CE: Special Considerations or Trauma, 16 hours

The Tactical Emergency Casualty Care course introduces evidence-based, life-saving techniques and strategies for providing the best trauma care in hostile environments. The program meets the guidelines established by the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (CTECC). Classroom, hands-on and scenario-based exercises are included in this interactive, fast-paced workshop. Any EMS practitioner called upon to respond to a mass casualty or active shooter event will benefit from this course. Upon completion attendees will receive a NAEMT Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) certification good for four years, and extra material will be covered so you will be able to sit for the Tactical Paramedic or Tactical Responder Certification Tests provided by the IBSC (tests are being offered in conjunction with the conference separate from the TECC Course). Students receive a Tactical Paramedic or Tactical Responder Certificate worth 16 CEs. For more information on class content, visit (911TacMed.com or  https://www.911tacmed.com/tactical- paramedic.html); FB or IG @911tamced; or contact Matthew Kinney at 911tacmed@gmail.com.

Saturday: 8:00 am – 6:30 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am – 5:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Austin Convention Center

CE: CRO or Special Considerations, 8 hours

This course will introduce the EMS provider to operational K9 care in the prehospital environment. Operational K9s are dogs assigned to public safety agencies such as police, fire, and search/rescue organizations. Topics of this course will include legal issues, safety, anatomy, airway management, trauma care, overdose, environmental emergencies, and much more! Course will include hands on physical examinations with live canine patients. Bring your stethoscope! For information on course content, contact Rick Maricle at richard.maricle@bc2fd.org.

8:00 am – 5:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Preparatory, 8 hours

This focused, human anatomy program promises to turn your medical education and training inside out with fresh, and non-fixed human specimens as your personal guide. Participants in this class actively locate, visualize, mobilize, and explore the anatomy of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities to appreciate the medical and traumatic disease processes we frequently encounter. Participants will further compare and contrast today’s medical efforts with the science and truth of our own mortality. Engaging in this hands-on effort will completely immerse you in human anatomy with highly experienced medical professionals by your side.

What should you wear? Suggested attire includes scrubs and running shoes but “professionally comfortable” clothing is certainly fine. Participants are not permitted to wear shorts or open toed shoes. Who should register for this exciting preconference course? Paramedics, EMTs, nurses, mid-levels, physicians and medical educators. This program is a hands-on effort involving human specimen—all PPE is provided.

NOTE: This course involves a full day of active engagement with a tremendous amount of standing and moving. With that in mind, participants are strongly encouraged to come well rested and prepared to learn. Participants should expect to be intellectually stimulated, yet physically exhausted at the conclusion. For information on course content, contact Ali McCully at alison.mccully@hiscentre.com.

7:30 am – 5:30 pm

Lunch included

Course held at the Healthcare, Innovation and Sciences Centre within the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences (Travel on own to 353 Rodeo Drive, Spring Branch, Texas 78070; Nearby hotel accommodations available). 

Limited to 48 participants.

CE: Administrator or CRO, 7 hours

Feel like you’ve spent a year putting out administrative fires rather than focusing on your administrative skills? This Advanced Administrator of Record course is the perfect antidote. You think you know about the importance of QI programs? You probably haven’t heard it from someone who has as much experience as Jorie Klein, MSN, MHA, BSN, RN. Jorie brings decades of experience in quality improvement from her years as trauma coordinator at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and now as director of the EMS/Trauma Systems Section at DSHS. To put it succinctly, when Jorie discusses the Performance Improvement process in EMS/trauma care, you need to listen! In the afternoon, we bring back a conference favorite – Steve Wirth, Esq., MS, EMT-P, a well-known EMS attorney and paramedic. Steve will tackle EMS leadership issues head-on, covering how COVID-19 affected leadership; the destructiveness of our distractions such as emails and Facebook; the latest law on EMS legal compliance, including unique and not-so-unique case studies; and how Abe Lincoln would have run your service, including four foundational principles to improve and re-energize your EMS operation. This is content you can’t get anywhere else! For more information on course content, contact Joe Schmider at  joseph.schmider@dshs.texas.gov.

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Medical or Patient Assessment, 8 hours

If anyone told you that you could take a 12-lead class and have fun, would you believe them? Presented by Bob Page, Author of the book 12 Lead ECG for Acute and Critical Care Providers, this 8-hour, highly motivating, non-stop interactive course on 12-Lead ECG is comprehensive including proper lead placement, axis and hemiblock determination, bundle branch blocks, differentiating wide complex tachycardia and myocardial infarction recognition. Also included is the use of a 15-lead ECG for increased sensitivity for STEMI. Participants in the program will read approximately 200 12-lead ECGs, gaining both experience and confidence in their newly learned skill. This is a great course for EMS and hospitals implementing STEMI programs or for continuing professional development. For over 30 years, Bob has been delivering this course to Emergency and Critical Care providers worldwide. For more information on course content, contact Bob Page at lead2noclue@me.com  

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

HIlton Austin

CE: Patient Assessment or Special Considerations, 6 hours

This program takes a new and innovative approach to the assessment and care of patients with special needs. It is inherently challenging to produce a training program that satisfactorily addresses this topic, given the breadth of this area and the vast number of “special needs” that exist. The program is divided into three parts: General approach to special needs, Individual conditions, and technology issues. Part one discusses the general approach to any patient with special needs, and covers topics including: communication, right to dignity, assessment, parents of special needs kids as experts, altered baseline, behavioral issues, advanced directives and service animals. Part two reviews the most common individual conditions, including autism, down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and CHD. In part three, we will address the most common technology issues, such as trachs, G/J tubes, pumps and vents. The presentations are visually engaging, making use of videos and pictures where possible to tell the story. This course is appropriate for all levels of EMS provider. For more information on course content, contact Eric Jaeger at ejaeger@truenorthgroup.org.

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Patient Assessment or Trauma, 4 hours

Did you know? Most emergency responders are injured or killed within the first 5 minutes of arriving on scene of a hazardous materials incident! Join conference favorite Ken Bouvier as he discusses hazardous material, the five modes of transportation, placards and the nine classifications of chemicals. Ken will also look at a few hazardous materials incident case studies. Most incidents you respond to will involve injured people who misused the product or was unaware of the risk and danger of the chemical. This session will make you aware of the high risk and low frequency occurrence of major hazardous materials incidents. Data indicates that most chemical injuries will involve the anterior portion of the body including the face and hands, and in most incidents the injury will result in burns, inhalation problems, skin irritations, and eye irritations. Exposure may be minor, while in most cases injury is serious and medical attention is required. During this session we will also discuss meth labs and chemical suicides. This session will include a unique slide show and will review world incidents that have occurred and will help you to be better prepared should it happen in your area. We will review case studies of hazardous material incidents that have occurred in the United States in the last 5 decades. For information on course content, contact Ken Bouvier at kenbouvier@cox.net.

8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Hilton Austin

CE: Airway or Medical, 3 hours

In the specialty of emergency medicine, clinicians are faced with life and death decisions. Many times, there are multiple simultaneous decisions requiring critical care procedures. Join us for an algorithmic approach to airway and vascular access. Participants will rotate through two interactive sections, intraosseous access and airway, followed by hands on scenarios to put it all together. For information on course content, contact Amy Mills at amy.mills@teleflex.com.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Hilton Austin

CE: Additional, 24 hours

NAEMSE presents the EMS Instructor Course, which has been designed and developed by the same individuals who produced the DOT/NHTSA 2002 National Guidelines for Educating EMS Instructors. The NAEMSE Instructor Course represents the didactic and practical application components needed to become an EMS instructor. The content of this 40-hour course (16 hours online completed prior to arrival onsite) aligns NAEMSE developed modules with the curriculum objectives of the 2002 National Guidelines and complies with EMS rules for lead instructors in more than 40 states, including Texas. This course provides an introduction to a broad span of educational theory that is heavily reliant on brain-based learning and evidence-based best practices for all levels of experience as an EMS educator. Individuals who attend the entire course and pass the post-test receive a Certificate of Course Completion from NAEMSE and are eligible for Texas instructor certification. Continuing education hours have been applied for through NAEMSE, which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). For more information on class content, contact Jarred Kallmann at j.kallmann@naemse.org or 412-343-4775.

Friday & Saturday: 8:00 am – 5:30 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Austin Convention Center

CE: Special Considerations or Trauma, 16 hours

The Tactical Emergency Casualty Care course introduces evidence-based, life-saving techniques and strategies for providing the best trauma care in hostile environments. The program meets the guidelines established by the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (CTECC). Classroom, hands-on and scenario-based exercises are included in this interactive, fast-paced workshop. Any EMS practitioner called upon to respond to a mass casualty or active shooter event will benefit from this course. Upon completion attendees will receive a NAEMT Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) certification good for four years, and extra material will be covered so you will be able to sit for the Tactical Paramedic or Tactical Responder Certification Tests provided by the IBSC (tests are being offered in conjunction with the conference separate from the TECC Course). Students receive a Tactical Paramedic or Tactical Responder Certificate worth 16 CEs. For more information on class content, visit (911TacMed.com or  https://www.911tacmed.com/tactical- paramedic.html); FB or IG @911tamced; or contact Matthew Kinney at 911tacmed@gmail.com.

Saturday: 8:00 am – 6:30 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am – 5:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Austin Convention Center

CE: Preparatory, 8 hours

The 2021 Critical Care Skills course, also known as The Procedural Anatomy Program, is a nationally recognized offering with a long-standing reputation for excellence. The Centre’s program specifically focuses on high-value, low-frequency, evidence-based emergent interventions. Participants engage in a comprehensive hands-on experience that gracefully blends fresh (non-fixed), and embalmed (fixed) human specimens, experienced medical professionals, and the most demanding procedures (with just the right dose of reservation) for your next patient. This course is orchestrated to dissect, explain, and train through: bleeding control (digital; wound-packing; tourniquets; junctional bleeding, and REBOA, and modified clamshell thoracotomy), airway and ventilation management (BLS; ALS – video and direct laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, and cricothyroidotomy) vascular access (IV – peripheral, cut-down, and exchange; IO – manual, powered; as well as central venous access), thoracic injury management (anterior and lateral needle decompression, simple thoracostomy, chest tube placement, pericardiocentesis), fundamental suturing and securing, basic ultrasound usage and more as time permits. Participants actively locate, visualize, mobilize, and explore the freshly dissected anatomy of the neck, chest, abdomen and extremities to better appreciate the efficacy and impact of interventions on the human body (while simultaneously defining the common medical and traumatic disease processes we frequently encounter). The objective for this course is to improve anatomic and procedural recognition while simultaneously offering hands-on experience where it matters most.

What should you wear? Suggested attire includes scrubs and running shoes, but “professionally comfortable” clothing is certainly fine. Participants are not permitted to wear shorts or open toed shoes. Who should register for this exciting preconference course? Paramedics, EMTs, nurses, mid-levels, physicians, and medical educators. This program is a hands-on activity and involves human specimens—all PPE is provided.

NOTE: This course involves a full day of active engagement and a tremendous amount of standing, moving, and skills refinement. Participants should expect to be intellectually stimulated, yet physically exhausted at the course’s conclusion. Participants are strongly encouraged to come well rested and prepared to learn. For information on the course, contact Ali McCully at alison.mccully@hiscentre.com.

7:30 am – 5:30 pm

Snacks, drinks and lunch included

Course held at the Healthcare, Innovation and Sciences Centre within the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences (Travel on own to 353 Rodeo Drive, Spring Branch, Texas 78070; Nearby hotel accommodations available). 

Limited to 48 participants.

CE: AOR or Additional, 6 hours

Why become a Certified Ambulance Documentation Specialist? High-quality patient care reports (PCRs) can keep your service out of trouble! Poor PCRs can expose providers to liability in court, decrease revenues and create compliance problems. Developed by the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance, this dynamic, interactive course with real-world scenarios will keep your attention while you learn key concepts. Topics addressed include documenting medical necessity, writing effective clinical narrative that supports proper ICD coding, addressing special challenges for non-emergency and repetitive patient documentation, identifying proper methods of modifying or amending PCRs and reducing medical malpractice liability. CADS content is geared specifically to EMS personnel such as EMTs and paramedics and is appropriate for QA/QI personnel, supervisors/managers, compliance officers, billers and anyone else involved in EMS. For more information on course content, call the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance at 877-765-6222 or visit https://www.ambulancecompliance.com/content/about-certified-ambulance-documentation specialist-cads.

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Medical or Patient Assessment, 8 hours

In Lead 2, you got no clue! Anyone that has had Bob Page’s 12 Lead class knows his catchy phrase! Okay, pigs can fly! Believe it or not, after years of relentless requests, Bob has developed a Basic Arrhythmia course designed to take anyone from startup to comfort in Lead II ECG interpretation. Participants can expect to see, hear and even dance their way to ECG rhythms recognition. This is a fun, interactive workshop that is fast-paced and designed to maximize learning for all levels. By the end of the workshop, you will have read over 200 rhythms! Come for a great review, come to learn it for the first time! Come to get ideas to teach it yourself! For more information on class content, contact Bob Page at lead2noclue@me.com

8:00 am – 5:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Special Considerations, 8 hours

While mental health awareness is on the rise in our profession, we must ask ourselves: Do we have the tools and knowledge to actively navigate these new waters? As clinicians we master our craft by seeking education, experience and mentors. Pathfinder hopes to provide the same resources as you begin your journey navigating mental wellness. This is not a CISM class. We are a group dedicated to EMS professionals being the best version of themselves they can be. This course will walk you through the different stages of resiliency psychology, including lectures with interactive exercises focused on topics such as action, positivity, journaling, mindfulness, motivation and discipline. By the end of this course, you will have practical tools and exercises designed to optimize your mental health. For information on course content, contact Juan Mejias atjuanmejias91@gmail.com.

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Patient Assessment, 4 hours

Patient assessment skills, the focus of so many hours of EMT class, is THE essential skill for the prehospital provider and this four-hour program will have the experienced provider reconsidering every step in the process and its importance and hopefully eliminate early mistakes by the newbie. This class will go beyond the “A is for Airway, B is for breathing” approach and will examine how we prepare for the call both mentally, physically, and in checking and selecting our equipment. It will cover advanced techniques useful to all level of experienced prehospital provider and will focus attention into the need for systematic thinking to complete assessments correctly. For information on course content, contact Christopher Suprun at admin@neverforget911.org.

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Hilton Austin

CE: CRO or Special Considerations, 8 hours

This course will introduce the EMS provider to operational K9 care in the prehospital environment. Operational K9s are dogs assigned to public safety agencies such as police, fire, and search/rescue organizations. Topics of this course will include legal issues, safety, anatomy, airway management, trauma care, overdose, environmental emergencies, and much more! Course will include hands on physical examinations with live canine patients. Bring your stethoscope! For information on course content, contact Rick Maricle at richard.maricle@bc2fd.org.

8:00 am – 5:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Preparatory, 8 hours

This focused, human anatomy program promises to turn your medical education and training inside out with fresh, and non-fixed human specimens as your personal guide. Participants in this class actively locate, visualize, mobilize, and explore the anatomy of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities to appreciate the medical and traumatic disease processes we frequently encounter. Participants will further compare and contrast today’s medical efforts with the science and truth of our own mortality. Engaging in this hands-on effort will completely immerse you in human anatomy with highly experienced medical professionals by your side.

What should you wear? Suggested attire includes scrubs and running shoes but “professionally comfortable” clothing is certainly fine. Participants are not permitted to wear shorts or open toed shoes. Who should register for this exciting preconference course? Paramedics, EMTs, nurses, mid-levels, physicians and medical educators. This program is a hands-on effort involving human specimen—all PPE is provided.

NOTE: This course involves a full day of active engagement with a tremendous amount of standing and moving. With that in mind, participants are strongly encouraged to come well rested and prepared to learn. Participants should expect to be intellectually stimulated, yet physically exhausted at the conclusion. For information on course content, contact Ali McCully at alison.mccully@hiscentre.com.

7:30 am – 5:30 pm

Lunch included

Course held at the Healthcare, Innovation and Sciences Centre within the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences (Travel on own to 353 Rodeo Drive, Spring Branch, Texas 78070; Nearby hotel accommodations available). 

Limited to 48 participants.

CE: Administrator or CRO, 7 hours

Feel like you’ve spent a year putting out administrative fires rather than focusing on your administrative skills? This Advanced Administrator of Record course is the perfect antidote. You think you know about the importance of QI programs? You probably haven’t heard it from someone who has as much experience as Jorie Klein, MSN, MHA, BSN, RN. Jorie brings decades of experience in quality improvement from her years as trauma coordinator at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and now as director of the EMS/Trauma Systems Section at DSHS. To put it succinctly, when Jorie discusses the Performance Improvement process in EMS/trauma care, you need to listen! In the afternoon, we bring back a conference favorite – Steve Wirth, Esq., MS, EMT-P, a well-known EMS attorney and paramedic. Steve will tackle EMS leadership issues head-on, covering how COVID-19 affected leadership; the destructiveness of our distractions such as emails and Facebook; the latest law on EMS legal compliance, including unique and not-so-unique case studies; and how Abe Lincoln would have run your service, including four foundational principles to improve and re-energize your EMS operation. This is content you can’t get anywhere else! For more information on course content, contact Joe Schmider at  joseph.schmider@dshs.texas.gov.

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Medical or Patient Assessment, 8 hours

If anyone told you that you could take a 12-lead class and have fun, would you believe them? Presented by Bob Page, Author of the book 12 Lead ECG for Acute and Critical Care Providers, this 8-hour, highly motivating, non-stop interactive course on 12-Lead ECG is comprehensive including proper lead placement, axis and hemiblock determination, bundle branch blocks, differentiating wide complex tachycardia and myocardial infarction recognition. Also included is the use of a 15-lead ECG for increased sensitivity for STEMI. Participants in the program will read approximately 200 12-lead ECGs, gaining both experience and confidence in their newly learned skill. This is a great course for EMS and hospitals implementing STEMI programs or for continuing professional development. For over 30 years, Bob has been delivering this course to Emergency and Critical Care providers worldwide. For more information on course content, contact Bob Page at lead2noclue@me.com  

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

HIlton Austin

CE: Patient Assessment or Special Considerations, 6 hours

This program takes a new and innovative approach to the assessment and care of patients with special needs. It is inherently challenging to produce a training program that satisfactorily addresses this topic, given the breadth of this area and the vast number of “special needs” that exist. The program is divided into three parts: General approach to special needs, Individual conditions, and technology issues. Part one discusses the general approach to any patient with special needs, and covers topics including: communication, right to dignity, assessment, parents of special needs kids as experts, altered baseline, behavioral issues, advanced directives and service animals. Part two reviews the most common individual conditions, including autism, down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and CHD. In part three, we will address the most common technology issues, such as trachs, G/J tubes, pumps and vents. The presentations are visually engaging, making use of videos and pictures where possible to tell the story. This course is appropriate for all levels of EMS provider. For more information on course content, contact Eric Jaeger at ejaeger@truenorthgroup.org.

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

1 1/2 hours for lunch on own

Hilton Austin

CE: Patient Assessment or Trauma, 4 hours

Did you know? Most emergency responders are injured or killed within the first 5 minutes of arriving on scene of a hazardous materials incident! Join conference favorite Ken Bouvier as he discusses hazardous material, the five modes of transportation, placards and the nine classifications of chemicals. Ken will also look at a few hazardous materials incident case studies. Most incidents you respond to will involve injured people who misused the product or was unaware of the risk and danger of the chemical. This session will make you aware of the high risk and low frequency occurrence of major hazardous materials incidents. Data indicates that most chemical injuries will involve the anterior portion of the body including the face and hands, and in most incidents the injury will result in burns, inhalation problems, skin irritations, and eye irritations. Exposure may be minor, while in most cases injury is serious and medical attention is required. During this session we will also discuss meth labs and chemical suicides. This session will include a unique slide show and will review world incidents that have occurred and will help you to be better prepared should it happen in your area. We will review case studies of hazardous material incidents that have occurred in the United States in the last 5 decades. For information on course content, contact Ken Bouvier at kenbouvier@cox.net.

8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Hilton Austin

CE: Airway or Medical, 3 hours

In the specialty of emergency medicine, clinicians are faced with life and death decisions. Many times, there are multiple simultaneous decisions requiring critical care procedures. Join us for an algorithmic approach to airway and vascular access. Participants will rotate through two interactive sections, intraosseous access and airway, followed by hands on scenarios to put it all together. For information on course content, contact Amy Mills at amy.mills@teleflex.com.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Hilton Austin