Continuing education is vital to your growth as a professional, particularly in a demanding and high-stress career in emergency medicine. Practice norms are consistently shifting to meet new needs. Scientific innovations can upend common wisdom and revolutionize the way you care for your patients. To stay ahead of the trend, you must participate in ongoing training. Moreover, regular training in key skills—especially life-saving skills that you may not use daily—ensures all agencies can offer the best possible care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed virtually everything about medicine. From surgery and childbirth without a support person to delaying routine medical care, the reverberations of the crisis extend well beyond those who become infected. First responders have had to rethink much about their emergency preparedness strategies, particularly now that once-routine procedures present a high risk of disease transmission. Here’s what you need to know about performing tracheostomies during the coronavirus. 

The rapid worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus has compelled many seemingly impossible choices: Hospital administrators have had to choose between forcing people to die alone and potentially spreading the virus to others; labor and delivery units must now weigh separating birthing people from their partners or risking transmitting the virus to others, including vulnerable infants. Perhaps one of the most challenging conundrums during this pandemic has been managing the simple realities of CPR. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently changed its CPR guidelines to respond to this emerging crisis. Here’s what you need to know.

Fires kill more than 3,000 Americans each year. Most die not from burns but from oxygen deprivation due to smoke inhalation. Immediate survivors of the blaze are not out of the woods. The consequences of smoke inhalation can show up hours or even days later. Apparently healthy people can die even when they seem able to breathe. When treating smoke inhalation, here’s what not to do—and what you must do instead. 

Portable aspirators are an important tool in every first responder’s kit. They’re the first line of defense against aspiration and respiratory obstructions. Yet no medical procedure is without risk, especially with inadequate training or a rushed approach to care. First responders must continually drill the use of portable aspirators so that they're prepared to intervene in an emergency; otherwise, patients can suffer from preventable iatrogenic injuries, some of which can even prove life-threatening. Individualized treatment, thoughtful and comprehensive assessment, and skillful use of portable aspirators can greatly reduce the risk of injury.

In 2018 alone, there have been more than 100 mass shootings. Tactical medical response requires a different skill set and approach than that required when an elder falls or a child has a choking episode. Tactical medical injuries are high-stakes, and first responders must provide prompt care in a high-stress environment where split-second decisions can be a matter of life and death.