Paramedic Science Course

Lesson 1 • The Paramedic Profession and Scope

Defines the paramedic role within emergency medical services and its legal boundaries. Anchors all subsequent clinical decisions in professional accountability.

Lesson 2 • Medical-Legal and Ethical Principles

Covers consent, refusal, confidentiality, and duty to act. Provides the ethical decision-making lens applied throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Human Anatomy and Physiology Review

Reviews body systems relevant to emergency assessment and intervention. Builds the anatomical vocabulary used in every clinical chapter.

Lesson 4 • Pathophysiology Fundamentals

Introduces how disease and injury disrupt normal physiology. Prepares students to anticipate patient deterioration patterns.

Lesson 1 • Documentation and Patient Handoff

Teaches accurate prehospital care report writing and structured verbal handoff. Ensures continuity of care and legal accountability.

Lesson 2 • Clinical Decision-Making and Differential Diagnosis

Applies assessment data to generate and prioritize field diagnoses. Bridges data collection to treatment selection.

Lesson 3 • History Taking Techniques

Develops structured interviewing skills using SAMPLE and OPQRST frameworks. Accurate histories directly shape differential diagnosis and treatment priorities.

Lesson 4 • Physical Examination Skills

Covers head-to-toe and focused physical exams using inspection, palpation, and auscultation. Findings directly inform the secondary assessment and treatment plan.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Airway Techniques

Develops endotracheal intubation and supraglottic airway skills. Prepares students to secure definitive airways in critical patients.

Lesson 2 • Basic Airway Maneuvers and Adjuncts

Covers manual techniques and simple adjuncts to open and maintain the airway. These skills precede and support advanced airway procedures.

Lesson 3 • Surgical and Rescue Airway Procedures

Addresses needle and surgical cricothyrotomy for failed airway scenarios. Equips students with last-resort interventions when conventional methods fail.

Lesson 4 • Supplemental Oxygen Delivery

Teaches selection and application of oxygen delivery devices matched to patient need. Correct device choice prevents hypoxia and oxygen toxicity.

Lesson 1 • Medication Calculation and Safety

Develops accurate dose calculation skills using weight-based and concentration formulas. Prevents medication errors through systematic verification habits.

Lesson 2 • Pharmacology Principles

Covers pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug classification. Establishes the theoretical foundation for every medication decision in the field.

Lesson 3 • Analgesics, Sedatives, and Reversal Agents

Addresses opioids, benzodiazepines, and their reversal agents in prehospital pain and sedation management. Prepares students for procedural sedation and overdose response.

Lesson 4 • Cardiovascular and Respiratory Drugs

Covers antiarrhythmics, vasopressors, bronchodilators, and anticoagulants used in the field. Links drug mechanisms to the cardiac and respiratory emergencies addressed later.

Lesson 1 • Acute Coronary Syndrome Management

Covers assessment and prehospital treatment of unstable angina, NSTEMI, and STEMI. Emphasizes time-to-treatment benchmarks and hospital notification.

Lesson 2 • Cardiac Anatomy and Electrophysiology

Reviews heart structures, conduction pathways, and the cardiac cycle. Provides the physiological basis for ECG interpretation and dysrhythmia management.

Lesson 3 • Dysrhythmia Recognition and Treatment

Addresses bradycardias, tachycardias, and heart blocks with appropriate interventions. Integrates pharmacological and electrical therapies.

Lesson 4 • Cardiac Arrest and Advanced Resuscitation

Applies high-performance CPR, defibrillation, and resuscitation pharmacology to cardiac arrest management. Integrates all prior skills into a coordinated team response.

Lesson 1 • Respiratory Emergencies

Covers asthma, COPD, pulmonary edema, and pneumothorax recognition and treatment. Builds on airway chapter skills to manage complex breathing emergencies.

Lesson 2 • Neurological Emergencies

Addresses stroke, seizure, altered mental status, and spinal cord injury management. Rapid neurological assessment drives time-critical interventions.

Lesson 3 • Toxicological and Environmental Emergencies

Addresses poisoning, overdose, envenomation, heat illness, and hypothermia. Toxicological emergencies require rapid toxidrome recognition and supportive care.

Lesson 4 • Endocrine and Metabolic Emergencies

Addresses diabetic emergencies, thyroid crises, and adrenal insufficiency in the field. Metabolic derangements often mimic other emergencies and require targeted assessment.

Lesson 1 • Trauma Kinematics and Mechanism of Injury

Explains how energy transfer causes predictable injury patterns. Understanding kinematics guides physical exam priorities and transport decisions.

Lesson 2 • Head, Spine, and Thoracic Trauma

Addresses traumatic brain injury, spinal precautions, rib fractures, and chest injuries. These injuries carry high mortality and require rapid recognition.

Lesson 3 • Abdominal and Extremity Trauma

Covers solid organ injury, pelvic fractures, long bone fractures, and amputation management. Extremity trauma can cause life-threatening hemorrhage.

Lesson 4 • Burns, Blast, and Special Trauma

Addresses burn classification, rule of nines, blast injury patterns, and crush syndrome. These mechanisms require unique assessment and management approaches.

Lesson 1 • Mass Casualty and Disaster Response

Introduces triage systems, incident command, and resource management in multi-casualty events. Paramedics must shift from individual to population-level care priorities.

Lesson 2 • Obstetric and Neonatal Emergencies

Addresses normal and complicated childbirth, eclampsia, and neonatal resuscitation. Paramedics must manage two patients simultaneously in obstetric emergencies.

Lesson 3 • Geriatric Assessment and Care

Addresses age-related physiological changes, polypharmacy, and atypical presentations in older adults. Geriatric patients are disproportionately represented in EMS calls.

Lesson 4 • Pediatric Emergencies

Covers age-specific assessment, airway management, and dosing for infants through adolescents. Pediatric physiology differs significantly from adults and demands adapted protocols.