas Tech University and residency training at Scott and White Memorial Hospital/Texas A&M College of Medicine. Dr. Bledsoe is board certified in emergency medicine and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Bledsoe worked as an EMT, a paramedic, and a paramedic instructor. He completed EMT training in 1974 and paramedic training in 1976 and worked for 6 years as a field paramedic in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1979, he joined the faculty of the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center and served as coordinator of EMT and paramedic education programs at the university. Dr. Bledsoe is active in emergency medicine and EMS research. He is a popular speaker at state, national, and international seminars and writes regularly for numerous EMS journals.

Dr. Bledsoe has authored several EMS books published by Brady including Paramedic Care: Principles & Practice, Essentials of Paramedic Care, Intermediate Emergency Care: Principles & Practice, Anatomy & Physiology for Emergency Care, Prehospital Emergency Pharmacology, and Pocket Reference for EMTs and Paramedics. He is married to Emma Bledsoe. They have two children, Bryan and Andrea, and a grandson, Andrew, and live on a ranch south of Dallas, Texas. He enjoys saltwater fishing and warm latitudes.