Paramedic I

Catalog description

This course establishes the parameters by which a paramedic operates withinthe pre-hospital setting. Topics include the roles and responsibilities of aparamedic, medical and legal considerations, EMS communications anddocumentation. This course provides students with a general overview andprinciples of anatomy and pathology, along with life span development. Studentswill review basic life support airway assessment and management techniques,and they will develop mastery in the ability to establish and maintain a patient'sairway, deliver oxygen and ventilate a patient at an advanced level. Theparamedic student will be provided with the fundamentals of pharmacology,including routes of drug absorption, administration, distribution, biotransformationand elimination; dosage calculations; and packaging. Students will identify theanatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of the heart. The identification ofarrhythmias is presented, along with appropriate pre-hospital managementmodalities. Topics include twelve-lead ECG interpretations, pharmacotherapy,defibrillation, cardioversion, and pathophysiology of more commoncardiovascular diseases. Also, students will be prepared for certification by theAmerican Heart Association in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Additionally,students will cover topics including abdominal, genitourinary, neurological,behavioral, and respiratory emergencies and the treatment thereof. Students willalso cover topics covering such medical emergencies as altered mental status,syncope, and the assessment of a variety of painful conditions. (offered fallsemester only) (12 hrs. lecture, 4.5 hrs. laboratory) Note: Fulfills SUNY-GECommunications (Oral). Prerequisites: Students must be accepted into theParamedic Program. They must also hold a minimum certification of Basic EMTand maintain that certification throughout the entire program. It is recommendedthat students have a minimum of one year EMS field experience. Students musthave completed BIO130 and BIO132 with a grade of C or better. Corequisite:PAR201.