School
Health and Human Services
Division
Health Careers
Department
Paramedic
Academic Level
Undergraduate
Course Subject
Emergency Medical Services
Course Number
220
Course Title
Paramedic III
Credit Hours
4.00
Instructor Contact Hours Per Semester
62.00 (for 15-week classes)
Student Contact Hours Per Semester
62.00 (for 15-week classes)
Grading Method
A-E
Pre-requisites
EMS-200, EMS-206, EMS-210, EMS-291
Co-requisites
EMS-216, EMS-230, EMS-292
Catalog Course Description
Introduces the pathophysiology of respiratory disease and neurological emergencies, then integrates this knowledge with assessment findings to develop a field impression and deliver appropriate medical care, including an in-depth discussion of endocrine emergencies and the associated treatments. Significant course time details the anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of various types of trauma. The emphasis is on treating the “whole patient,” avoiding treatment distractions of any singular injury.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
Core Course Topics
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
- Airway Management
- Assessment
- Medicine
- Trauma
- Special Patient Populations
- EMS Operations
- Clinical Behavior / Judgment
Core Course Learning Objectives (Separated)
- Compare various airway and ventilation techniques used in the management of pulmonary diseases. (Airway Management; Medicine)
- Identify the epidemiology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, assessment findings, and management (including prehospital medications) for the following respiratory diseases and conditions: Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Bronchial Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis, Emphysema, Pneumonia, Pulmonary Edema, Pulmonary Thromboembolism, neoplasms of the lung, Upper Respiratory Infections, Spontaneous Pneumothorax, and Hyperventilation Syndrome. (A & P; Pathophysiology; Pharmacology; Medicine; Trauma, Airway Management & Clinical Judgment)
- Recommend and justify the appropriate assessment, prehospital care, and transport for several preprogrammed patients with non-traumatic pulmonary problems. (Clinical Judgment; Airway Management)
- Differentiate between neurologic emergencies based on assessment findings.(Medicine)
- Recommend and justify appropriate assessment, prehospital care, and transport for several preprogrammed patients with non-traumatic neurological emergencies. (Clinical Judgment; Medicine)
- Differentiate between different endocrine emergencies based on assessment and history. (Medicine)
- Recommend and justify appropriate assessment, prehospital care, and transport for several preprogrammed patients with endocrine emergencies. (Clinical Judgment; Medicine)
- Explain the “Golden Hour” concept, and describe how it applies to prehospital emergency medical service. (Trauma)
- Compare and contrast the types of vehicle impacts and their expected injuries. (Trauma)
- Recommend and justify appropriate scene size-up, initial assessment, focused assessment, detailed assessment, prehospital care, and transport for several preprogrammed patients involving simulated blunt trauma patients. (Assessment; Trauma; Clinical Judgment)
- Recommend and justify appropriate scene size-up, initial assessment, focused assessment, detailed physical exam, ongoing assessment plan, prehospital care, and transport for several preprogrammed patients involving simulated penetrating trauma patients. . (Assessment; Trauma; Clinical Judgment)
- Describe differences in administration of intravenous fluid in the normotensive, hypotensive, or profoundly hypotensive patients. (Pharmacology)
- Recommend and justify appropriate scene size-up, initial assessment, rapid trauma assessment or focused history and physical exam, detailed physical exam, prehospital care, transport, and ongoing assessment for several preprogrammed, simulated and moulaged hemorrhage and shock patients.(Clinical Judgment; Trauma)
- Develop/formulate treatment priorities for patients with soft-tissue injuries in conjunction with: Airway/face/neck trauma. Thoracic trauma (open/closed) and Abdominal trauma. (Clinical Judgment; Trauma)
- Describe and apply the “Rule of Nines” and the “Rule of Palms” methods for determining body surface area percentage of a burn injury. (Trauma)
- Recommend and justify the appropriate assessment and field management for several scenarios involving thermal, inhalation, electrical, and chemical burn injury and radiation exposure patients. (Clinical Judgment; Trauma; EMS Operations)
- Appraise the complications of burn injuries caused by trauma, blast injuries, airway compromise, respiratory compromise, and child abuse. (Trauma; Special Pt. Populations)
- Hypothesize injuries based on the mechanism of injury, including direct, indirect, and pathologic. (Trauma)
- Recommend and justify appropriate scene size-up, initial assessment, rapid trauma assessment or focused history and physical exam, detailed physical exam, prehospital care, transport, and ongoing assessment for several preprogrammed, simulated and moulaged musculoskeletal injury patients. (Clinical Judgment; Trauma)
- Explain the pathophysiology, assessment, and management of a patient with: scalp injury, skull fracture, cerebral contusion, intracranial hemorrhage (including epidural, subdural, subarachnoid, and intracerebral hemorrhage), axonal injury (including concussion and moderate and severe diffuse axonal injury), facial injury, and neck injury. (Pathopysiology; Trauma; Medicine; Clinical Judgment)
- Develop a management plan for the removal of a helmet for a head-injured patient.(Trauma; Clinical Judgment)
- Describe the assessment findings associated with and the management of solid and hollow organ injuries, abdominal vascular injuries, pelvic fractures, and other abdominal injuries. (Trauma; Clinical Judgment)
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment of Academic Achievement
The entire Paramedic Program is a performance-based curriculum. All students completing each level of course-work will be required to pass both the applicable performance applications as well as a comprehensive topic exam.
There is a scheduled Mid-Term and Final written exam with discretionary quizzes throughout the program.
General Course Requirements and Recommendations
All course participants must be able to physically complete tasks associated with the performance-based assessments. All areas of final assessment, whether written and/or practical, must meet minimal competencies of 80% or better following testing criterion.
Instructors (or their designees) reserve the right to require students to provide picture identification for test taking, graded papers or projects or other appropriate purposes.
Texts
To be determined by program faculty.
Outcomes
Satisfies Wellness Requirement
No
Approval Dates
Effective Term
Fall 2020
Review Semester
Fall 2020