Full Program

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) are advanced resuscitative therapies increasingly used in critical care and prehospital medicine. Once reserved for specialized centers, these technologies are gradually being integrated into select EMS systems worldwide. For collegiate EMS providers—often the first link in the chain of survival and often more interested in future careers in medicine—this advanced tool will be good to have a basic knowledge base. This session will introduce ECMO and eCPR in clear, accessible terms, focusing on the physiology, indications, and emerging data surrounding their use in cardiac arrest and how ECMO may be used in the prehospital works more frequently. By the end of this talk, participants will understand not only the “what” and “how” of ECMO/eCPR, but also the critical “why”: how collegiate EMS, future paramedics, future nurses, future APPs, and future physicians can contribute meaningfully to cutting-edge resuscitation efforts that may shape the future of emergency medicine.

Medical decision-making capacity is a challenging and often misunderstood component of prehospital care, yet it carries significant legal and ethical implications for EMS providers. Collegiate EMS agencies frequently encounter refusal situations, but many student clinicians receive limited training on how to determine whether a patient can make informed decisions or how to manage refusals in a legally sound and clinically responsible manner. This lecture provides a clear and structured framework for evaluating medical decision-making capacity in the field. Participants will review the legal foundations of patient autonomy, including the constitutional principles and case law that guide modern EMS refusal practices. The session then outlines a step-by-step approach to capacity assessments, with attention to factors that commonly impair decision-making, such as intoxication, psychiatric concerns, communication barriers, and evolving clinical conditions. Strategies for discussing risks, benefits, and alternatives with patients will also be highlighted. The presentation concludes with realistic case examples drawn from typical collegiate EMS encounters, illustrating how these concepts apply to real-world situations. Participants will leave the session with a stronger understanding of how to approach capacity assessments and refusals with clarity, confidence, and respect for patient rights.

On September 3, 2025, the University of Massachusetts Lowell experienced a large-scale campus lockdown following reports of an individual with a long-gun style weapon near student housing. What began as a rapid police response evolved into a complex, multi-hour incident involving coordination across campus police, city police, federal agencies, and campus emergency management. This presentation will walk participants through the timeline and key decisions from the incident, emphasizing the role and integration of Collegiate EMS in the response. Attendees will learn how the UMass Lowell EMS team balanced safety with operational readiness during lockdown, how they coordinated with law enforcement and emergency management partners, and what systems supported (and challenged) real-time decision-making. The session will also explore the human factors: how student responders, dispatchers, and administrators managed communication overload, misinformation, and emotional impacts during and after the event. Lessons learned will help Collegiate EMS programs strengthen their policies, training, and preparedness for weapons or violence-related incidents on campus.

Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) is an emerging end-of-life practice in the United States, with a growing number of states authorizing its use. As MAiD utilization increases, collegiate EMS providers may be more likely to encounter situations related to MAiD, including expected deaths and lethal medication-related complications. These cases often occur in medically, ethically, and legally challenging circumstances that can complicate EMS responsibilities on scene. This talk explores the growing utilization of MAiD in end-of-life care and its implications for EMS operations and clinical decision-making. Using current legislation and published literature, we will review how MAiD works, including eligibility criteria, commonly prescribed medication regimens, and the physiologic processes involved. Using an example of an EMS-witnessed MAiD emergency as a case study, we will examine the medical, ethical, and legal challenges MAiD presents for EMS providers, paying particular attention to uncertainty surrounding resuscitation protocols, documentation, and scene management. Attendees will gain practical strategies for preparing their agencies to respond to MAiD-related calls, including guidance on education, training, and incorporation of MAiD considerations into standard operating procedures. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with actionable steps to increase awareness of and preparedness for MAiD-related emergencies their agencies might encounter.

This roundtable discussion will be devoted specifically to aiding new startups in applying all that they learn at this year's conference and helping them determine the next steps in furthering their organizations.

Stay ahead of the latest American Heart Association guideline recommendations with this essential session for EMS providers, leaders, and educators. Join one of the AHA's Content Consultants as he presents EMS-specific highlights from the latest AHA Guidelines. This session will also pull back the curtain on the guidelines development process and provide some practical strategies for implementing the guidelines changes.

Sepsis is a significant cause of death and disability, affecting over 50 million persons each year across the globe. This presentation will describe the identification of sepsis in the prehospital setting (spoiler alert: it's not easy!) and evidence-based guideline-recommended treatments for patients with suspected sepsis.

The Catamount Emergency Care Program (“Cat ECare”) is a relatively new public health and public safety program at the University of Vermont (UVM). A unique collaboration among students, faculty and staff, it has tripled the number of AEDs on campus, added public access bleeding control kits and Narcan®, developed more than 100 student Basic Life Support and Stop the Bleed® instructors and trained more than 1,600 individuals on and around the UVM campus since its inception in April, 2023. Other notable results include UVM being designated an NCEMSF Heart Safe Campus, and the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences becoming an authorized training site for American Heart Association certifications. This program serves as outreach for UVM Rescue (our student run EMS organization), UVM Emergency Management, and UVM's Initiative for Rural Emergency Medical Services. Powered by the energy and ideas of students, the program provides educational opportunities including internships, teaching assistantships and public health field experiences. The program model can be replicated at other campuses. Presentation will be co-led by a UVM staff member, UVM Rescue student member, and UVM faculty member.

Emergency Medical Services encompasses a wide range of capability in various environments. The law enforcement arena requires a unique combination of personality, skill, experience, and forward thinking for medical providers to be successful. This presentation aims to provide attendees with real-world examples and lessons learned from law enforcement operations that will serve to spark conversations, evolve training scenarios, and inspire new medical providers to support law enforcement objectives as first responders or imbedded team members.

This session is to add critical thinking for both BLS and ALS providers. Some agencies are finding it more difficult to staff a full-time ALS provider and are geared more towards staffing with only BLS. They may also have a fly-car, chase car, or another name for a solo Paramedic for assistance. What makes this patient actually ALS? We will look at the different mindsets of ALS staffed vehicles, BLS staffed vehicles, and solo Paramedics. Will the patient need critical interventions by an ALS provider before making it to a hospital when your Paramedic is far away from where you actually are. Is every chest pain call cardiac related? What are the advantages of waiting for ALS to arrive instead of transporting? Does every patient require and IV? These are some of the questions we will discuss.

"Understanding the EMS Compact: Changing the Landscape of Interstate Licensure" delves into the EMS Compact, a groundbreaking initiative that revolutionizes interstate licensure for EMS clinicians. This transformative agreement enables over 400,000 EMS professionals in the U.S. to practice in multiple states with a single Home State license. The session explores the history, structure, and purpose of the EMS Compact, emphasizing its dual role as state law and a multi-state agreement. Attendees will gain insights into how the EMS Compact benefits all member states, currently 25, by addressing workforce recruitment and retention challenges, enhancing provider mobility, and maintaining high standards across the board. The presentation will examine the compact's impact on state licensure requirements, local credentialing processes, and the regulatory landscape. Additionally, the session will provide a comprehensive overview of the practical and legal aspects of the EMS Compact, elucidating its significance for EMS clinicians, employers, regulators, and the public.

Many EMS agencies have started carrying portable carbon monoxide (CO) meters on their gear bags, but do you know what to do when it starts flashing and beeping? Is it a false alarm? How much danger are you in? This program will review concepts of CO exposure, available atmospheric and patient monitoring devices, and provide framework for EMS providers to develop appropriate response and treatment plans through review of real-world scenarios.

Over 1.8 million special events occur across the United States annually. These events bring unique challenges for EMS at both a clinical and operational level. Through dissection of the special event planning lifecycle, attendees will learn how to effectively prepare and pre-plan for mass gathering events. Using real-world case studies including gubernatorial inaugurations, professional sports events, National Special Service Events (NSSE), and music festivals we will discuss lessons learned and best practices to apply to your own events.

Recent research has demonstrated a lack of EMS workforce diversity and the presence of health disparities in prehospital care. This course provides a comprehensive perspective to strategize solutions to address health disparities and inequities in EMS and combat bias, which will help to change EMS culture, improve health outcomes and care for patients, and foster a true environment of equity, excellence, & a feeling of belonging. At the end of this course, participants will be able to understand how implicit bias and microaggressions directly impact healthcare and interactions with colleagues and patients; identify social determinants of health and its impact on EMS and patient care; utilize power & privilege to become better allies and practice UPSTANDER behavior; and discover how to create a safe and inclusive work environment for all members. This course is open to all EMS educators, EMS clinicians, EMS supervisors, and EMS medical directors.

With no end in sight for global travel there is a growing need for EMS responders and healthcare workers to recognize and respond effectively to potential high-consequence pathogen or special pathogen patients. Collegiate EMS has a unique role in identifying these patients as they are positioned to be first on scene for an emergency call due to patient populations including international travel by students, faculty, visitors, and families. Agencies may also respond to healthcare and research faculties within of the campus area where patients can present. This presentation will provide an overview of what constitutes a high-consequence special pathogen, including their defining characteristics and potential impact on public health. Participants will explore the current state of EMS readiness and response protocols, with emphasis on the unique challenges and responsibilities faced in campus-based emergency medical services. In addition, the session will highlight available state and national resources—including training, response frameworks, and communication pathways—that EMS providers can access to strengthen preparedness and response. Attendees will leave with practical knowledge and tools to enhance their ability to identify potential cases, initiate appropriate infection control measures, and connect with the broader public health and emergency response framework.

Since the development of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the early 1970s, the role of the paramedic has expanded far beyond its original mission of providing basic first aid to trauma patients. Modern paramedics deliver advanced life support, make complex clinical decisions, coordinate with multiple agencies, and serve as essential members of both the healthcare and public safety systems. Yet, despite this evolution, little is known about how paramedics actually lead during emergency incidents. This presentation shares findings from a qualitative multiple–case study examining the leadership skills, strategies, and practices paramedics use in the field. Through interviews and case analyses with practicing paramedics, the study identified several key leadership behaviors: maintaining composure, communicating clearly, making rapid decisions, preparing for scene variables, working effectively as a team, and engaging in post-incident reflection. The research also explored how paramedics define leadership, how they perceive their leadership role during emergencies, and how leadership develops through experience, mentorship, and reflective practice. The session introduces a Paramedic Leadership Model and an Incident Leadership Development Process, offering a clearer understanding of leadership in the prehospital environment. These insights can inform EMS education, strengthen leadership training, and ultimately enhance patient care and emergency scene performance.

We will review some of the most notable research publications in the field of prehospital medicine published in 2025. Our review will cover a wide spectrum of topics including cardiac arrest care, airway management, prehospital medications, and more. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in prehospital emergency care.

This fast-paced, high-energy, and humorous, “would attend again” NCEMSF favorite transforms EMS charting from a dreaded obligation into a skill you’ll actually feel confident about. Packed with real-world stories, relatable missteps, and immediately usable strategies, this session breaks down why documentation matters and how to chart effectively—even at 3 a.m. You’ll learn practical techniques for crafting a clear, confident, bulletproof narrative that stands up to QA review and outside scrutiny, along with proven approaches for securing stronger, more defensible refusals. We’ll also tackle common charting pitfalls and share strategies for building a culture of consistent, high-quality documentation within your agency. Walk away with sharper skills, renewed confidence, and tools you can put to work on your very next PCR.

For many prehospital providers, the siren's call is driven by a desire for service, teamwork, and the ability to perform under pressure. These core values are the bedrock of the U.S. Military Health System. This session, led by Dr. J. Austin Cox, explores the diverse pathways into military medicine, specifically focusing on the Uniformed Services University (USU) and the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). Dr. Cox will discuss how your current experience in EMS—navigating "the rig," triaging in the field, and working within hierarchical team structures—perfectly prepares you for the rigors of military medical training. We will demystify the two primary routes to becoming a military physician and highlight additional opportunities across the health professions, including nursing and allied health. Attendees will learn how the military culture of "Learning to Care for Those in Harm's Way" mirrors the dedication of the EMS community, offering a seamless transition for those looking to elevate their clinical impact on a global scale.

EMS has evolved dramatically over the past several decades, yet many legacy practices—such as universal cervical collar application, routine long-board immobilization, and other dogma-based interventions—continue to persist in the field long after the evidence has moved on. This lecture examines why certain outdated traditions became so entrenched in EMS culture and explores the growing body of research demonstrating their limited effectiveness and potential for harm. Through a blend of humor, history, and high-quality science, participants will revisit the “curriculum” of prehospital care and learn which interventions deserve academic expulsion. We will discuss the operational, clinical, and cultural barriers that allow myths to survive, as well as strategies for implementing modern, evidence-based decision-making that prioritizes patient outcomes and provider safety. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to update their agency's “course catalog,” promote evidence-driven assessment of spinal injury, and ensure that outdated practices finally graduate—permanently—from EMS education and protocols.

Everyone has learned less than 8 ventilate or less than 8 intubate, but when the time comes, the decision to intervene in managing an airway can be stressful and complicated by many factors. At this presentation, we will utilize case-based discussions using real-world examples to review situations that may happen on your campus and when you, as a collegiate EMS provider, should intervene. We will discuss common medical situations such as asthma and anaphylaxis, and how early and aggressive respiratory management at the BLS and ALS levels can improve a patient's outcome. We will also discuss the underutilized airway adjunct, the NPA, and how a frequent call of alcohol intoxication can require aggressive airway intervention. Additionally, we will highlight the importance of early activation of the ALS system or utilization of your internal ALS resources when an airway must be managed by an advanced provider with an advanced airway and rapid sequence intubation or medication management. We will touch on topics related to BLS and ALS medication management of common respiratory concerns, as well as BLS and ALS airway adjuncts and interventions such as CPAP and BIPAP.

In this roundtable dedicated to campus administrators, EMS advisors and medical directors present, NCEMSF Leadership will begin discussing concerns of university officials and address issues that they may be facing on their campuses. Meet your fellow university administrators, advisors and medical directors in attendance.

Capacity assessment is an essential skill for all medical providers while navigating the complex area of informed consent and refusal. Despite this area posing major liability risks for medical providers, limited education is provided. This lecture will provide participants with the key concepts for how to perform and document capacity assessment effectively to ensure patient autonomy is protected while also protecting providers from liability.

Have you ever gotten "the look" from non-campus mutual aid responders during an incident? This session is designed to highlight some opportunities to collaborate with off-campus mutual aid companies to increase operational effectiveness during incident response and improve relationships across agencies. The goal of this session is to provide tools for reaching across the emergency services aisle to improve relationships between agencies and showcase that collegiate EMS squads are not "just" student EMT's.

We will cover the basics of how to use an ultrasound machine, followed by a review of some relevant research related to how prehospital providers can use this technology. We will then spend some time discussing concrete examples of how EMS can use this technology for specific cases.

Shock Index is an easily calculated predictor of patient hemodynamic stability and the use of Shock Index in the prehospital setting has become a standard of care in assessment. During this session, we will discuss what Shock Index is and what it assesses, how to properly calculate shock index, review published data on shock index and its ability to predict morbidity & mortality in patients, and discuss how to treat and manage patients who have a Shock Index of greater than 0.8.

PTSD in EMS providers is real, and we need to know how to spot it, and hopefully how to get the help that you need before it's too late. We will also be talking about responding to behavioral and psychiatric calls, how to beaware of the potential dangers, and how to be safe.

Response to mass-casualty events has demonstrated that a gap exists between the capabilities of prehospital trauma care and the needs of patients during these events. The military medical care arena has focused on tactical combat casualty care for several years. There is a need to bring the lessons learned from combat care into the civilian world. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMS) has identified multi-casualty incident (MCI) preparation as a national priority. This course serves as a brief introduction to the principles of civilian tactical casualty care. Additional detailed training opportunities will be identified later on.

We will explore high-risk medical presentations that don't follow the textbook or protocol flowchart. Designed for collegiate EMS providers and students planning medical school, this session uses real-world cases to examine cognitive bias, atypical findings, and subtle clinical red flags in patients who don't fall into the category of typical presentation, AKA “Zebras,” Participants learn to recognize when something feels off, ask better questions, and avoid the tunnel vision of expecting usual presentations that our protocols are written for, while strengthening clinical instincts that protect patients when the chief complaint doesn't respond to routine/traditional care.

Behind closed doors and behind the scenes, EMS providers are responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) far more often than they realize. Amid the chaos of emergencies, the signs of abuse can be easy to miss — or easy to ignore. But for many survivors, a 9-1-1 call may be their only contact with the healthcare system. What we do in those moments matters. This session challenges the status quo of prehospital care by introducing a trauma-informed approach to IPV that's practical, evidence-based, and built for the realities of EMS. We'll dive into the latest research on IPV in emergency medicine, expose the hidden barriers that keep providers from screening or speaking up, and reframe the EMS role not just as responders, but as advocates. You'll leave with tools to ask better questions, recognize red flags, document safely, and connect patients with the help they need — without adding time, drama, or risk to your scene. Because sometimes the most important thing we do… is the thing we almost didn't.

Just like a great meal, the ingredients for a strong EMS community are carefully selected, mixed, and served with care. Organizational culture is a crucial yet underexamined component of collegiate EMS operations, despite the physically and emotionally taxing nature of working in fast-paced, high-stakes team environments. How a group functions together in these situations often makes the difference between smooth shifts and chaos. Drawing from existing literature in organizational social psychology and general emergency services teamwork, in conjunction with the cultural successes of our own agency, this presentation aims to highlight why deliberate culture-building is essential for sustaining collegiate EMS organizations through influencing retention, team unity, burnout mitigation, and uplifting patient care. Internal and external engagement initiatives, ranging from shared meals to outreach programs, construct and reinforce the organizational culture that drives these outcomes. This session will address the practical considerations to make these initiatives successful, and how they can create a thriving EMS culture that benefits both your agency and the community you serve. Logistical aspects, including budget constraints, challenges in scheduling, member demographics, and inclusivity, will be discussed to ensure that every initiative is a recipe for success.

Currently less than nine percent of collegiate EMS agencies utilize a mixed EMT and Advanced EMT structure, but when properly executed this model has the potential to improve both patient care and clinical outcomes. Emory EMS serves as an example of a mixed-scope collegiate system and provides an opportunity to evaluate whether incorporating AEMTs meaningfully strengthens prehospital performance, or whether similar outcomes can be achieved through highly trained BLS teams. This presentation reviews literature on BLS versus ALS impact in time-sensitive emergencies. Cardiac arrest outcomes rely most heavily on the foundations like early CPR, airway management, and defibrillation. At the same time, ALS shows clearer benefit in select cases such as myocardial infarctions and traumatic brain injuries. These contrasts highlight that advanced scope is most valuable when it strengthens, rather than overlooks, early BLS priorities. Using state licensing structures and Emory EMS data to examine how often ALS skills are utilized and whether advanced interventions actually correlate with changes in patient disposition, this presentation provides a framework for agencies evaluating whether mixed-scope staffing fits their operational capabilities and patient population.

Collegiate EMS agencies frequently emphasize clinical skills, yet operational failures during complex or high-acuity incidents are more often caused by breakdowns in communication, leadership, and system design. Evidence from emergency management and simulation-based training literature demonstrates that well-designed tabletop exercises (TTX) can effectively identify these vulnerabilities while requiring minimal financial resources and limited training time. This presentation provides an evidence-informed framework for designing and conducting effective tabletop exercises tailored to student-run EMS organizations. Attendees will learn how to structure realistic scenarios, establish clear learning objectives, assign functional command and operational roles, and introduce targeted stressors that test coordination and decision-making rather than medical knowledge alone. Practical facilitation strategies will be discussed, including how to guide productive discussion, maintain engagement, and conduct debriefs that translate observed gaps into concrete policy changes and training priorities. Drawing on the presenter's experience designing and leading campus-based tabletop exercises in collaboration with public safety partners, this session illustrates how TTX can be applied to mass-casualty incidents, active-threat responses, and high-acuity medical surges. Participants will leave with a repeatable, low-cost training model that strengthens operational readiness, develops leadership skills, and reduces reliance on chance when real emergencies occur.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication predominantly affecting individuals with type 1 diabetes, resulting from an insulin deficiency that leads to excessive ketone production. Despite the prevalence and long term consequences of hyperglycemic emergencies, current Canadian EMR guidelines at the collegiate level largely focus on hypoglycemia, leaving a critical gap in the identifications and interventions for DKA emergencies. This presentation proposes the integration of blood ketone testing through an integrated multi-analyte test strip into collegiate emergency response team protocols to improve patient outcomes, as well as a concrete hyperglycemic emergency framework that includes assessment, treatments and management. Ketone testing offers a reliable, immediate indicator of DKA, surpassing subjective evaluations such as the detection of "fruity breath". By incorporating a novel test strip design that relies on enzymatic redox reactions and amplification of electron concentrations to allow simultaneous testing of blood glucose and ketone concentrations, collegiate EMS teams can more accurately detect DKA emergencies, facilitating timely interventions such as rehydration and oxygen administration while waiting for higher care. This proposed framework aims to revolutionize diabetic emergency response for collegiate teams who have limited advanced equipment and scope, providing the resources to confidently approach hyperglycemic emergencies as first responders.

Compassion is often framed as a moral ideal in medicine, yet growing evidence demonstrates that it is a measurable, trainable clinical skill that shapes patient outcomes, provider well-being, and care quality. In EMS, where care unfolds under intense pressure and uncertainty, compassion functions as a clinical factor that directly influences communication, trust, and scene safety. However, burnout, compassion fatigue, and emotional overload can erode the presence and clarity required for compassionate care. Collegiate EMS represents a critical and underrecognized intervention window. Unlike professional EMS, collegiate systems are characterized by high turnover, academic pressure, peer-run leadership, and limited recovery time. These conditions can accelerate early compassion erosion among newer providers. At the same time, because collegiate EMTs are still forming clinical habits and professional identities, compassion can be intentionally trained as a core clinical skill rather than assumed to persist on its own. This presentation reframes compassion as a clinical competency rather than a personality trait. Drawing on neuroscience, EMS burnout literature, and Emory University's Cognitively-Based Compassion Training, we introduce practical tools that collegiate EMS agencies can implement immediately. Training compassion as a clinical skill is essential to sustaining high-quality care while protecting provider well-being.

EMS clinicians work in one of the most hazardous environments in healthcare, yet most learning occurs after something has already gone wrong. In this session, we will use real video footage from three recent EMS incidents—a high-speed ambulance collision, a stretcher failure resulting in a patient drop, and a violent assault on a paramedic—to explore how these critical events unfold and what they reveal about the systems we work within. Rather than focusing on individual mistakes, this session applies modern safety-science frameworks, including Just Culture and Safety-II, to examine human factors, operational pressures, communication breakdowns, equipment limitations, and behavioral risks that contribute to adverse outcomes. Through guided discussion and interactive debriefing, attendees will learn how to improve ambulance operations, patient-handling practices, and violence-prevention strategies at their own agencies. This session provides a respectful, blame-free approach to incident review while highlighting practical interventions that can strengthen resilience and reduce future risk. Ultimately, the goal is to transform brief moments caught on camera into lasting lessons that enhance safety for EMS clinicians and their patients.

Critical calls on campus are rare, but when they happen, they demand the best from every responder. While most collegiate EMS calls are low-acuity, the outliers — severe asthma, sepsis, head injuries, or overdoses — can overwhelm providers with limited experience. This session bridges the gap between critical care transport medicine and the campus EMS environment by introducing a physiology-driven mindset that helps responders recognize sick patients earlier, anticipate deterioration, and prevent secondary injury. Through real-world campus scenarios, we will explore respiratory failure, shock, neurotrauma, and toxicologic emergencies. Participants will learn how critical care clinicians approach these life-threatening problems and translate that knowledge into practical, universal actions: effective assessment, early interventions, rapid packaging, and seamless communication allowing for continuity of care. The focus is not on advanced procedures, but on building a way of thinking that prepares collegiate EMS clinicians to perform with confidence when minutes matter.

Sympathetic Crashing Acute Pulmonary Edema or SCAPE is a life threatening complication of heart failure. It is a less common but more serious condition that requires prompt recognition and intervention by EMS professionals. While chronic heart failure generally focuses on fluid management and medication compliance, SCAPE takes a different approach through the utilization of NIPPV and aggressive blood pressure control.

Virtually all collegiate EMS providers encounter a college-aged patient intoxicated from the classic "two beers." While these patients require evaluation by prehospital providers, hospitalization for some may be unnecessary and these patients can be allowed to refuse further care and transport. Yet, in the age of liability where collegiate agencies face scrutiny from medical directors to college or university administrators and risk managers, facilitating a patient refusal is often difficult and inherently risky. This presentation follows the evolution of an agency-specific alcohol refusal protocol, tailored specifically for a collegiate EMS service, from an initial, unofficial set of criteria to a comprehensive, research-based policy developed and iterated between multiple agencies and departments. This lecture reviews the medical and legal essentials for evaluating intoxicated patients, offers guidance and criteria useful to determining patient outcomes, and provides agencies with the necessary elements to think critically about their own processes for allowing intoxicated patients to refuse transport.

Health 34 is a mobile collegiate response program based on the campus of the UC Davis. Developed by the UC Davis Fire Department, the program addresses the growing demand for mental health and basic-needs support on collegiate campuses in the context of a critical shortage of mental health providers. Health 34 is fully integrated into the campus tiered response system and operates 24/7/365, responding to non-emergent requests for service on campus and in off-campus housing. This educational session is needed to increase awareness of innovative, EMS response models that support public safety reform and student well-being. It will highlight frameworks for programs like Health 34 working in conjunction with traditional EMS. The program will highlight equity and access considerations in mental health and basic-needs response for collegiate campuses. Finally, this talk will demonstrate a replicable model that participants can adapt to their own institutions. By understanding the design, implementation, and impact of Health 34, participants will be better prepared to develop, support, or collaborate with similar collegiate response programs, directly improving care for students and young adults in crisis.

Uncontrolled hemorrhage remains a leading cause of preventable death in the prehospital space. Increased focus on this area has spurred a plethora of research ranging from clinical management algorithms, to new mechanical devices, to new drugs, to new hemostatic materials. This talk will focus on the design and evolution of hemostatic materials as they move from the benchtop to the clinic. We begin with a review of the process of hemostasis and look at current management techniques to identify clinical challenges. Next we will explore how basic science research is working to resolve these challenges with novel materials. Finally, we will take a look at FDA regulations and requirements for such a material to reach patients and clinical providers. At the end of this talk, the attendee will be able to describe ongoing work regarding hemostatic materials and the process for impacting clinical outcomes.

Most campus EMS programs begin with a very small budget or receive no funding at all. In this session, we will discuss innovative and creative ways on how to fund your campus EMS agency beyond your university budget. We will share the experiences we have had in our campus EMS agency at The University of Texas at Dallas, which was started in 2017 by a group of students providing EMTs solely at campus events. Now, our campus agency has incorporated a 24/7 ALS supported response, has 1 full time campus EMS administrator with no increase in university funding. We will discuss ways to incorporate EMS Education as a funding model in addition to CE opportunities and recertification type courses for alternative resources. In this presentation, we will also discuss ways to incorporate student leadership, how to build morale in any size agency and discuss creative ways to provide incentives for your EMS providers. Lastly, we will have an audience Q&A session with 8 members of our student leadership.

Every EMS provider knows how to interpret a non-invasive blood pressure reading clinically: 120/80 is ideal, too high or too low is bad. But why does the same automatic blood pressure monitor sometimes read 40/40? 200/210? How does your AED know that “no shock is advised” or your glucometer know a patient's blood glucose level is “LO”? This presentation will explain the basic underpinnings of the medical technology that each of us uses every shift, and touch on what to do when it goes awry.

This lecture based session focuses on delivering high-quality EMS simulation experiences without the high cost often associated with commercial products. Designed for educators, training officers, and simulation enthusiasts, this presentation highlights creative, low-cost solutions that support high quality learning in resource-limited environments. Attendees will learn how to build and utilize DIY training tools, incorporate technology such as 3D printing, and design effective scenarios even with limited personnel. Participants will leave with immediately applicable strategies and the inspiration to enhance their simulation program regardless of budget size.

Not every patient in shock is tachycardic and hypotensive, and occult shock kills. Luckily, obtaining a strong patient history and performing an expert physical exam can help reveal the culprit. In this program we review the types of shock and the various treatment modalities from epi-pens to blood products.

Posterior circulation and cerebellar strokes remain a challenging diagnosis for all medical providers, particularly in the pre-hospital setting. Benign and life-threatening conditions often present with strikingly similar symptoms, making early recognition difficult without advanced imaging. This presentation will review key posterior circulation anatomy and outline the characteristic presentations of patients with vision changes, vertigo, gait imbalance, and altered mentation. Participants will learn practical strategies to distinguish emergent from non-emergent conditions using targeted history-taking and high-yield physical exam maneuvers specific to posterior circulation pathology. Several real-world EMS case examples will reinforce red flags and clinical pearls, helping providers sharpen their suspicion for posterior circulation stroke and improve early recognition in the field.

Did you know that the first response to a sexual misconduct call is the most crucial step in the serpentine path from victim to survivor to thriver? Done poorly, your actions could hinder a victim from seeking further treatment or even justice. Yet when done well, your trauma-informed response could help contribute to the healing process and eventual flourishing. Wouldn't you like to know more about handling these delicate situations, so that everyone from the survivor to the EMS crew member feels more comfortable and less anxious? Eric will help you become aware of your own comfort levels and build on your current knowledge and training, so that you and your crew are prepared for that next SA call. Furthermore, Eric will discuss research within forensic sexology on the mind's response to trauma.

Evidence-based practice guides protocols and clinical decisions in collegiate EMS, yet research findings are often reduced to whether a result is “statistically significant.” This session introduces core epidemiologic and statistical concepts using prehospital examples to show why statistical significance does not always equal clinical significance. We'll break down p-values, confidence intervals, effect sizes, bias, and risk, and discuss how small numerical differences can reach statistical significance without meaningfully changing patient care. The focus is on interpreting evidence in real-world EMS settings, where time, resources, and patient context matter, and applying research thoughtfully to protocol review, quality improvement, and on-scene decision making.

Pediatric patients comprise about 10% of all EMS activations, though are encountered less frequently in the Campus EMS setting. Encountering critical pediatric patients is even more infrequent, creating a challenge for EMS clinicians to obtain and maintain their skills in evaluating and managing pediatric patients. Using a narrative approach, we will discuss both common and high risk pediatric EMS counters, and strategies for maintaining competence and confidence in responding to pediatric emergencies at your institution or the community you serve.

Responses to college dormitories and off-campus housing can present some unique challenges not frequently seen in the typical residential environment. The goal of this lecture is to outline some of those unique challenges and share some techniques to mitigate them learned from years of response to that environment.

Many aspects of EMS Education are taught with binary decision making. Is the scene safe... yes or no. Is the airway open... yes or no. When these choices are forced into a binary yes or no they can create biases and blind spots in how to think about and care for patients. Come explore how we can avoid these pitfalls.

This fun session will give you a lasting mental imprint to survey a scene and safe during an operation.

This session examines how a collegiate EMS program leveraged a strategic partnership with the FirstNet Authority to implement advanced public safety communications and situational awareness technologies in a campus EMS environment. Using Intra Collegiate Emergency Medical Service at Indiana University (IC-EMS) as a case study, presenters focus on the practical deployment of FirstNet-enabled communications and the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) to support large-scale campus events, including Division I football games. The session highlights how FirstNet connectivity enabled real-time crew geolocation, asset tracking, and secure communications, as well as remote EKG transmission to medical control, improving operational coordination and clinical decision-making. Presenters emphasize the planning, eligibility navigation, interoperability considerations, and academic partnerships (including collaboration with IU RedLab) that made technology adoption possible. Rather than showcasing IC-EMS as an outlier, the session frames these implementations as replicable approaches for collegiate EMS agencies seeking to modernize operations through focused partnerships and mission-driven technology adoption.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has evolved significantly since the mid-20th century, transitioning from a loosely organized transport system to a structured, medically driven profession. As advanced life support (ALS) capabilities expanded and dispatch systems prioritized paramedic response, many agencies began to equate higher certification with greater value. This shift unintentionally devalued Basic Life Support (BLS) providers and reduced their exposure to meaningful field experience. Emerging workforce data and studies on EMS culture indicate that certification-based hierarchies contribute to lower confidence, higher turnover, and limited professional development among EMTs. At the same time, research shows that most critical prehospital interventions—such as hemorrhage control, airway positioning, CPR, defibrillation, and stroke recognition—are performed at the BLS level and often determine patient outcomes before ALS interventions can be initiated. Rebalancing deployment models to emphasize BLS capability is not a step backward, but a strategic correction. As EMS systems continue to advance, restoring respect, training, and autonomy at the foundational level is essential to long-term sustainability and clinical effectiveness.

If you've ever given a beautifully detailed radio report only to hear, “Say again…?” or delivered an ED handoff while the receiving team continued their riveting conversation about lunch, this lecture is for you. EMS communication is supposed to save lives, not create interpretive puzzles for everyone involved. Yet providers often mix up radio-report goals, overload handoffs with irrelevant plot twists, or call medical control sounding like a contestant on a game show who's just run out of time. In this session, we'll break down why your message sometimes gets lost somewhere between your brain and the ED charge nurse's ears. We'll explore high-yield, low-drama communication frameworks (IMIST-AMBO, SBAR, SHERPA) that keep you from rambling, oversharing, or inventing a short novella during patient turnover. We'll dissect the difference between “horizontal” (handoff) and “vertical” (medical control) communication so you stop giving the wrong speech to the wrong audience. You'll leave with clear, tactical, evidence-based tools to make every report short, sharp, and impossible to ignore. In other words: communication so solid that even the busiest ED won't wander off mid-sentence.

LMP, EDD, EGA, and who the heck is Naegele? Do you know the language of obstetrics? Giving a concise and technically accurate report is a hallmark of any EMS call. However when your patient is pregnant it is surprisingly easy for technical accuracy and terminology to go right out the window. Come learn the terminology and basic assessments needed to not only properly assess your pregnant patient but also give a technically accurate report utilizing terminology even the newest L&D nurse will understand!

Many EMS and trauma courses still teach the "ABCD" approach to trauma assessment, despite evidence (in both medical and trauma literature) that "A" might not be the most important first step. This presentation introduces the "MARCH" mnemonic for primary trauma survey used in the military for over a decade and recently adopted in the 2022 National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines, as well as evidence-based interventions to mitigate imminent life threats identified during the MARCH survey.

Collegiate EMS agencies face unique challenges in orienting new members—high turnover, inconsistent academic schedules, and limited administrative bandwidth often disrupt continuity. This session explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can modernize the tracking, communication, and management of orientation programs. Participants will learn how to integrate tools such as automated progress trackers, predictive analytics dashboards, and custom chatbots that provide on-demand information to new members. Emphasis will be placed on low-cost, scalable applications that any agency can adopt—ranging from chatbots built using Microsoft Copilot or Google Dialogflow to automated reminder systems linked to LMS or spreadsheet data. Ethical and operational considerations will also be discussed, including privacy, transparency, and the preservation of human mentorship. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies and sample workflows for implementing AI-enhanced onboarding systems that improve efficiency, engagement, and retention while preserving the personalized mentorship central to EMS education.

This 50-minute class will empower EMS professionals to confidently address and assess suicide risk in the context of emergency care . Participants will learn strategies to normalize conversations about suicide and reduce stigma surrounding mental health within clinical encounters and personal interactions . The session will introduce validated suicide risk assessment tools and facilitate self-reflection on personal risk, promoting mental wellness among practitioners . Attendees will explore the current landscape of suicide risk assessment in EMS and develop skills for discussing suicidal ideation and prevention with patients, peers, and family members . By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to foster open dialogue, conduct risk assessments accurately, and support suicide prevention efforts within their communities and professional environments .

What do we do when we have a tough call? Followed by another tough call? And another one? In the busy climate of collegiate EMS, providers often have very little time to process their calls and the emotions that lie behind them. The 55 word story, an introduction to narrative medicine, provides a timely yet effective way for students to share their experiences.

Join for a 15-minute, stakeholder discussion about which after-incident care practices for EMS responders exist, should exist, or need to be further developed within our CBEMS agencies. Understand current research advising institutional PTS-I management and support for student pre-hospital clinicians who experience high-acuity patient encounters. Learn how to bring this conversation to your respective CBEMS agency for potential workshopping & development. All audience members are invited to listen in and/or participate further in the development of care standards within CBEMS agencies.

Tips, advice, and reality of operating a critical care program in a collegiate EMS program

Based on OSHA guidelines, attendees will learn the basic elements of an Emergency Action Plan. Using a floor plan and list of employees, attendees will build a fire EAP for a bar/rock club. Participants will see EAP failures and successes taken right out of the headlines. BE PREPARED.

Have you ever arrived on scene only to find that the patient or their friends have no idea what drugs were taken, or you're hearing about a substance you've never encountered before? This presentation is designed to help collegiate EMS providers identify and respond to common drug-related emergencies on campus. We'll cover both illicit and prescription substances, highlighting the signs and symptoms of each, as well as prehospital treatment options and hospital care protocols. By the end, you'll have a clearer understanding of how to manage these situations with confidence. Additionally, we'll explore data from a national toxicology study to help you stay informed about current drug trends and emerging substances.

LGBT+ patients have had and will always have emergencies, and EMTs and paramedics will always be essential in their treatment. Most EMTs and paramedics, however, have not been properly trained on how to appropriately and respectfully assess queer and gender-diverse patients, which has led to significant disparities in care and community distrust. How should you ask a patient about anatomy? How should you document it? How can you ask the questions you need to ask to help this patient while being respectful? Learn what the difference is between biological sex and gender, how it applies to patient care, and what we can do as providers to help these patients feel safe, cared for, and affirmed when they call 911.

From an early age, inspired by my parents' dedication as first responders, I aspired to serve in emergency services. However, I was unprepared for the profound psychological and physical toll this path would take. After a decade as a soldier and first responder, I reached a point where I contemplated ending my life. In this presentation, I will share my journey from seeking help in my darkest moments to becoming someone who now assists others in crisis. This narrative aims to provide both an emotional insight and educational perspective on the challenges faced by veterans and first responders, as well as the pathways to healing and resilience.

As EMS providers, we are trained to handle the most critical emergencies, whether it's a 67-year-old male with chest pain, a 72-year-old female experiencing a stroke, or a 65-year-old in cardiac arrest. We often respond to these calls calmly and continue our shift. However, nothing induces more fear and anxiety than a pediatric call. Initial training often limits pediatric care to just a few chapters in a textbook, and continuing education can sometimes be reduced to a quick merit badge course, leaving significant gaps in pediatric knowledge and decreasing our preparedness to care for children. This results in increased stress, a higher likelihood of mistakes, and the instinct to leave the scene quickly before even arriving. This session will cover how to approach pediatric calls in the same way we respond to adult calls, helping providers get into the right mindset when dealing with children and shifting how we think. We will discuss some of the most common fears, myths, and misconceptions about pediatric care in EMS so that fear won't be a factor for you!

Trauma-informed care is increasingly recognized as essential in prehospital settings, particularly within collegiate Emergency Medical Services (EMS), where responders assist peers in times of acute vulnerability. Following a pivotal patient encounter on McMaster University's Emergency First Response Team (EFRT), gaps in the team's response to healthcare-related trauma were noted. This led to the development and implementation of a formal trauma-informed care curriculum in 2024. Through theoretical insights and practical tools, we explore how collegiate EMS programs can leverage their position as peer responders to implement trauma-informed practices effectively, thereby improving patient outcomes and supporting responder well-being. We begin with an anecdote demonstrating the importance of a responder's approach to patients with trauma. The principles of safety, trust, empowerment and collaboration are introduced, with a focus on their importance in prehospital care. We then explore the trauma-informed care framework implemented on EFRT, with its core tenets of recognition, reassurance, and resisting re-traumatization. Recognizing the dual impact of EMS work on student responders, we provide tools for building resilience and easing the emotional toll of witnessing trauma. This presentation demonstrates how collegiate EMS programs can set the standard for addressing healthcare trauma, benefiting patients and responders alike.

Americans over the age of 65 make up approximately 57.8 million persons in the population (17.3 percent). With the U.S. geriatric population growing at its fastest rate since the 1880's, are you equipped to handle a geriatric emergency on your campus? Join us for a discussion around handling patient encounters in a patient population that might be outside of your campus agency's average age group. In our discussion, we will review key population differences and healthcare needs for persons over the age of 65, discuss differences in working with Assisted Living/Skilled Nursing Facilities, and learn an approach to determine underlying causes for falls/"lift assists", which make up a substantial utilization for EMS resources. We will also review patient ethics with regard to honoring their wishes through DNR/MOLST forms.

Wilderness search and rescue is an art of preparing for the unknown. With limited resources, difficult communication, and hazardous environments calls are by nature lengthy, complex, and dangerous to responders. At California State Parks, our Lifeguards fill this nuanced role by training for rescues in the most beautiful yet dangerous parts of California. This session will introduce participants to the mission, scope, and unique challenges of first responders in wilderness and aquatic environments with an emphasis on the EMS role. Attendees will understand the flow of multiagency search and rescue operations, gain a familiarity with common equipment and communication between responders from different agencies (ICS!), and learn how EMS integrates into search and rescue teams. It will also teach you how to be safe, and how to educate others to be safe when responding to a rescue. The presentation will include a discussion on making patient care decisions like delayed access to the patient, stabilizing patients with limited resources, and timing and mode of transport with mock scenarios to hone your new skills. Finally, we will discuss the various roles of California State Parks Staff in training for and responding to wilderness emergencies. Bring your hiking boots and a swimsuit!

Ready to scale new heights of humor? To “summit” all up, in early October 2025, around 300 guides and 580 trekkers were trapped at a Mount Everest base camp, located at around 16,000 feet. A rescue operation to save nearly 1000 souls requires a ton of resources. Add in the adverse conditions, such as weather emergencies, altitude and terrain, you enter a whole different ball game. Together, we will investigate strategies for rescue, coordination and treatment of environmental/altitude emergencies in an austere environment. With nearly everyone taken to safety, we will also discuss how general preparedness prevented a larger catastrophe.

Collegiate EMS (CEMS) members take on challenging clinical and leadership roles—often at the same time and with little formal preparation. Whether responding to emergencies, supervising peers, or managing agency operations, student leaders navigate unique pressures that differ from those in traditional EMS systems. This session focuses on practical, achievable strategies to help students grow as leaders within a collegiate EMS setting. We will break down the core skills that make Collegiate EMS leaders effective, explore the common obstacles created by quick turnover and academic schedules, and share real-world tools and approaches used by successful student-run agencies across the country.

What happens when a patient doesn't want our help anymore? Patient refusal calls can be exhausting for the new EMT, requiring the delicate balance of provider judgement and patient rights. And in the environment where multiple parties are involved in the disposition of the patient, the lead provider has a difficult decision to make. This lecture helps collegiate providers understand and simplify the numerous considerations that go into a patient refusal in a college setting.

You have a pregnant woman in the back of your unit: what information do you want to know? More importantly, what information do you need to know? Chances are, you may not be sure how to answer either of these questions because it simply isn't taught in school. Do you know how to accurately calculate an estimated due date or gestational age? Do you know how to document a pregnancy and birth record outside of gravida, para, ab? Do you know how to examine her abdomen or auscultate for a fetal heart rate? Knowing what to ask, what to look for and how to interpret that information could not only point you towards the underlying issue your patient is having, but it could also save both of their lives! Come and listen to an experienced Paramedic turned Birth and Postpartum Doula teach you how to not only answer those questions and do those assessments, but then get to practice that assessment on a live pregnant patient!

This course will review the planning and management considerations for large event EMS standbys in regions with limited EMS and hospital resources, through a case study of the EMS response to the Virginia Tech event hosting Metallica and over 70,000 fans in May 2025.

EMS advanced practice providers (APPs) play an integral part of the delivery of services in many EMS agencies. Until recently most Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners working in EMS were limited to extending the capabilities of the community paramedic. This talk will expound on the various positions that APPs can hold within an EMS agency including a review of The National Association of EMS Physicians position statement on APPs in EMS. We will talk about why we need experienced, college-educated, EMS professionals to take on these roles as physician extenders and how to get there.

As EMS providers we are confronted with patients in pain on a regular basis whether from trauma or medical conditions. There are a variety of things that BLS providers can do that can help alleviate or manage our patients' pain. This session will explore and grow the BLS pain management tool box. Specifically, we will cover various methods of positioning and splinting for a number of different painful complaints including traumatic injuries, abdominal pain, back pain, and migraines. We will also discuss the use of ice, heat, and distraction to reduce discomfort. Additionally, we will briefly review how BLS pain management techniques can augment pharmacological pain management when ALS is available.

AI isn't just for cheating on your assignments. It's becoming the future not only of how we learn, but also of how we teach. In EMS education, AI offers new ways to streamline scenario development, tailor content to actual performance gaps, and make training more dynamic, data-driven, and responsive to real-world needs. This session explores how artificial intelligence can support EMS instructors by generating realistic scenarios, analyzing data, and integrating internal QA data or skill gap reports. Generative models can simulate patient presentations at varying levels of complexity, reinforce specific learning objectives, and create opportunities to directly or indirectly evaluate highly targeted skills - whether clinical, cognitive, or procedural. All of this can be built around your own data, making your training more relevant, focused, and high-impact. We'll also look at the limitations: accuracy concerns, ethical implications, and the need to stay HIPAA-compliant when working with sensitive information. That includes how to de-identify data and where the legal and professional boundaries lie when using AI in a clinical education setting. Time savings are a bonus; better training is the goal.

Acute respiratory distress is a common and high-risk presentation encountered by emergency medical services, particularly in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations. The prehospital setting represents a critical window in which early intervention can significantly influence patient outcomes. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a noninvasive ventilatory strategy that improves oxygenation, reduces work of breathing, and may prevent progression to respiratory failure when applied early. This presentation examines the physiologic mechanisms underlying CPAP, including alveolar recruitment, improved ventilation–perfusion matching, and beneficial cardiopulmonary hemodynamic effects. Current evidence supporting prehospital CPAP use is reviewed, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrating reductions in endotracheal intubation rates, intensive care unit admissions, and mortality, particularly in cases of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Clinical indications, contraindications, and common pitfalls relevant to the prehospital environment are discussed to guide appropriate patient selection and safe application. Case-based discussion will allow participants to apply physiologic reasoning and evidence-based principles to identify patients most likely to benefit from CPAP and to recognize early signs of treatment failure requiring escalation of care. By focusing on clinical decision-making rather than system implementation, this session highlights CPAP as an early, outcome-modifying intervention in prehospital respiratory emergencies.

In the US, rates of maternal morbidity and mortality continue to be significantly higher than any other developed country. While perhaps not obviously a particularly common call on a collegiate campus, it is important that EMS providers know how to assess pregnant and newly postpartum individuals for potentially devastating conditions or complications. Being able to properly notify the receiving hospital, and knowing what information to include in a report, can be vital in expediting patient care and improving patient outcomes. A well received presentation last NCEMSF conference, come learn and become more comfortable managing peripartum individuals.

Advanced life support often draws the spotlight, but the reality is that basic life support forms the true foundation of emergency care. Without strong BLS, ALS measures are ineffective at best and harmful at worst. In collegiate EMS, where providers are almost exclusively EMTs, understanding the primacy of BLS is critical- not only for patient outcomes, but also for preparing future clinicians for advanced training in medicine, paramedicine, nursing and beyond.

You have a pregnant woman in the back of your unit: what information do you want to know? More importantly, what information do you need to know? Chances are, you may not be sure how to answer either of these questions because it simply isn't taught in school. Do you know how to accurately calculate an estimated due date or gestational age? Do you know how to document a pregnancy and birth record outside of gravida, para, ab? Do you know how to examine her abdomen or auscultate for a fetal heart rate? Knowing what to ask, what to look for and how to interpret that information could not only point you towards the underlying issue your patient is having, but it could also save both of their lives! Come and listen to an experienced Paramedic turned Birth and Postpartum Doula teach you how to not only answer those questions and do those assessments, but then get to practice that assessment on a live pregnant patient!

Who doesn't love petting a playful pup? But did you know that just by petting a dog, you can improve your physical and mental health? This session will look at the physical and psychological health benefits therapy dogs can provide to first responders and why they should be considered as a tool for debriefings and mental health support. They are more than “man's best friend”; they are four-legged friends that won't judge your Spotify playlist and will work for steak and a belly rub.

Campus EMS responders frequently respond to emergencies called in by fellow students. Many calls relate to powder puff sports, exam stress, and alcohol consumption. Staying sharp to be able to handle all types of emergencies is essential, and regularly welcoming new members and developing team competency takes time. Campus EMS has another significant but less visible role in both responding to public health emergencies, and being proactive with evidence-based proposals about policies and practices to improve health on campus. How many scooter and e-bike accidents routinely occur on campus> Are there any actions that may help improve outcomes for intoxicated patients? What are the response procedures for suspected norovirus? This presentation will offer action steps to improve individual EMS practitioners awareness and role in promoting public health, and propose steps for EMS leaders to step up in meaningful, actionable ways, improving campus partnerships.

EMS is steeped in tradition and has struggled to evolve into evidence based practices. This lecture will look at two skills in which current evidence has shown minimal benefit to patients. Spinal motion restriction (SMR) and traction splint application have been bedrock EMT skills for many years, come see if these skills will continue to have a place in EMS practice.

Cognitive offloading, the practice of using external tools to reduce mental workload, has become an increasingly recognized strategy for improving performance in high-stress, time-critical environments such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Collegiate EMS providers frequently operate with limited resources, variable experience levels, and high cognitive demand, making them uniquely positioned to benefit from structured offloading strategies. This session explores how cognition and decision making is affected by high stress environments and how tools such as checklists, algorithms, mobile applications, and structured decision aids can enhance decision-making, reduce errors, and promote adherence to best practices during complex or highly dynamic patient encounters. Through the lens of real case examples, we will examine how effective offloading supports situational awareness, optimizes team functioning, and helps prevent cognitive overload during high-pressure calls. However, offloading is not universally beneficial; poorly designed or misapplied tools can introduce new errors, increase mental burden, and erode foundational clinical reasoning skills. We will discuss common pitfalls, including over-reliance, inadequate training, and design flaws, and provide a framework for determining when offloading enhances performance and when it may hinder it. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for implementing, evaluating, and improving cognitive offloading tools within their own collegiate EMS agencies.

It's no secret that most EMS providers feel uneasy handling pediatric calls. When a child with communication issues who is sick or injured is added, it creates a recipe for stressed-out providers and crews. To make it even more challenging, the National EMS Education Standards allocate only a small percentage of requirements for pediatric patients and those with special needs. This session will explore the needs of the pediatric population with special requirements, including Autism, non-verbal, and Deaf patients, and how to better assess and care for them. The session will conclude with basic sign language instruction to help attendees communicate more effectively with deaf and non-verbal patients.

In our initial and continuing education we spend a lot of time on cardiac arrest, and a lot of time on trauma, but rarely do we discuss their intersection. How should we handle a pulseless trauma patient? We will discuss the HOTT mnemonic for treatable causes, as well as discuss how to integrate our CPR/ACLS and trauma algorithms. We will discuss the physiology of traumatic arrest and what tools we have to treat it at both the BLS and ALS levels.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a profession that was built as a solution to a form of organized abandonment when police refused to render aid to the predominantly Black Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before EMS, police served as the only responders to medical emergencies, leaving community members of the Hill District to reimagine emergency response, which gave rise to the nation's first ever Paramedics. Today, EMS personnel are trained to rely on police presence to maintain scene safety. In many EMS systems (including Collegiate EMS), co-response with police is standard practice, especially for dispatches involving patients experiencing mental health crises, substance use disorders, or individuals experiencing homelessness. In many of these instances, police presence has been found to exacerbate the situation and lead to disproportionate violence toward communities of color and individuals with mental health challenges. Incidences such as the wrongful death of Elijah McClain emphasize how standards of patient care are sacrificed when police violence is introduced. EMS professionals have a duty to build a therapeutic environment for their patients by protecting patient privacy, reimaging scene safety and what constitutes a necessary police co-response, and providing the highest standards of patient care, not prescribed by police.

You have a pregnant woman in the back of your unit: what information do you want to know? More importantly, what information do you need to know? Chances are, you may not be sure how to answer either of these questions because it simply isn't taught in school. Do you know how to accurately calculate an estimated due date or gestational age? Do you know how to document a pregnancy and birth record outside of gravida, para, ab? Do you know how to examine her abdomen or auscultate for a fetal heart rate? Knowing what to ask, what to look for and how to interpret that information could not only point you towards the underlying issue your patient is having, but it could also save both of their lives! Come and listen to an experienced Paramedic turned Birth and Postpartum Doula teach you how to not only answer those questions and do those assessments, but then get to practice that assessment on a live pregnant patient!

Crew Resource Management, or CRM, is a concept rooted in the aviation industry, so what does a strategy developed to prevent plane crashes have to do with EMS? In short – everything! In this presentation, we will review the history and concepts of CRM, discuss how errors happen (hint: it will be described using cheese!), and how we can apply the concepts of CRM in the prehospital setting to reduce errors and improve outcomes.

Let's trace an interesting professional journey from the unpredictable streets of EMS to the forefront of scientific innovation in resuscitation. Beginning as an EMT and advancing through the ranks to paramedic, supervisor, and critical care paramedic, this talk explores the formative experiences that shape clinical judgment, leadership, and resilience in high-stakes environments. These frontline lessons become the foundation for a transition into medical device research, where real-world challenges inform the pursuit of better tools, smarter systems, and more effective resuscitative strategies. Blending personal narrative with emerging science, this presentation highlights how field experience can drive meaningful innovation, bridge gaps between practitioners and researchers, and ultimately improve outcomes for the patients who need it most. This is a story of growth, curiosity, and the relentless push to transform what we know and who we can save.

“Why doesn't my Narcan work anymore?” Increasingly, EMS providers are asking this question as veterinary anesthetics such as xylazine and medetomidine infiltrate the illicit opioid supply. As the saying goes, “dog drugs make human doctors very confused.” These substances create atypical overdose presentations that challenge naloxone-centric approaches. Acting as α2-adrenergic agonists rather than opioids, they cause profound sedation, bradycardia, hypotension, and hypoventilation, often with only partial or absent responses to naloxone despite ongoing life-threatening physiologic compromise. The result is a growing population of patients who appear naloxone-resistant, increasing the risk of delayed airway management, premature disposition decisions, and misinterpretation of treatment effectiveness. This session provides a practical, evidence-based framework for recognizing and managing α2-agonist–associated overdoses in the prehospital setting. Through real-world case studies from urban EMS responses, participants will examine the evolving drug supply, differentiate opioid-predominant, α2-predominant, and mixed overdose phenotypes, and apply airway-first management principles appropriate for both BLS and ALS providers. Emphasis is placed on reframing naloxone failure as receptor mismatch rather than treatment failure, prioritizing ventilation and circulation as definitive care, recognizing the need for prolonged monitoring, and anticipating ED and ICU courses in the absence of effective reversal agents.

Effective communication during the transition of care from the pre-hospital to the hospital setting is essential to ensuring patient safety and continuity of care. The EMS clinician–to–emergency department triage handoff represents one of the most critical, and often vulnerable moments in a patient's healthcare journey. Unfortunately, gaps in information exchange can lead to delays in care, duplicative testing, medication errors, and missed clinical red flags. This presentation will highlight best practices for both the pre-arrival radio report and the in-person ED handoff. Participants will learn how to structure concise, clinically relevant reports that balance efficiency with completeness, and how triage nurses can engage in active information exchange to clarify and prioritize care needs. Real-world examples will be used to illustrate situations where communication breakdowns compromised patient safety, underscoring the importance of standardized approaches. The session will also explore strategies for fostering stronger collaboration between EMS and hospital teams, including the use of structured handoff tools, closed-loop communication, and joint training opportunities. By strengthening this critical interface, EMS clinicians and ED staff can work more effectively together to enhance patient outcomes and reduce preventable safety events.

It can be very intimidating to talk with a physician over the radio about patient care. This presentation will utilize real medical command calls to provide a practical, scenario-focused review of when contacting medical command is essential, especially in cases involving high-risk decisions or unclear patient presentations. We will discuss common challenges related to patient refusals, including how to determine when a refusal is appropriate and when medical command involvement is necessary. The session will outline the key elements of decision-making capacity and provide simple tools to assess understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and communication in the field. Participants will learn strategies for managing difficult or uncooperative patients while maintaining professionalism and patient safety. By integrating clinical judgment, effective communication, and clear documentation, EMS providers will leave better prepared to navigate complex interactions and make confident, medically sound decisions in real time.

Substance use on college campuses is evolving beyond alcohol, with emerging drugs such as xylazine, nitazenes, research chemicals, novel vaping additives, and misuse of study drugs creating complex and atypical clinical presentations. Collegiate EMS providers are increasingly encountering patients whose signs and symptoms do not fit classic toxidromes and may respond unpredictably to standard interventions. This session explores current campus substance use trends and the physiologic effects of these substances, with a focus on recognizing red flags, understanding the limitations of naloxone, and prioritizing airway, ventilation, and supportive care. Participants will also examine scene safety and decision-making challenges unique to treating peers in a collegiate environment. Through practical discussion and case examples, this talk equips student responders with the knowledge and confidence to manage emerging tox emergencies before they escalate into life-threatening events.

This lecture with discuss caring for patients who have a confirmed/suspected pregnancy in the prehospital setting. This will include a general review of normal female anatomy and physiology as well as a discussion of the normal expected changes to anatomy/physiology throughout the course of pregnancy. We will briefly touch on fetal development stages and embryology as it pertains to patient care and viability if the fetus were to be born at different intervals of pregnancy. Lastly, we will discuss the pathologic changes that occur throughout a pregnancy to better develop our differentials and discuss the prehospital management of these conditions. This will include a discuss of important prehospital skills like history-taking, physical exam, patient stabilization, patient communication, need for additional resources, and reporting to labor and delivery. This lecture will not discuss gynecologic care of the nonpregnant patient, prehospital deliveries, delivery complications, or postpartum neonatal/maternal care as these are the topics of future presentations.

You have a pregnant woman in the back of your unit: what information do you want to know? More importantly, what information do you need to know? Chances are, you may not be sure how to answer either of these questions because it simply isn't taught in school. Do you know how to accurately calculate an estimated due date or gestational age? Do you know how to document a pregnancy and birth record outside of gravida, para, ab? Do you know how to examine her abdomen or auscultate for a fetal heart rate? Knowing what to ask, what to look for and how to interpret that information could not only point you towards the underlying issue your patient is having, but it could also save both of their lives! Come and listen to an experienced Paramedic turned Birth and Postpartum Doula teach you how to not only answer those questions and do those assessments, but then get to practice that assessment on a live pregnant patient!

Review the weekend highlights. Take advantage of this final opportunity to network with your regional coordinators and your new-found friends from across the country. We hope that you leave this conference energized, and we look forward to hearing about your progress throughout the year through the regional coordinator network and in future editions of The Journal of Collegiate EMS. See you next year!