The FlightBridgeED Blog

We are so excited to announce that Mr. Graham Pierce BS, MICP, FP-C, CCP-C, WP-C will receive this award first! Mr. Pierce’s contributions to the flight and critical care paramedic community go far beyond his work with the IBSC – He is the heart and soul of the Certified Flight Paramedic.

Tourniquets: a simple, time-honored device with roots dating back to the battlefields of ancient civilizations. If you’re picturing a ragtag concoction of sticks and bandages, give your mental image a 21st-century makeover! Today, tourniquets are sophisticated, researched, and increasingly vital tools in pre-hospital and critical care transport. Recently, there’s been an influx of research examining…

Pediatric pre-hospital and critical care transport medicine is undergoing a revolutionary change due to the ongoing evolution and expansion of telemedicine. This trending topic is currently reshaping the nature of patient care, enabling healthcare professionals to provide quality care regardless of the distance between them and the child in need. Telemedicine in Pediatric Care Telemedicine…

Introduction: When you hear the term “FRAT,” you might think of wild parties, toxic masculinity, and college shenanigans (“Toga, Toga, Toga, Toga…”) But in the world of air medical and critical care transport medicine services, FRAT takes on a whole new meaning. Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT) are the superheroes of safety, ensuring smooth and…

Introduction Welcome to EMS Week 2023 day 2, “EMS Education Day.” We celebrate your unwavering dedication and heroic efforts as flight paramedics or critical care paramedics. At FlightBridgeED, we understand the pivotal role advanced paramedic education plays in your success in the dynamic and high-stakes environments you operate in. Every decision you make can make…

Challenges Faced by EMS Professionals and Solutions for Change by. Evan Claunch, BSB, FP-C, NRP, CCEMT-P Emergency Medical Services professionals, including paramedics (of all types) and emergency medical technicians, are critical in providing life-saving care during medical emergencies. Despite their invaluable contributions, EMS professionals often face challenges such as the lack of public awareness and…

by Cody Winniford The Case Your team has been requested for an interfacility transfer. You find a 35-year-old female writhing on the stretcher, kicking her feet, hands restrained, and a wide-eyed ED technician attempting to hold her legs down. The patient is intubated, and the ventilator has a near-constant high-pressure alarm. You notice the patient’s…

You are the first responder dispatched to a multi-casualty incident (MCI) for a motor vehicle collision on the interstate, with multiple cars on fire and bodies strewn all over the highway. You arrive in the “controlled” chaos with the roadway barely shut down. You immediately smell smoke and see fire everywhere, seeing danger at every…

ASTNA HONORS THE 2023 CLASS OF THE ACADEMY OF AIR & SURFACE TRANSPORT NURSES NEWS FROM THE AIR & SURFACE TRANSPORT NURSES ASSOCIATIONFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aurora, Colorado (April 16, 2023). It is with great honor and utmost respect that we present to you the 2023 class of the Academy of Air & Surface Transport Nurses….

Too much training is still being done without simulation. The value-added component of simulation is nearly immeasurable, especially for the critical care provider. As commonplace as it has become, simulation still gets the hairy eyeball from some. Perhaps the pushback comes from the cost of simulation or simply the available resources to do simulation training.

It was a dark and stormy night when Debbie went into labor. She had been feeling contractions for hours, but as the storm raged on, her contractions became more intense and frequent. Her husband, John, tried to drive her to the hospital, but the roads were too dangerous, and they had to pull over at…

While there have been a lot of improvements in the treatment of trauma, one of the most overlooked areas of improvement has been in thoracic trauma, or trauma in the trunk. There is a lot of space for blood to collect and hide in the trunk, making detection and treatment difficult, especially in transport medicine….

It was a quiet night on the ambulance for paramedics Alex and Sarah until they received a call for a cardiac arrest in a nearby apartment complex. They quickly sprang into action, grabbing their gear and rushing to the scene. When they arrived, they found a man lying on the floor, unresponsive and not breathing….

The patient was sitting in his office when he suddenly felt tight in his chest. He had never experienced anything like it before and knew something was wrong. He tried to get up from his chair, but the pain was too intense. His breathing became labored, and he felt dizzy. His friends noticed something was…

Samantha had been a paramedic for years, but nothing could have prepared her for the unexpected delivery she was about to perform. She had been called to the scene of a car accident, but when she arrived, she found a woman in the midst of giving birth. Samantha quickly sprang into action, calling for backup…

Sophie had always been a high achiever. She graduated top of her class and landed her dream critical care transport paramedic job. Despite her accomplishments, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong there. She felt like an imposter as she walked through the station doors on her first day. Everyone seemed to know…

If you’ve been reading about trauma care in the last few years, you have undoubtedlyseen something about the use of whole blood in trauma resuscitation. Born out ofmilitary medicine experience, we are starting to see civilian EMS programs in both airand ground using this treatment to save lives from traumatic injury and massivehemorrhage. But what…

This article is the first of a series of three articles about managing adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This patient population can be quite challenging for even the most seasoned provider. Indeed, DKA is characterized by unique physiology that includes, amongst other things, severe fluid deficit and mild to severe metabolic acidosis. This patient…

Are you a critical care transport paramedic or nurse? Do you want to stay current with the latest medical guidelines and techniques in critical care medicine, such as mechanical ventilation and airway management? Are you interested in attending the premier critical care conference? If so, FAST23 is the conference for you! What is FAST23? FAST23…

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) is a non-profit organization that accredits air and ground medical transport programs in the United States and Canada. One of the recent changes to the 12th edition standards specifies that nursing certification will become transport specific (such as the Certified Flight Registered Nurse [CFRN] or Certified…

Since its North American debut in 2018, TikTok has dominated the teenage social media market. In 2022, a survey reported that 67% of American teenagers have used TikTok and 16% report use multiple times a day.[1] With its 60 to 120 second videos, TikTok allows users to record and upload video clips on almost any…

On the surface, these are not bad triggers for airway management, but they do not engage clinicians to evaluate the situation in its entirety. The astute clinician can recognize that there are obviously more than 4 notable triggers and that these decisions are made along a spectrum of “forced to act” to “elective.” The decision…

Clinical Scenario: You respond as an ALS ambulance to a local dialysis center for a middle-aged male with altered mental status. Upon arrival, you find a conscious male being gently held in his dialysis chair by staff members. They report the patient was partially through his dialysis treatment when he developed acute delirium. Medical History…

Introduction It is not enough to merely be able to intubate; that is, perform the physical skill of instrumenting the airway and placing an endotracheal tube. Too often, prehospital and emergency clinicians find themselves in situations where mere intubation is not necessarily the most effective and important intervention being performed, and by ignoring the possibility…

The Oxyhemoglobin Dissociation Curve can be confusing… However, it’s essential to understand oxygen physiology in critical care. Think of it as a “Manual for Dating.” In a healthy relationship, you have a good date, and really like that person, but don’t mind dropping them off after an evening out because you know you’ll see them again….

Overview A 27-year-old woman arrived at the emergency room late at night, her face crumpled in pain. She reported feeling sick this morning and vomiting, but that didn’t strike her as unusual as her young children have had stomach flu the last few days. Since then, she has had severe and acute neck and head…

End-tidal capnography in clinical practice originated in the field of anesthesia around the 1950s but has also become established in the pre-hospital setting. EMS providers commonly use end-tidal CO2 values as an adjunct to cardiac arrest and airway management. Continuing to learn about end-tidal CO2 is critical because this device is easily applied, readily available,…

OVERVIEW The Flight Paramedic (FP-C) exam tests the knowledge of experienced, master-level paramedics working as part of a medical flight crew. The Critical Care Paramedic (CCP-C) exam is a bit broader in scope. It is designed to test the knowledge of adept paramedics working in critical care environments, from transport to in-hospital. Which exam should…

A flight nurse is a registered nurse with the training and experience to provide critical care in transport environments. This can be either rotor (helicopter) or fixed-wing, typically working alongside other medical providers such as paramedics, other nurses, respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, or physicians; they’re essential for providing top-level patient care when it matters most!

Flight Paramedic Career Overview Helicopter EMS (HEMS), also known as air ambulance services, are critical in saving lives. Air medical transport teams must have the right experience, skills, and training. A certified flight paramedic is a pre-hospital, critical care, and emergency healthcare professional. If you’re ready to take your career in this direction, read on…