Medic Mindset

, PhD and Paramedic, reflects on his move from Canada to Australia, principles of simulation in medical education & his personal experience with cardiac arrest. Show notes at Connect with Ginger: Connect with Sandy:  

"Some people love doing crosswords or Sudoku. I love finding my learner's cheat code. I love figuring out what really works for this person versus the previous people that I had. It's an opportunity for me to exercise my creativity." - Keith Velaski This episode delves into the art of precepting in EMS. The episode features insights from Keith Velaski, a seasoned flight nurse with extensive experience in various clinical and transport settings. The discussion emphasizes effective preceptor-learner relationships, educational strategies, and essential traits for successful precepting. Love, Ginger  

Dr. Casey Patrick, EM physician & EMS medical director at (Texas), joins Ginger to discuss how he thinks during calls when the patient presents with rapid atrial fibrillation. Is the rapid A-fib the primary cause or a secondary result of another critical condition like sepsis, PE, DKA, hypovolemia, etc? Want CE for listening?

He's the White Tiger. Dr. J.R. Pickett. Or simply J.R. His teams follow him and in this episode he gives away some of the secrets of his leadership philosophies: How he gets buy-in from his team. What he understands about millenials. How he balances decisiveness with tactical patience. Why conflict is essential for successful teams. What he learned during COVID. 

Paramedic, Taylor Kellogg joins us. This episode is a chance to take a break from clinical learning and listen to the story of a medic who has a passion for meteorology. Wildland fires in Southern California, a thunderstorm on a goat ranch, tornadoes while on shift, flooding that brought him eye-to-eye with a snake knocking on the station door & winter storms in Central Texas. He marvels at the good & the ugly that natural disasters provoke in humanity and how extreme weather makes us vulnerable in a way that connects us.

Dr. Maia Dorsett joins us again! You may remember her from the Thinking: Lift Assist episode. This time she shares what she knows about the process of death notification. It's a passion-topic for her because she knows how important these conversations are for the loved ones of patients who have died... and for us. She frames a death notification as a procedure that can be taught, learned and practiced.

Freedom House EMS is EMS' origin story. It was almost erased until Kevin Hazzard meticulously researched the story so it can sit in the forefront of our our collective consciousness. Kevin Hazzard reads 2 chapters from his latest book, American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became American's First Paramedics.

reflects on a based on a book called "" by . In this story, the characters are faced with impossible challenges inside a hospital in the days after Hurricane Katrina. There are so many parallels between what they experienced and what out of hospital paramedics are presented every day. The first time I heard Kevin's voice was in 2016 when he was a guest on . They were discussing his book "1000 Naked Strangers" where he recounts memories from working for Grady EMS in Atlanta for over a decade. I was struck by this quote during that interview: "There are a lot of situations where it's just not practical to wait for it to be completely safe and you gotta just try to weigh the odds." With that quote, I knew he'd be a guest well-matched for Medic Mindset where we understand the grey in which decisions are made in EMS everyday. Shownotes at medicmindset.com

How do we find our way out of this? Initial education, recruitment and retention in EMS are all in crisis. Paramedic and EMS educator, proposes an educational pathway for paramedics in this keynote lecture at the 2022 National Association of EMS Educators' Annual Symposium. Days before delivering this keynote talk, David was working with a crew to hoist people out of disastrous flooding in Kentucky. He called on those in attendance to offer financial support through this if possible. This episode was made possible through the collaboration of some of the best in EMS education: , and 's David Fifer

I don't have favorite episodes but if I did, this would be one of them. With my girlfriend Cassi by my side, I caught up with and at a conference. It's the first ever double-date on Medic Mindset! Cassi & Kris are both paramedics. Sara and I have the perspective of the significant-other to a paramedic. We swap stories and Cassi and Kris offer up ideas about what medics need from their spouses/partners. This episode is really a gift to the family members of medics. Take a listen and if it resonates with you, consider having your loved-ones listen. Maybe it will spark good conversation about what you need when you get home from shift or how best to connect with you while on shift. Kris and Sara were absolute gold. During a busy conference, where they were both speakers, they took the time to hide away with us in our hotel room for recording. The conversation was so special to me because conferences can be full of small talk, but this was different: we put away our phones and had a rich meaningful conversation that I hope you enjoy!

This is a special cross-post with the brand new pediatric podcast from NAEMSP: The Pediatric EMS Podcast created by Drs. Joelle Donofrio-Odmann and Dr. Joseph Finney. Dr. Donofrio-Odmann has been a guest on the show previously in . Other guests in this episode are Drs. , and They've created these . While you are there subscribe to their podcast which is sure to be a hit.

These two guests are partners: a flight medic and a flight nurse. They dig into their relationship in a way that will make the listener think about their own role as a partner. We also have a chance to hear the flight medic reflect on a near-miss with a medication error, what he wished he had learned more about in paramedic school, why he isn't a firefighter and a wide range of other topics. The listener will quickly hear what I heard: These two partners are the perfect yin-yang. She's spirited and animated. He's calm and steady. Together, they have each others' backs.

White Tiger, Dr. JR Pickett is back! Previously, he has talked to us about Syncope and Shortness of Breath. This time it's all about abdominal pain. He emphasizes the history and physical exam and includes a few ultrasound nuggets. What's the difference between a thoracic aortic dissection and an abdominal aortic aneurysm? Why is abdominal pain so concerning in geriatric patients? How can you adjust your physical exam techniques to gain the trust of pediatric patients? And why does White Tiger only cry one tear when he has appendicitis?

Ginger Locke speaks to the topic of Feedback. In this recording from University of Washington's Grand Rounds, she explains that paramedics are not getting enough feedback. She outlines theories for why it is scare, what we can do about it, and how feedback might look in the future.

Paramedic & friend, Natalie Zink and I waited over 2 years to publish this one after recording. Listen to find out why and to find out where she is now.

Critical care and flight medic, Jace Mullen and Ginger discuss all things medical and rock climbing. Topics include: The Principle of Charity in arguments, why code-switching is an essential skill of paramedics, how to be a good re-tweeter, what still scares him, how he decided to transition out of urban 911 to critical care/flight medicine and what it was like to get COVID during the first months of the pandemic. Shownotes at medicmindset.com

After seeing Dr. Joelle Donofrio-Odmann's talk in Prodigy EMS' Refresh 2021, I knew Medic Mindset listeners needed to hear from her. She is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and an EMS Associate Medical Director in San Diego, CA. In this episode of The Thinking Series, she shares her passion and expertise on the topic of Pediatric Respiratory Distress. She covers how she uses the pediatric assessment triangle to stratify patients and how she thinks about the diseases of the upper and lower airways and the ones that don't fit neatly in either.

What do the greats of EMS read? EM Physician and EMS educator, Dr. Maia Dorsett shares what, when and how she reads.

What do the greats of EMS read? Paramedic Michael Herbert shares what, when and how he reads.

What do the greats of EMS read? Flight Nurse Nyssa Hattaway shares what, when and how she reads.