(Part 2) Best products from r/ems

My flight program requires that our medics obtain these certifications - so I have had to help out many of them getting through these exams.

What I can recommend is a multi-angled approach.

First, consider a review book - this will just provide an outline of what material is testable. Of the ones I've looked at, the The Resource and Study Guide for Critical Care Clinicians is the best one of the ones I've seen. Expensive though.

Next you'll need an actual text to help fill in the blanks. Critical Care Transport 2ed is a solid text - and this edition is brand new. Honestly though, if you can get an older edition for cheap, I'd just do that.

Critical Care Transport Core Cirriculum is an intriguing book - joint project between ASTNA and the IAFCCP. I haven't seen it personally, but I've heard good things, and it's also quite pricy.

Next I would consider a mechanical ventilation text - the vent section of most CCT textbooks is pretty scant. I enjoy the FlightBridge vent text - Ventilator Management: A Pre-Hospital Perspective.

Next you'll want something with lots of practice questions. For this I like the IAFCCP practice text: IAFCCP Critical Care Exam Review. There are other ones, like the well known Will Wingfield book which are also worthwhile. You can't go wrong with lots of practice questions.

Don't forget the riveting CAMTS 10th Edition Guidelines. Read those. Try not to fall asleep.

Finally, podcasts - consider podcasts specifically from FlightBridge as you mentioned, but also Meducation Specialists. They both provide lots of great info and each have a series speaking specifically to exams.

Hopefully this gives you a good start.

Good luck!

>Looking for recommendations for a place to purchase a kit that has everything we need but not too much that its not portable.

Don't

And I mean Don't purchase premade kits. It's always much more cheaper and more efficient to purchase the supplies and bags cheaper by themselves. They normally come with 2-3 decent things, and a whole bunch of junk, and almost no resupply. They don't include surplus supplies, and are just an overall bad idea.

I work weekend nights in a city with a very large campus, so I think it's a bit of my Forte. I assume you're on a pretty constrained budget, so here's some of my suggestions.

Naloxone (Narcan): It's very likely that you can find these kits for free. Do some searching in your area, but most of the time municipalities or counties have appointed non-profits agencies which are given either purchased surpluses or kits which were award via lawsuits against the drug manufactures. Ask around or search, but I know many agencies which pay nothing for their naloxone.

Hand Suctions: All hand suctions suck, let's just get that out of the way. If you really want them though, don't waste your money on V-Vacs. You can buy this guy for 1/3 ($40 vs $120) the price, with replacement containers costing 1/2 ($11 vs. $22) the price. It'll suck just as bad, and you'll save that much more money.

Guaze Pads: ABD Pads are the best thing since sliced bread. Gunshot wounds, burns, skinned knees, road rash, ABD Pad has got your back. I dislike 4x4s even though they're kind of an accepted gauze pad of choice in most kits outside of EMS. An ABD (sometimes called combine pad) pad will run about .20-25 cents a pad in bulk, vs. 08-.12 cents a pad for 4x4, but they are so much more useful.

Roller Guaze: Find the cheapest small rolls of roller guaze you can find. Retail store/Pharmacy ones are find. Large rolls of Kirlex are much pricier, and really not as needed.

Bandaids: Cheapest at a retail store/Pharmacy.

Ice Packs: Cheapest at a retail store/Pharmacy.

Emisis Bags: This is the only thing I have to really add that you didn't mention. You'll need Emisis Bags for dealing with drunks. Really, you'll want these. They can be pretty pricey, and you'll want to order them in bulk. These from walmart.com are the cheapest I've seen. The plastic bag style are pretty much what you want, as they'll do the job for the cheapest price.

Bags: u/The_Jerk_Cat already gave my recommendation. These cheap ergodyne backpacks are pretty darn good, and the best thing at that price point. I would recommenced.

Just about all of these things can be found on either online, at specilty pharmacies, or in normal retailers. You'll need to shop around to find the best deals, but I think that's a pretty decent outline.

If there's anything else, I'm free to help on recommendations.

By the time people finish medic school they usually already have a nice stethoscope, but if she doesn't that's probably the best thing. I use the 3M Littmann 2141 Master Classic II and love it. Pretty much any Littmann brand is going to be what we all end up using.

If she already has one then you could always go with something she will use on duty like a pocket knife or multi tool. Most medics don't carry around much, if any, personal gear but a stethoscope and knife / multi-tool are ubiquitous. If you go for a multi-tool any Leatherman or SOG will be amazing. For pocket knives I like Gerber, Spyder, and SOG. Everything those companies make are solid and you can pick your price range.

If you are looking for something a little more expensive, a good flashlight is necessary. Surefire is the best, but really pricey. Streamlight is up there too and much more reasonably priced.

EDIT: The poster below me reminded me of what the best option probably is a pair of Leatherman Raptors. I have these and use them every day, I totally should have listed them first.

K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Words to live by!

Gloves. Just your standard Nitrile gloves. I have a box in my closet with about 5 pair in my truck. Although with Texas summers here, I'd bet they've melted together by now. I should really check on that...

Safety Glasses Any brand will do. Just look for ANSI Z87.1. You'll probably never use them, or 90% of what's in your bag, but they're nice to have on hand.

Knife w/seat belt cutter & window punch. This is mine. I keep it on my trucks visor when I'm driving, and on me when I'm not. Cheap and useful. A little big though.

Simple Breathing mask. Always good to have around.

Gauze Rolls & Gauze Pads. I've used these a couple times, all on myself. I have the uncanny ability to fall when running outdoors. It's truly a gift.

Large SAM Splint. Surprisingly I've used two in only a year of building my kit. Once for myself, colles fracture from tripping, and the second time for a friend who slipped in my kitchen. We're not the most coordinated bunch.

And if you're feeling adventuress (sp?), Emergency Blanket, Cold Pack, & a Hot Pack. These aren't necessary, but nice to have if you have some extra $$$ to burn.

This is all i carry in my truck medical wise. It's also a good idea to have a flashlight on your vehicle or in the bag. Don't waste money on anything "fancy". You'll never use them and if you do you'll probably get sued.

I received a pre-stocked jump bag from a family member as a gift for getting my EMT cert. Came with OPA's, C-Collar, Adult/Pedi BVM, & a couple suture kits. These are no-no's. Good Samaritan laws won't protect you if you use these. DON'T BUY/USE THEM WHEN NOT ON A RIG! (The suture kits are another matter...just don't) I took these out of my bag completely.

TL;DR K.I.S.S. Avoid anything a non-EMS person couldn't use.

EDIT: Formatting

Street Watch is a blog written by Peter Canning, the guy who wrote two very popular EMS books Rescue 471 and Paramedic. Good blog, and great books if you've got the time to read them.

Eh, my work is pretty cheap and bought a ton of $20 ones to give to us… that way if we lose it we have to pay to replace in the future… they work pretty well, actually. They take a bit longer if the patient keeps flicking their finger or moving it up and down to try and look at it themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/50-DL-Pulse-Oximeter-Neck-Wrist/dp/B004BJT9OE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420650946&sr=8-1&keywords=pulse+ox

that what we use… comes with a nifty little pouch, two separate lanyards for the device and the pouch, a loop on the pouch to attach to your belt (my favorite) or wherever.. and the display has little bars to show the strength of the pulse by pulsing up and down. about the same quality as the $60 ones I see RNs use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HR0B9AK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467377165&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=paramedic+assessment+pearls

Bought this the other day. It's great. Go check it out. Helps with assessments

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FERLKI/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/183-7865331-4342864

Bought it after reading the reviews on amazon. Cheap, works great, I actually own two now.

A mini Maglite. Best goddang thing I carry with me. Can light up a room and can be used to check pupillary response.

https://www.amazon.com/Maglite-2-Cell-Flashlight-Holster-Black/dp/B005UUSAAM/ref=sr_1_4?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1540083421&sr=1-4&keywords=mini+maglite

Bringing Out the Dead, the book that inspired the cult classic movie by the same name.

A Paramedic's Story: Life, Death, and Everything in Between, which was written by a guy who writes a popular EMS blog.

Paradise General is a great book about the doctors and surgeons who served in Iraq during The Surge.

Great resource for spanish, written by a medic for medics.

http://www.amazon.com/RAPID-Rescue-Spanish-Paul-Maxwell/dp/0323042058

The Littman 2 classic is a classic for a reason - solid build quality at a modest price. If you want to save a couple bucks, the Kila standard model is virtually indistinguishable from the Littman 2. Also: don't get anything with double tube style ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FERLKI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1450285512&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=Stethoscope&dpPl=1&dpID=4101GCET4GL&ref=plSrch#immersive-view_1450285550063 ). They usually have trash sound quality due to the two tubes rubbing against each other.

I have a Benchmade Rescue Hook 8MED. Cuts through anything and much better than shears.

I went through a couple different pairs, actually. Nothing terribly fancy. The OG methhead gloves were actually just bicycle gloves from REI, don't remember the exact brand.

Eventually I switched to these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKY8KGF/ after hearing about how carcinogenic oxyvir is, because after a good methhead fight I used to clean the gloves by squeezing a handful and letting the cancer juice soak in, then wearing them dry.

The linked ones have a nitrile coating on the palm that you can wipe after a good sweaty methhead encounter. I think I left a review about using them to fight methheads on the amazon page several years back if you care to find it.

RAPID Rescue Spanish https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323042058/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_q6MEzbYJ4YRV9

Recently put together my own, And i bought this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001B5JPQS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_H-FMybW880E7F

I easily fit all my BLS gear in it.
Especially if this is just First Responder, EMR, this is all you really need. I keep dressings, gauze rolls, medtape, cpr mask(adult, infant), eyewash kit, Stethoscope, BP cuff, oximeter, and many more items, Keep in mind this bag does not come stocked.

edit: Can provide pictures and full list if you want. Total cost was around 200.

[Bringing Out the Dead] (https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Out-Dead-Joe-Connelly/dp/0375700293) by Joe Connelly is an interesting book - I read it in EMT school on the recommendation of my instructor. Lately I've been reading [Rescuing Providence] (https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Providence-Michael-Morse/dp/158160629X) by Michael Morse. I like it so far but I haven't read much of it yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BJT9OE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

we use this one. it works very well

I'm fairly sure that reading Peter Canning's Paramedic: On the Front Lines of Medicine book when I was younger is one of the key reasons I ended up deciding I wanted to be a paramedic.

I've heard good things about this book http://www.amazon.com/Ventilator-Management-A-Pre-Hospital-Perspective/dp/1492299642

I haven't read it, but I listen to the guys podcast and he knows his stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Paramedic-Front-Medicine-Peter-Canning/dp/0804116148

https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Troy-Firefighters-Paramedics-Battered/dp/0976881306