Back to Basics

In this sweet episode, Jason and Chris review the ins and outs of how your body reacts to and produces glucose and insulin to keep you from being sour. Learn how Diabetes affects the body, and how to adequately treat low and high sugar emergencies in the field.

In this episode, Chris and Jason go over the legal principles and terminology you need to know to be able to safely administer care to your patients. Protect your patients and your own health, privacy, and dignity by making sure you're adhering to the laws designed to help providers do their job.

In this episode, Chris and Jason talk about sexually transmitted diseases.  Learn how they are transmitted, how to identify when they are life-threatening, and what first responders need to know about treating them.

Diving into the most common types of cardiac medications, Jason and Chris discuss the value of understanding the medications you may not use in the field, but your patients use at home. Familiarizing yourself with these meds and how they can affect your treatments is invaluable to delivering effective care.

In this episode, Chris and Jason discuss how you get burned, what a burn is, the severity of the trauma, how to treat it, and the pathophysiology of burns. Once an EMS provider understands the pathophysiology they will better understand why a particular treatment makes sense. 

In this episode, Chris and Jason talk about the nuances of fluid resuscitation. Is over-resuscitation a rational fear, or with the right tools and knowledge can providers deliver the right fluid at the right time to better patient outcomes?

In this episode special guest star (and Jason's good friend) Chris Perrin joins Jason to discuss Sports Injuries. Chris' experience as an athletic trainer lends a hand as they share knowledge on how to help athletes and accident-prone average joes.

Extremes of temperature can affect the body in many ways. Cold emergencies occur when body systems reach a temperature in which they can no longer tolerate, leading to damage to cells and bodily functions. In this episode of the Back to Basics podcast, Chris and Jason discuss the most common and dangerous cold emergencies and how to treat them. Want to recieve CAPCE credit for listening? Check out...

It's hard enough getting through EMT and Medic School, and then you are challenged with passing the NREMT exam. With a low passing rate, this exam can be a stressor for a lot of newly graduated EMT and Medic students. Luckily, Guardian Test Prep is an expert in taking and passing the NREMT! In this episode, Chris and Jason break down exactly how the exam works, what to expect and tips on how to ap...

In this episode of the Back to Basics podcast, Chris and Jason complete their three part series on Pediatric Assessment and Resuscitation. Part 1 covered the systematic approach to assessing a Pediatric patient, and Part 2 reviewed the systematic investigation and treatment of respiratory emergencies. Now, they cover the second major cause of cardiac arrest in children which is Shock. How do we ma...

The second part in our Pediatric series covers the assessment strategies needed to recognize respiratory emergencies in children. We cover the systematic evaluation and management of children suffering from respiratory emergencies to better prepare the first responder for handling pediatrics in the field. Want 100% Free CAPCE CME for listening? Check out https://guardiancme.com! 

EMS first responders will run on far less Pediatric patients compared to Adults during their career. Because of this, it can be difficult to remember that children are not just small adults, but require slightly different assessment and treatment protocols. In this episode, Chris and Jason discuss an easy to use systematic approach to the assessment of the Pediatric patient. Pulling from guideline...

Its been a few months and we want to open up the podcast to you so that you can ask us all of your questions! Whether they are medical, personal, spiritual, or inappropriate, nothing is off limits and Jason will answer it. 

Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is an exciting new technology being evaluated in the EMS space for use by Paramedics and EMS professionals on the road. However, does the research support the use of POCUS in the field? What types of diagnostic exams with the ultrasound have proven to be effective in making changes to patient care? And is there any evidence that patient outcomes are better when POC...

A patient who experiences sudden vision loss may be suffering from a number of pathologies. How can the first responder in the field assess and diagnose potentially dangerous conditions that cause these types of symptoms? In this episode of Back to Basics, Chris and Jason discuss some of the most acute and potentially life threatening reasons for acute vision loss as well as how to recognize and p...

EMS Medical Direction is a critical component of every EMS system. The NAEMT, ACEP, and NAAEMSP all help define what high quality EMS Medical Direction should look like. But how are we doing in implementing their guidelines? In this Episode of Back to Basics we discuss the role of the EMS Medical Director, what high quality medical direction should look like, and where we can continue to improve t...

Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis together make up COPD. These are obstructive lung diseases like asthma, but what differentiates Emphysema from Chronic Bronchitis? Do your patients always have both? Find out in this episode of Back to Basics! We also have a big announcement! Soon we will be launching Guardian CME!! Guardian CME is a 100% FREE CAPCE platform so that you can get all your CAPCE credi...

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate day! In this episode, Chris and Jason honor the holiday by covering a topic not often addressed in primary emergency education...Pirate Emergencies. Would you be able to take care of a pirate in the field? Everything from scurvy to gangrene, listen in to make sure you are prepared in case you ever come across these conditions on your future voyages! And don't...

You probably see asthma everyday on the job. A common disorder, asthma is something that healthcare professionals typically feel comfortable treating and feel that they have a good understanding of. In this episode, however, Chris and Jason argue that maybe we don't know as much about asthma as we should BECAUSE we see it all of the time. Here, they take a deep dive into the pathophysiology of the...

We touched base on what can happen at depth under the water in our Dive Emergencies episode, but what happens if we head in the opposite direction? High altitude illness is divided into three presentations: Acute Mountain Sickness (the most common), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and High altitude cerebral edema (HACE). All are caused by a lower oxygen environment. How do we differentiate th...

Rhabdomyolysis, the destruction of muscle tissue, leading to risk of systemic complications, can be caused from a number of traumatic and non-traumatic mechanisms. Rhabdomyolysis is a confusing pathology to understand, and involves a fairly deep knowledge level of how the muscle cell works. In this episode of Back to Basics, the Seitz brothers simplify the understanding of how muscle cells work an...

Would you know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of organophosphate poisoning? Do you know the treatments and how they work? Is it common? Chris and Jason answer these questions and more on Episode 21 of the Back to Basics podcast! Whether you're a student, educator or advanced provider, we've got something just for you. Enjoying the podcast? Check out our other content at www.guardiant...

Compartment syndrome is a limb, and potentially life-threatening condition. But would you be able to recognize it in the field? And how do you treat the condition emergently? In Episode 20 of Back to Basics, Chris and Jason answer these questions and more! Studying for the NREMT? Check out our full program at www.guardiantestprep.com

We've all heard that if you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours you need to seek medical attention. But how come? A painful erection is called Priapism, and in this episode of Back to Basics, Chris and Jason discuss the pathophysiology behind the condition as well as what first responders and emergency personnel can do to diagnose and treat this emergent situation.

The idea of delivering a baby can be daunting. Luckily, most of the time all you have to do is not drop it! But when things do go wrong you also need to know how to intervene. In this episode, Chris and Jason review the normal aspects of delivery as well as the simple steps you can take when things don't go exactly as planned. Studying for the NREMT and need more? Check out our course at www.seitz...