Custom Continuing Education Courses

 Shaun Fix NRP, PMD is the President of Emergency Medical Consultants in South Florida. He has been practicing and teaching in the hospital and prehospital field since 1983. He holds a degree in Emergency Medical Service Management and has held faculty positions at several colleges. After 35 years of service, Shaun retired as a shift officer in charge of EMS for Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services in Palm Beach County, Florida. Shaun has presented programs at State, National and International Conferences and has appeared on FETN, Pulse, Emergency Medical Update Videos, Medic Monthly, and 24/7 EMS. A frequent lecturer, author and consultant, he is best known for keeping his programs upbeat and relevant while bringing “the reality of emergency medicine” to the classroom setting. Shaun is the author of the Brady text, Success in ACLS, and recently completed writing Safety and Survival in Emergency Medicine.

Emergency Airway Management – A Skills Approach – 6-8 Hour Seminar
Many trauma deaths are related to the inability to control the airway. Prevention of hypoxia requires both maintaining the airway and providing adequate tidal volumes. This skills-intensive program will review both basic and advanced methods for securing the airway and maintaining adequate ventilation. This program is designed for those familiar with standard procedures and will progress to more complex situations such as trauma, unique anatomy, cricothyrotomy, and pharmacological assisted tubes. A hands-on review of many airway devices makes this program both exciting and educational.

Cric! A Review and Hands-on Skills Lab – 2+ hours (can be a 60 min lecture only)
This program will review the applications, indications, and complications of various cricothyrotomy techniques using slides, lectures, and actual photos of the procedure. Following the review, participants will practice the skill using various devices on manikins and animal tracheas. A true learning experience – “Adults learn by doing”.   

Paralytics – RSI is Not Rapid – Is it for Everybody? –  2+ hours (can be a 60 min lecture only)
This program will review the controversial use of sedation/paralytics in the prehospital setting. A brief review of each of the medications pros and cons will be discussed as well as who to consider and who not to consider for this procedure. The program will end with a skills lab using real-time to perform RSI on manikins – this program is designed to introduce the provider to the required “team approach” necessary to safely utilize RSI on patients.

Pediatric Mega Code – 3 hours
This program is designed to give the provider a real-life approach to managing a pediatric code, from reviewing the pathophysiology, success rates, and common causes of peds codes to following the latest American Heart Association Guidelines for pediatric resuscitation. Following a lecture and live footage review, teams will progress through cases actually performing “megacode” skills in real time on child and infant manikins. The emphasis is to reduce anxiety and stress the skills necessary in the pediatric setting.

Pediatric Airway Management – 2+ hours (can be a 60 min lecture only)
There is a great deal of concern relating to providers’ ability to control the child’s airway with advanced procedures. This segment will review the anatomy, techniques, and skills required to effectively maintain a patent airway on a child. Basic to advanced skills will be discussed and practiced.

Playgrounds Injury Prevention – 60 minutes
Home or public playgrounds are supposed to be happy fun places for children; unfortunately, many children are injured or killed in those areas each year. This program looks at the playground from a safety/prevention aspect. Participants will be given a playground safety report card for assessing child play areas in their jurisdiction.

The Art of Prehospital Pediatric Assessment – 90 minutes
Treating the seriously ill or injured child may cause us the most stress while assessing the stable child causes us the most distress. This lecture will discuss the modifications required to effectively assess the pediatric patient. Learn how age, stress, fright, and physiological differences should change your assessment technique. Normal and abnormal findings will be discussed, as well as “tricks of the trade” for assessing and treating the pediatric patient

Pediatric Trauma – “Mean Streets” – 90 minutes
Unfortunately, Florida roads remain an unsafe area for our children.  Kids are being injured, maimed, and killed in epic proportions! This lecture looks at the “disease process” of pediatric trauma – from statistics, mechanisms, signs, and management, to our role in prevention and public education. The clinical review will discuss keys to assessing children and common injuries that cause kids to “crash.

Pediatric Cardiac Arrest! Making the most out of your time and treatment to increase success– 90 minutes
“The Real Deal” – this program is hard-hitting, high energy and graphic. A real-life look at “running a peds code” – This seminar is designed for any medical professional involved in the care of children. The program begins with a review of the pediatric arrest physiology, stresses appropriate BLS management, followed by necessary and appropriate basic and advanced life support. Using live footage and emphasizing realistic treatment of the arrested child, our goal is to help reduce anxiety in participants and make them feel more comfortable with performing skills, and understanding expected outcomes in the pediatric code situation.

Pediatric Cases; “You Make the Call”- 60min.
Utilizing photos, videos, and descriptions of actual patients, this interactive session will review the basics of pediatric assessment and unique presentations of both “sick and not sick” children to determine the initial EMS diagnosis and management. Individual case assessments, management, and outcomes will be reviewed from an EMS perspective.

CPAP – Can your Patients Take the Pressure – 60-90 minutes
Continuous positive airway pressure for use in the prehospital pulmonary edema patient was originally thought by many to be too awkward and complicated.  The risk/benefit and time ratios were unclear.  Come hear users’ perspectives – review the procedures’ pros and cons and hear the success rates as measured by QI managers and paramedics from several systems.

Termination of Resuscitation – “When to Say When” – 60-90 minutes
How effective is CPR and ACLS? Should we start in the first place? How long should we continue? Should the ER keep working on the patient or stop? What are the ramifications of terminating a code in the field? This program will review all of these controversial issues with an analytical view of the pros and cons relevant to each decision. An interactive session designed to stimulate the thought process.

ACLS Special Arrest Cases for EMS- 60 minutes
Shaun Fix, the author of the text “Success in ACLS” looks at the latest resuscitation guidelines and algorithms. The segment will review the management of unique cases the EMS provider may encounter. The paramedic is one of the few individuals who will be charged with the task of managing an arrest from start to finish. How do we recognize and manage cases that fall outside of standard ACLS? Trauma, electrolyte issues, drowning, overdoses, and unique medical cases will all be reviewed while emphasizing a “think outside the box” mindset for the patients who are not responding to standard ACLS.

Tips and Tricks for the Difficult Intubation- 60 minutes (optional skills lab)
This segment will deal specifically with placing an endotracheal tube in the patient that is “hard to tube.” While we understand other devices are an option, and often a good choice, this lecture is designed to review understanding anatomy, positioning as well as various techniques and devices to be successful at INTUBATION. Through the use of photos, videos, and a review of adjunctive intubation devices this program will present many variations of the standard technique to obtain success.

End Tidal Co2: The wave of the present 60-90 minutes
ET Co2 has been becoming the standard for recognition of tracheal tube placement across the country and in many areas is considered the gold standard. This program reviews an end user’s perspective of Co2 in the breathing patient. Following a simple review of the science, this section presents videos of various patients, their distress levels, and vital signs, then reviews how the clinician can use the device to assist in evaluating, managing, and diagnosing an array of conditions.

Malignant Hyperthermia- “It ain’t just about heat”- 120 min.
This program is designed to integrate the “team approach to recognition and management of MH. This education applies to staff from the EMS crew to surgery staff in any type of facility. The program emphasizes early recognition and realistic management. A mock scenario is a real eye-opener.

Makin’ it in the Streets – Surviving a Career in Emergency Services – (Series A, B or C)
Stress, Distress and PTSD-Recognizing and Reaching Out – 60-75 min.
Starting back in 1994, Shaun Fix watched several Fire/EMS friends suffer with what has been called (over the years) Stress, Distress, CIS, and PTSD.
Of those: 1 died, another lost his career, and 2 were eventually able to recover. Amid a culture of silence, more firefighters are dying of suicide than line-of-duty deaths. This information is designed for all Fire and EMS personnel. The program covers the common elements of career dissipation – including “burnout”, stress, career planning, and understanding common mental health triggers such as divorce, and drug/alcohol abuse. We also review the importance of knowing what type of available resources and options are available to help individuals when they are struggling. The focus is recognizing issues both in yourself and coworkers.

“Going to work happy…without chemicals!” is the goal.

Self-Defense and Safe Restraining Practices – 90 min.
This lecture/demo is designed for all medical personnel. This segment will concentrate on physical confrontations with patients and or bystanders. Additionally, we will address legal ramifications, the act of being attacked, fleeing, breakaways, takedowns, and the art of safe restraining.

*Warning—“A one-hour lecture does not make you a self-defense expert !”
(add a hands-on skills lab to this for some additional reinforcement)

Recognizing Scene Violence – ‘Stayin Alive’ – 90 min.
This content is designed for all pre-hospital personnel. Using lectures, case reviews, and many unique photos taken by the author, this segment will focus on safety in terms of understanding potentially violent scenes and patients, prescreening for violence, preventing violence, and safe areas of the scene for medical personnel. An interesting array of common and “not so common” weapons will be reviewed. Participants will be taught “universal precautions for safety.” A real eye-opener!

Surviving the Interview Process – 60-90 minutes

Designed to assist participants prepare for oral interviews as an initial applicant or as commonly used in the promotional process. This lecture includes the purpose of an interview, what interviewers look for, effectively presenting yourself, and, what to do before and during the interview.

An In-Depth Look at Advanced Life Support Skills for EMTs – 90 minutes
This lecture is designed to help EMTs understand ALS procedures and be better prepared to assist with them. This is also, an excellent review for paramedics and nurses.  Areas covered will include intubations – oral, nasal, and C-Spine, cricothyrotomy, plural decompression, intraosseous infusion, and medication calculations.

Geriatrics: As the Golden Years Tarnish – 60-90 minutes
Individuals over 65 are the fastest-growing age group. Management of the geriatric population requires a special understanding of the mental, physical, and social changes your patients will undergo. This program will address all areas of dealing with the elderly – from effective attitudes to physiological aid and special medical considerations which make our golden years more difficult to manage.

Simulation On a Shoestring Budget- 60-90 minutes
Don’t have $200,000 to spend on a simulation manikin but want to give your students a better experience than a plain old Annie?   This program will review the science of simulation and then look at the various “high-end” manikins available and their features.  Finally, we will offer some views on more economical options to enhance the learning experience without breaking the bank. While these options may not be exactly the same, participants will be exposed to various devices that will create stimulating simulations at a fraction of the cost.

Suddenly you are the supervisor (or preceptor)- 60-90 minutes
The good “street provider” often moves into the supervisor or preceptor role, whether it is dealing with a student or your co-workers, turned subordinates, this becomes a difficult task for some. As the leader of the crew, you are charged with the task of managing the scene as well as mentoring and evaluating those who fall under you. This section will review the concept of being the street “teacher” and informally as well as formally evaluating those you

A hat-trick of “Atarics”- 3 unique populations; Pediatrics, Geriatrics & Bariatrics. 60-90 min.
These populations provide challenges outside of the “norm” for the EMS provider. This program will review issues ranging from packaging and movement to assessment and management. A look at special concerns for the provider of all levels and an interesting review of how these populations may present similar issues for the EMS Provider. Is your system ready for every patient on every call?

Community Paramedics-Above & Beyond Emergency Care – 60 min.
The healthcare system is experiencing a true crisis and old approaches are no longer working. Therefore, new and innovative systems are being put into place to ease the crisis. Community Paramedics are educated and trained on how to assist with the coordination of care to individuals who are suffering from chronic illness or recovering from surgeries in the home care setting. EMT’s and Paramedics function outside their usual emergency response and transport modes by offering in home monitoring and injury prevention services in addition to providing education and support to individuals with chronic illness, limited mobility and an incomplete support system. The overall goal is to assist an individual to take control of their health and remain as independent as possible while remaining in their own home. This, in turn helps to decrease inappropriate use of emergency room services, improve the quality of care and reduce unnecessary health costs.

MV