(Part 3) Top products from r/ems

My flight program requires that our medics obtain these certifications - so I have had to help out many of them getting through these exams.

What I can recommend is a multi-angled approach.

First, consider a review book - this will just provide an outline of what material is testable. Of the ones I've looked at, the The Resource and Study Guide for Critical Care Clinicians is the best one of the ones I've seen. Expensive though.

Next you'll need an actual text to help fill in the blanks. Critical Care Transport 2ed is a solid text - and this edition is brand new. Honestly though, if you can get an older edition for cheap, I'd just do that.

Critical Care Transport Core Cirriculum is an intriguing book - joint project between ASTNA and the IAFCCP. I haven't seen it personally, but I've heard good things, and it's also quite pricy.

Next I would consider a mechanical ventilation text - the vent section of most CCT textbooks is pretty scant. I enjoy the FlightBridge vent text - Ventilator Management: A Pre-Hospital Perspective.

Next you'll want something with lots of practice questions. For this I like the IAFCCP practice text: IAFCCP Critical Care Exam Review. There are other ones, like the well known Will Wingfield book which are also worthwhile. You can't go wrong with lots of practice questions.

Don't forget the riveting CAMTS 10th Edition Guidelines. Read those. Try not to fall asleep.

Finally, podcasts - consider podcasts specifically from FlightBridge as you mentioned, but also Meducation Specialists. They both provide lots of great info and each have a series speaking specifically to exams.

Hopefully this gives you a good start.

Good luck!

I was 28 when I started med school. I got in on my first try but since my GPA sucked I applied only to DO schools (which in the US are equivalent to MD schools but admittedly are somewhat easier to get into).

In regards to the labs, that's a tough one. I think it could potentially be very difficult to learn about some of those in isolation because the labs themselves are little more than windows into a whole world of interlocking physiology that is tough to break into bite-sized pieces. If I had to pick a single book I would probably pick this one, but if you decide to tackle this for real just know that you will be missing a lot without the requisite physiology. Here is the main physiology book we used in med school. It is readable, and excellent.

Good luck on your med school plans! If the labwork is piquing your interest, that's a good sign. I think this stuff is absolutely fascinating and the more you learn, the bigger the world gets. Enjoy!

Some recommended reading on the same topic: Human Error by James Reason. It is a very dense book that is sort of hard to work through but contains awesome currently accepted theories about how the human mind makes decisions and at what points we tend to make mistakes or other errors. Definitely learned lots of information that helps me understand how and when I am prone to making mistakes as well as helping trainees I have not make mistakes. It goes a lot along the lines of this paper.

I got a mini crock pot which is pretty popular at our station (and it's super cheap). It does take 45-60 min to heat your food fully, but I just plug it in and forget about it. It has a standard wall plug, but we have a power strip in the back with a long enough cord to reach the front. Its not very big, but it works great for leftovers and soups!

20 oz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEILWI0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nF9XAbWJ1HDVN

24 oz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H70KP8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7D9XAb3YASQJ7

ACE-SAT: https://www.amazon.com/Aeromedical-Certification-Examinations-Self-Assessment-Test/dp/061519124X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468868935&sr=8-1&keywords=ace-sat

ASTNA Patient Transport: PRinciples and Practice https://www.amazon.com/ASTNA-Patient-Transport-Principles-Practice/dp/0323057497/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468868951&sr=8-1&keywords=astna

Critical Care Transport: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Transport-American-Orthopaedic-Surgeons/dp/1449642586

Those three books were the majority of my study material going in to (successfully) taking the FP-C exam.

The two pieces of flight medicine you'll need are the flight physiology and the critical care medicine. The flight physiology is pretty straightforward. Gas laws, pressures, altitudes, FAA regulations, and so forth. The critical care medicine is a lot more—you'll need the knowledge of an ICU nurse: lots of drips, lab values, central line pressures, and more.

All stuff well worth knowing.

Emergency!

Really good read, lots of short stories, presented in a way that really emulates the flow in an ED.

Edit: I should maybe add that the stories aren't all funny, so it can move from hilarious to utterly soulcrushing with no warning.

1,000 Naked Strangers

More of a dramatic retelling of a career in field EMS. Good writing, interesting.

Might be of interest to you:
https://www.amazon.com/Over-Edge-Canyon-Expanded-Anniversary/dp/0984785809/

https://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Confidential-Living-Working-National/dp/0762752637/

Both good books that might be of interest to you. Might also want to check out /r/searchandrescue as some of the stuff there might be more inline with your day to day. A lot of people underestimate the wilderness and overestimate their capability especially places like the Grand Canyon. The ranger book above talks about how National Parks have as many visitors as large cities, but a fraction of the police force available and parks can often attract some strange people. Again with the underestimation: we get a lot of foreigners that don't understand the vastness of the United States and its parks versus what they're used to. The story of the family in death valley that went for a day hike, got lost and both parents passed while searchers managed to discover their was a kid based on cell phone picks and locate them alive a year or so ago. Another story: http://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FERLKI/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/183-7865331-4342864

Bought it after reading the reviews on amazon. Cheap, works great, I actually own two now.

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-The-City-Lisa-Carney/dp/0615333451
Unique writing style, but a great account of the rise of large national Private services and how they affected a particular city. The book says its fiction but it is based on Springfield, MA.

Mosby's is a great book. You may also want to consider Tintinalli's

The PHTLS or ITLS book would be good starters.

For more doctor level stuff consider the ATLS textbook, although the one on Amazon is an older edition.

The Littman 2 classic is a classic for a reason - solid build quality at a modest price. If you want to save a couple bucks, the Kila standard model is virtually indistinguishable from the Littman 2. Also: don't get anything with double tube style ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FERLKI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1450285512&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=Stethoscope&dpPl=1&dpID=4101GCET4GL&ref=plSrch#immersive-view_1450285550063 ). They usually have trash sound quality due to the two tubes rubbing against each other.

Great resource for spanish, written by a medic for medics.

http://www.amazon.com/RAPID-Rescue-Spanish-Paul-Maxwell/dp/0323042058

RAPID Rescue Spanish https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323042058/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_q6MEzbYJ4YRV9

I've always been a fan of Zebra F-301 pens (and mechanical pencils).

http://www.amazon.com/Zebra-F-301-Stainless-Retractable-Ballpoint/dp/B001JT1ADW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333687997&sr=8-3

I've heard good things about this book http://www.amazon.com/Ventilator-Management-A-Pre-Hospital-Perspective/dp/1492299642

I haven't read it, but I listen to the guys podcast and he knows his stuff.

I’m liking the emt crash course book. It’s good for general outlines. It comes with a practice nremt access code.

EMT Crash Course with Online Practice Test, 2nd Edition (EMT Test Preparation) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738612359/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HG40Ab0JMRXZ2

Garmin Instinct Tactical, Rugged... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPDK7VQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I use this book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Top-100-Drugs-Pharmacology-Prescribing/dp/0702055166

And it covers most things I come across

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

I suppose it might not be much help to non-Canadians, but Case Studies for Paramedics is considered an essential textbook for us here in Ontario. Medical and Trauma calls, covering everything from MIs to explosion patients. Good layout and format.

https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-24-Ounce-Warmer-Deluxe-Purple/dp/B00H70KP8I?keywords=lunch+warmer&qid=1540658749&sr=8-5&ref=sr_1_5

My supervisor uses one, she swear by it, I've been considering getting one.