Credits Hours: 1.00

Course Description:
When the EMT first encounters a patient, some features of the general assessment are apparent, such as gender, age, and the patient's general level of responsiveness. In addition, the patient may be able to voice the chief complaint, or why he called EMS (e.g., chest pain). In other situations, the reason for the EMS response is obvious (such as a multi-car accident). Other aspects of assessment may not be apparent by mere observation of the patient or the scene. This course will describe the sequence and components of the initial, focused, and ongoing assessments of the medical and trauma patient, and provide information to assist the EMT to formulate an intervention plan for management.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify the components of a SAMPLE history.
• Describe the sequence and the components of the initial, focused, and ongoing assessments of the medical and trauma patient.
• Given a list of symptoms and signs, choose the patient who is a high priority for transport.
• Given a list of symptoms and signs garnered from a focused physical assessment, formulate an initial intervention plan for the appropriate management of the patient.