Today I sit down with Dr. Joseph Martin, (IG: @JaTXerd) a Family Practice and Addiction Specialist who is now an EMS physician, to talk about mental health in our first responders. Spoiler alert: it has a lot to do with sleep deprivation, uncertainty, community, and organizational support.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Cold weather incoming! This is just a quick review of carbon monoxide poisoning treatment options, as well as what differentiates cold water immersion from regular drowning. We anticipate an increase in the number of Carbon Monoxide (CO) related calls in the system as people use charcoal grills and generators for heating. Symptoms include headache,…

On this episode, Producer Seal and Travis talk about the schedule release of the NBA as well as a few other sports discussions!Oleh noscrubsallowed

Sometimes a small dose of epinephrine or norepinephrine can keep a patient from becoming hypotensive during intubation, or may help bridge the patient to a continuous infusion. Dr. Pickett talks about simple methods for mixing and administering push doses of these pressors and how to administer the infusion. NOTE: It is ASSUMED you already know the…

Like Starsky and Hutch, like peanut butter and jelly, like Riggs and Murtaugh, the inseparable duo is back together for Medic Mindset for an episode of the Thinking Series, this time on abdominal pain. Feast your ears, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The audio is like butter. Available on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Feedburner! https://…

Snakebites are a common patient encounter for #EMS here in Texas, though virtually all states have venomous snakes of one kind or another. Dr. Spencer Greene (@ToxSpencer) walks us through some pearls and pitfalls of caring for these patients. TL;DW: “Dry bites” are very uncommon. Most victims are not drunk young males that are intentionally messin…

YES I KNOW THE THUMBNAIL HAS EPISODE 4 and it’s episode 49. But we have a YouTube channel now so that’s why we have different episode numbers. It’s less confusing than renumbering everything. ANYwhomst, this is our takedown of the week long winter weather event that crippled the region starting around Valentine’s Day. The impacts to EMS were many a…

Vaccines are finally available. I’m getting mine, and you should too. How do they work? Are they safe? What are the side effects? What are the particulars of administration?Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Bamlanivimab is a monoclonal antibody for treating mild to moderate COVID-19. You’ve probably heard of it as it has rolled out here in Texas in force. What does it do and how is it given?Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Operation Warp Speed is a public-private partnership that has helped speed development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. But what does that mean for safety of these treatments? TL;DR: The program does not cut safety corners. It supports industry to rapidly develop capability without the financial risk usually associated with experimental the…

This study looks at an intriguing concept: What happens when you give an acutely suicidal patient ketamine in the ED? This study intrigued me so I thought I’d cover it. This study will not change your practice but will hopefully interest you in participating in research on the topic. TL;DR/TL;DL: DON’T START DOING THIS YET. IT NEEDS MORE STUDY. But…

The Health Data Exchange allows the flow of information between EMS charts and the hospital chart, helping us to easily look at outcomes and how EMS care has affected the patient. The best way to check your own knowledge and understanding of prehospital care is to know how the patient turned out. Was your diagnosis right? Did they decompensate afte…

“What if” can be anxiety provoking and can send you down a rabbit hole of undesirable futures. But it can also be a powerful tool for the clinical preceptor and the clinician who is looking to improve their performance.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

I don’t know if this is particularly profound, but I just wanted to offer some words of encouragement.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

We talk about a whole bunch of different interventions that have been recommended or not recommended and discussed our logic behind them here.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Are there better ideas for managing cardiac arrests in this pandemic? We talk about modifying response (don’t), calling it early (maybe if we have good info), airway management (you’ve got some choices here), and limiting provider exposure (always).Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Here we talk about the tests that are available. How they work, when they work, and why we don’t have a good one to get us out of quarantine early.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

The No Scrubs Allowed Podcast is now on YouTube! On this episode, we discuss the NBA Hall of Fame, an NBA horse game, and some other NBA news.Oleh noscrubsallowed

There are a myriad of task forces in the response to COVID in Austin and Travis County. Here we talk about ones inside the Medical Branch.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

What happens when we reach surge capacity at the hospitals? Where do patients go if they don’t have a home where they can safely quarantine? What about our nursing home patients? In this episode, we detail the plans for all of these patients.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

SUPER short one today about COVID and ACE inhibitors (-pril) and Angiotenstin Receptors Antagonists, like Angio Recept Antag. Maybe ang rec ant. Or artan. Artans yeah, that’s it.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

We talk about some of the things you’ve seen in the news lately about treatments that might help COVID. AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN I CAN’T TAKE IBUPROFEN? *sad Army Doc noises*Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

I hate you. So, you caught the COVID. You have endured the fever, cough, sore throat, diarrhea, and abject boredom of being home. When can you be let out of this prison? In this micro episode we talk about the return to work criteria. BLUF: No, you don’t have to be in quarantine forever.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

This little jerk right here. Covid is now a pandemic, the real kind, the not-the-zombie-kind. In this episode we talk about what the Office of the Medical Director, Austin Public Health, and Austin/Travis County EMS is doing to respond to what is now a declared disaster.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Buy in from the workforce is necessary to bring any useful change to an organization. While unions and leadership are often set against each other, the things they can accomplish when they work together far exceed those they can accomplish when moving in different directions. The union can give the MD valuable feedback on wants and barriers to impl…

Some causes of headache are benign, but the EMS provider would be wise to consider carefully some “bad actors” that cause headache. Here we will talk too about how to manage these patients in the prehospital setting. Photo by Alexander Dummer on Pexels.com https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/ep-31-headache.m4a…

Jessica Sasser, RN, is one of the amazing staff at our public safety wellness division which supports the physical and mental health of Austin/Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department. In this episode she discusses meditation and how it can be useful to the first responder. Hint: it doesn’t just make you feel better, it makes you better. Please…

(1:30) usf is allergic to home and homes/should UCF take 2 for 1s? (10:36) Trysten Hill to the Cowboys (12:49) Trysten Hill Interview (29:09) UCF undrafted free agents (32:39) Michael Colubiale interview (42:00) Fab 5 UCF area restaurants (58:59) Spring game recap (1:07:12) UCF is becoming a top transfer destination (1:11:59) Meanwhile to the west……

The NBA and NHL Finals are nearly set! Producer Seal and Travis chat about the number 89 in sports, LAFC, and the NBA and NHL Playoffs!Oleh noscrubsallowed

On this episode, Producer Seal and Travis break down the number 88 in sports as well as the best #88 before talking a bit about the NBA Conference Semifinals!Oleh noscrubsallowed

On this Episode, Producer Seal and Travis just chill and talk about the happenings around the US and the world.Oleh noscrubsallowed

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/ep-29-medic-to-pa-or-md.m4a Combat medic, paramedic, PA, and now medical student Andy Fisher talks about his journey. If you’ve thought about making the leap from #EMS, don’t miss this episode.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/ep-28-andy-fisher-talks-blood.m4a In patients with hemorrhage, nothing else can take the place of #blood. Andy Fisher talks about why, and how, you can bring #blood to your #EMS system.Oleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/ep-27-syncope.m4a Syncope, or fainting, is an incredibly common complaint seen by #EMS providers. This short episode discusses some of the exam findings and considerations. The Epsilon wave: https://litfl.com/epsilon-wave-ecg-library/ Wolff Parkinson White syndrome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K098rnvq…

On this episode, Travis is joined by Eddie to discuss the greatest #87 before Eddie parts ways for Producer Seal to talk about Stud and Scrub of the Week, recap the NFL Draft, and talk some NBA playoffs.Oleh noscrubsallowed

The conclusion to episode 1 of the Tale of the Tape podcast.Oleh noscrubsallowed

Part 2 of the Tale of the Tape Podcast: Pittsburgh Steelers. Listen to part 1 here!Oleh noscrubsallowed

– (1:26) Every guard is transferring – (8:02) March Madness – (14:28) Steve Levy on his career at ESPN, the week long preparation that goes into calling a game, his call of the Fiesta Bowl, and more – (46:52) McKenzie Milton talks about how his ACL and MCL miraculously didn’t tear, the injury no one knew about before the Peach Bowl, Scott Frost lea…

https://ucfproblems.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/episode-23-final.mp3 Cover photo by Leland DutcherOleh ucfproblems

UCF is dancing! The boys discuss March Madness and breakdown our matchup vs VCU, talk about traveling to the game, look ahead to Duke, storm the court debate, women’s hoops, White family conspiracy theory, special guest AJ Rompza, Bortles Tay Train and Perriman’s new teams, how UCF almost missed the Fiesta Bowl, LSU scandal, and more! LFG https://u…

-Probs admits he was wrong for the first time ever -Was Houston the biggest hoops win in UCF history? -usf basketball arena review -Ladies’ hoops historic season -Actually having a natty chance -Trysten Hill combine hype/possible landing spots -I explain to money moo why we don’t get loud at the spring game -Fab 5 biggest hoops wins -QB controversy…

If you are not using #EtCO2 during airway management and monitoring, then you are wrong. Fix yourself. Dr. Pickett tells you why. #EMS #Prehospital #Paramedic #maybeifIsqueezethisbagashardandfastasIcanthepatientwillgetbetter #morewavylines #butIjustlearnedEKGs #Isawthetubegothroughthecords #sodideveryonewhoevermisplacedanETtube https://atcomd.files…

https://ucfproblems.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/episode20edited.mp3Oleh ucfproblems

-Wimbush transfer -QB controversy -Final AP ranking -Nate Evans fan mail -Fab 5 under 3 star recruits Mac Loudermilk talks: -Why decided to grow his hair -His viral celebrations -Playing QB in high school -Becoming a punter on accident -How he picked his agent -Why the playoffs have to expand -The UCF/UF scheduling debate -The SEC scheduling 2 FCS …

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-25-tracheostomy-disasters.m4a Do you get nervous when you are faced with a patient with a tracheostomy tube? This short episode covers common problems and how to troubleshoot them. Be nervous no more. #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #criticalcare In this episode, I make reference to a couple of great YouTu…

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-24-new-clinical-operating-guidelines.m4a We undertook the unenviable task of revising our clinical operating guidelines to make them more usable, more manageable, and easier to read. We want to foster a clinician mindset and embrace the clinical flexibility medics need to take care of our patients in a …

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-23-flight-rules.m4a Today we are covering some of the flight rules for those studying for their #FP-C exam. #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #HEMSOleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-22-flight-physiology-part-3.m4a Today we are covering a bit of #flight physiology for those studying for their #FP-C exam. We broke this episode into 3 parts to make it a bit more manageable. #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #HEMSOleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-21-flight-physiology-part-2.m4a Today we are covering a bit of #flight physiology for those studying for their #FP-C exam. We broke this episode into 3 parts to make it a bit more manageable. #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #HEMSOleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer

https://atcomd.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/ep-20-flight-physiology-part-1.m4a Today we are covering a bit of #flight physiology for those studying for their #FP-C exam. We broke this episode into 3 parts to make it a bit more manageable. #paramedic #EMS #prehospital #HEMSOleh Austin-Travis County EMS System Office of the Chief Medical Officer