Learning and Resource Center
Rural Dispatcher Training Resources
The Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation, with support from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, EMS and Injury Section and the Office of Rural Health Policy developed a CD ROM interactive training program and a supportive web-site to promote the initial training and continuing education of rural Emergency Medical Dispatchers. The program is not designed to replace existing EMD training but to serve as preliminary orientation until the individual can obtain more formal training. The following link will take you to the training website, instructions for ordering the CD ROM can be found at that website: http://www.ruraldispatcher.org.
CD ROM Interactive
Educational Products for emergency medical personnel are available at low cost from the Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation. Quantities on many of these products are limited. Prices for all products include shipping and handling.
Pediatric Basics: Age and Growth Characteristics/Psychological Aspects. Age and growth characteristics teaches you to recognize normal behavior and responses in all age groups of children as well as what to expect in an emergency. Understanding normal behavior and responses will help you recognize abnormalities. Improve your techniques of interacting with young patients by learning about children’s emotional and behavioral development. Psychological aspects is understanding the emotional responses of the child and the parent or caregiver, as well as yourself, when a child is seriously ill or injured. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies explains how to recognize respiratory distress and respiratory failure in your assessment and how to intervene. The program also details respiratory conditions you may encounter in the pediatric patient. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Pediatric Assessment covers the differences in assessment between pediatric and adult patients following the terminology and steps outlined in the 1994 EMT: Basic curriculum. Students can learn about each step of the assessment and are free to review any section as often as they desire. Hands-on scenarios allow students to try their skills under a simulated emergency call. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Pediatric Vascular Access is a conversion of a linear videotape/workbook program produced by Utah EMSC. The program combines didactic learning segments with quizzes and hands-on sessions to help participants learn this important skill. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
A Child in Need covers Children with Special Health Care Needs who depend on medical technology. The program has a section on the special equipment prehospital providers may encounter in the field; discusses the children they may be caring for and shows how to conduct a pre-emergency home visit to learn more about the child; discusses the conditions they may encounter with these patients; and allows them to test their skills in emergency scenarios. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each
“Children with Special Health Care Needs: Technology-Assisted Children (TAC)” is a 46-page book that combines excellent graphics with written objectives and guidelines for prehospital personnel in the emergency care for children with special health care needs, specifically technology assisted children (TAC). This book outlines objectives and procedures for assessment and management of these children. It covers airway, breathing, circulation assessment and interventions with special attention to tracheotomies, mechanical ventilators, central intravenous catheters, feeding tubes, cerebrospinal shunts, and artificial pacemakers. Available at the EMSC National Resource Center Product ID 0700, $5.00 each.
Here to Help project was initiated in 1997 under a grant from the Montana Board of Crime Control under the federal Stop Violence Against Women Act. The Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation and the Montana Board of Crime Control recognize that EMS providers are frequently the first ones on the scene in a domestic violence situation. Yet there is little training available to help them understand not only how to handle these volatile and potentially dangerous situations but how to safely offer assistance to the victim. Here to Help explains domestic violence from several different perspectives including the victim, law enforcement officer, EMS representative, prosecuting attorney and domestic violence expert. This interactive CD-ROM is available only at Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each; the printed manuals are $5.00 each.
Reach for the Sky: Injury Prevention for Medical Personnel discussed injury as the leading cause of death and disability in children over the age of one year and continuing through adolescence. Many childhood injuries can be prevented with known interventions and prevention strategies. Healthcare professionals in particular can serve an important role as injury prevention advocates. This interactive CD-ROM is a training and reference tool, targeting physicians, nurses, EMT’s and other mid-level providers. The CD reviews the leading causes of injury, associated risk factors and steps that can be taken to reduce the injury toll. In addition, the CD identifies how medical care providers can incorporate injury prevention strategies and safety messages into their daily clinical practice. Armed with this information, healthcare professionals can be more effective as injury prevention advocates. Available at the Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation for $25.95 each.
On the Same Team: Involving the Family in Prehospital Care embraces the philosophy of family-centered care, a philosophy that includes patients and families as part of the health care team. This concept is not new to the world of health care. However, with today’s technology, miracle medications, and fast-paced practice, the principles of family-driven services and programs are often lost. Around the nation, we are seeing many efforts to involve the family in the patient’s health care experience. In the EMS community, families are being consulted and encouraged to participate in prehospital care, and their voices are contributing to the improvement of what we do in the prehospital setting. This interactive CD-ROM program provides a background on this shift to family-driven services and offers suggestions and examples on how to incorporate family-centered care into your EMS system. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Bioterrorism and Trauma Training is based on an “all hazards” approach to multiple casualty events. The purpose of this training presentation is to provide the learner with a broad overview of issues and considerations when preparing for and responding to a natural or man-made disaster. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Dispatcher Training is designed to provide an introduction to the principles of pre-arrival instructions. This training program also reviews important dispatcher functions such as call-taking techniques, sample phone call scenarios, and handling callers of different emotional levels. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.
Triaging Kids During a Disaster provides EMS personnel with basic information concerning personal protective equipment and principles of triage for both pediatric and adult patients. The purpose of this CD is to serve as both a training and reference tool. It is designed to prepare the user for a wide array of scenarios ranging from natural disasters to acts of terrorism by concentrating on some of the fundamentals associated with all multiple patient events. Issues of awareness, identification, personal protection and triage are covered. Available at the Critical Illness & Trauma Foundation for $15.00 each.