Medic5754

EMTs renew usually once per year. Depends on the agency they work for. But no, there is only an advise to renew CPR and BFA every two years. So it depends on the HCP him-/herself and their employer if they renew it. Ironically it seems as if many people keep up with "changes" by watching Grey´s Anatomy, ER and Dr. House. And if they fail in providing care and get sued they rely on what they have learned from Boston Legal and Private Practice.

Since the AHA recommends Hands-Only CPR for laypersons unwilling or unable to perform conventional CPR, we currently discussed the following regarding some HCP: Geriatric Nurses in my country (Germany) are not as highly trained like other healthcare professionals (RN, EMT) and often face themselves with cardiac arrests as a rare and sudden emergency. Most of them had their last - and far too often only - CPR training while attending geriatric nursing school. And sadly it could now be their last for the next years. So they are very often not that skilled persons as they are expected to be. Same is with daycare assistants at the homes and workplaces for the physically and mentally disabled. What we question is: Should we handle these professions like highly skilled healthcare professionals and teach them only conventional CPR (as recommended by the European Resuscitation Council), or shall we teach them Hands-Only CPR (as an option) like laypersons? During my own 20+ years in EMS experiences with cardiac arrests in geriatric homes showed that only a very low percentage of the geriatric nurses are able and willing to perform CPR. And that breathing was their main problem (too much air inflated, too high breathing pressure, air in stomach, etc.). How would you handle these people in training? Where would be your main focus in taching CPR? Remember that this could be their only CPR training for years.

I like it. It shows to me that we are one big family. Thank you for it.

I hope you guys won´t become to jealous. But most of the bigger cities overhere in Germany use such busses like the Stuttgart FD since many years. The bus in Stuttgart is just the latest version. Cities that don´t have such busses can use public transport service busses and modify with stretchers and seats in a short time to transport patients.

How different it is all over the globe. In my country the EMTs have to complete 200 hrs classroom plus 160 hrs education in a hospital in ER, OR and ICU and 160 hrs hands-on training on the ambulance. The Paramedics do 720 hrs classroom plus 480 hrs education in a hospital in ER, OR and ICU and 1,600 hrs training on the ambulance with a supervising EMS-Instructor.