National Association of EMT's

NAEMT's Prehospital Trauma Life Support  (PHTLS) is recognized around the world as the leading continuing  education program for prehospital emergency trauma care. The mission of  PHTLS is to promote excellence in trauma patient management by all providers involved in the delivery of prehospital care.   PHTLS is developed by NAEMT in cooperation with the American College of  Surgeons' Committee on Trauma. The Committee provides the medical  direction and content oversight for the PHTLS program.  

PHTLS  courses improve the quality of trauma care and decrease mortality. The  program is based on a philosophy stressing the treatment of the  multi-system trauma patient as a unique entity with specific needs.  PHTLS promotes critical thinking as the foundation for providing quality  care. It is based on the belief that, given a good fund of knowledge  and key principles, EMS practitioners are capable of making reasoned  decisions regarding patient care. The course utilizes the  internationally recognized PHTLS textbook and covers the following  topics:

• Physiology of life and death     
• Scene assessment     
• Patient assessment     
• Airway     
• Breathing, ventilation and oxygenation     
• Circulation, hemorrhage and shock     
• Patients with disabilities     
• Patient simulations     

PHTLS is the global gold standard in prehospital trauma education and is  taught in 64 countries. PHTLS is appropriate for EMTs, paramedics,  nurses, physician assistants, physicians, and other prehospital  providers. PHTLS is accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.

Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) is the gold standard of  education for emergency medical assessment and treatment. Endorsed by  the National Association of EMS Physicians, AMLS emphasizes the use of  the AMLS Assessment Pathway, a systematic tool for assessing and  managing common medical conditions with urgent accuracy.

Students  learn to recognize and manage common medical crises through realistic  case-based scenarios that challenge students to apply their knowledge to  highly critical patients.  The course emphasizes the use of scene  size-up, history, interactive group discussion on potential treatment  strategies, and physical exam to systematically rule out and consider  possibilities and probabilities in treating patients’ medical crises.
 

Topics include: 

• Respiratory disorders
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Shock
• Altered mental status
• Neurological disorders
• Endocrine/Metabolic disorders
• Environmental emergencies
• Infectious disease
• Abdominal disorders
• Toxicological emergencies
• Exposure to hazardous materials

AMLS  is appropriate for EMTs, paramedics, nurses, nurse practitioners,  physician assistants, nurse anesthetists and physicians. AMLS is  accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT. 

GEMS provides EMS practitioners at all levels with the skills and  knowledge to address the unique medical, social, environmental and  communications challenges of older adults. Developed by  NAEMT, in partnership with the American Geriatrics Society, GEMS  empowers EMS practitioners to help improve medical outcomes and quality  of life for geriatric patients.
 

GEMS features case-based lectures, live action video, hands-on skill  stations, simulation and small group scenarios to fully engage students  in the learning experience. GEMS covers the following topics:

• Changes with age
• Assessment of older adults
• Pharmacology and medication toxicity
• Psycho-social emergencies
• Elder abuse
• End-of-life care issues
• Cardiovascular and respiratory emergencies
• Trauma
• Neurological emergencies and altered mental status
• Mobile integrated healthcare
• Special considerations for older adults in disaster response
• Skin and wound care
• Medical devices frequently used by older adults

Two GEMS courses are offered - a core and advanced course.  They may be offered separately or sequentially.  Both  courses are appropriate for EMTs, paramedics, emergency medical  responders, nurses, physician assistants and physicians. GEMS is  accredited by CAPCE and recognized by NREMT.