Ambulance Operations Course

Lesson 1 • Personal Health and Wellness

Addresses physical fitness, mental health, and infection control for EMS providers. Establishes self-care as a prerequisite for safe patient care.

Lesson 2 • The EMS System Overview

Defines EMS system components, levels of care, and agency roles. Provides context for how ambulance operations fit within the broader emergency response network.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Legal Framework

Introduces licensing requirements, liability concepts, and documentation standards. Ensures personnel operate within legally defensible boundaries.

Lesson 1 • Daily Vehicle Inspection Procedures

Teaches systematic pre-shift inspection of mechanical and medical readiness. Directly reduces equipment failures and liability during emergency responses.

Lesson 2 • Ambulance Types and Configurations

Distinguishes Type I, II, and III ambulances and specialty vehicles. Connects vehicle selection to operational requirements and patient needs.

Lesson 3 • Medical Equipment Inventory

Identifies required medical supplies, their locations, and restocking procedures. Prepares personnel to perform rapid equipment checks at shift start.

Lesson 1 • Emergency Vehicle Operation

Covers legal authority, warning device use, and right-of-way rules for emergency response. Balances speed of response with crew and public safety.

Lesson 2 • Backing, Parking, and Positioning

Teaches safe backing techniques, scene positioning, and traffic protection strategies. Prevents backing collisions, which are among the most common EMS vehicle incidents.

Lesson 3 • Defensive Driving Principles

Applies hazard perception, space management, and anticipation techniques to EMS driving. Reduces crash risk before emergency mode is even activated.

Lesson 1 • Hazard Recognition and Control

Identifies environmental, chemical, electrical, and violence-related hazards. Teaches mitigation strategies before patient contact is made.

Lesson 2 • Initial Scene Size-Up Process

Introduces the structured approach to evaluating scene safety, mechanism of injury, and patient count. Forms the foundation for all subsequent patient care decisions.

Lesson 3 • Personal Protective Equipment Use

Covers PPE selection, donning, doffing, and disposal for various scene types. Directly protects personnel from biological, chemical, and physical threats.

Lesson 1 • Special Population Assessments

Adapts assessment techniques for pediatric, geriatric, and bariatric patients. Prevents missed findings caused by applying adult-standard approaches universally.

Lesson 2 • Triage Systems and Prioritization

Introduces START, JumpSTART, and other triage methods for mass casualty events. Enables rapid sorting when resources are insufficient for simultaneous full care.

Lesson 3 • Secondary Assessment Techniques

Teaches head-to-toe physical examination and patient history gathering. Builds on primary findings to identify non-life-threatening but significant conditions.

Lesson 1 • Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation

Teaches high-quality CPR, AED operation, and team-based resuscitation roles. Directly impacts survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Lesson 2 • Airway Management and Ventilation

Covers manual maneuvers, adjuncts, and assisted ventilation techniques. Airway management is the single most critical clinical skill in prehospital care.

Lesson 3 • Hemorrhage Control and Wound Care

Covers tourniquet application, wound packing, and pressure dressing techniques. Addresses the leading preventable cause of trauma death in the field.

Lesson 4 • Medical Emergency Interventions

Addresses prehospital management of stroke, diabetic emergencies, anaphylaxis, and seizures. Connects assessment findings to specific, time-sensitive interventions.

Lesson 1 • Patient Movement and Lifting Techniques

Teaches body mechanics, team lifting, and equipment-assisted movement. Prevents provider injury and ensures patient safety during all transfers.

Lesson 2 • Transport Decision-Making

Teaches hospital selection, diversion protocols, and specialty center criteria. Matches patient acuity to the most appropriate receiving facility.

Lesson 3 • Stretcher and Immobilization Devices

Covers cot operation, backboard use, and vacuum mattress application. Ensures patients are secured and immobilized appropriately for transport.

Lesson 1 • Prehospital Care Report Fundamentals

Covers required data elements, narrative writing, and electronic reporting systems. Accurate documentation protects providers legally and supports continuity of care.

Lesson 2 • Special Documentation Situations

Covers refusal of care documentation, deceased patient reporting, and crime scene records. Prepares personnel for legally sensitive documentation scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Structured Verbal Handoff Techniques

Teaches SBAR and other standardized handoff formats for hospital communication. Reduces information loss at the critical transition from prehospital to hospital care.