Kennebec Valley EMS sponsor specialized training in our region and other areas of the state of Maine. Programs are open to all EMS providers; however in most cases preregistration is required.  These programs include but are not limited to: 

• PHTLS (Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support)

• Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) is an intensive focus program designed to increase the trauma assessment and management skills of the Pre-hospital provider.  Through the widespread dissemination of this program, we have been able to save lives by decreasing the pre-hospital time of critically injured patients.  This program emphasizes hands-on instruction, with 50% of the program dedicated to practical teaching stations please be prepared to work outside.

• GEMS (Geriatric Education for EMS)

• The Geriatric Education for Emergency Medical Services course is designed to address all of the special needs of the older population. This exciting new program was designed specifically for BLS and ALS providers by the American Geriatrics Society and the National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators.

  Specifically the following material is presented and practiced: Aging - changes with Age -Communicating with older people and their caregivers-Assessment of the Older Patient - End-of-Life Care Issues -  Trauma, Musculoskeletal Disorders, and Falls -  Neurological Emergencies and Altered Mental Status - Respiratory and Cardiovascular Emergencies  -  Elder Abuse and Neglect - Pharmacology and Medication Toxicity Emergencies  -  Psychiatric Emergencies

• PEPP (Pediatric Education for EMS)

• PEPP is a new program from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Jones and Bartlett Publishing designed to teach prehospital professionals how to better assess and manage ill or injured children. It represents a comprehensive source of prehospital medical information for the emergent care of infants and children and is divided into two programs; one-day BLS course for First Responders and EMT’s, and a two-day ALS course for Intermediates, Critical Care EMT’s, and Paramedics. 

• ACLS For Basics
• EMT-Basics are not trained to provide advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), but there is much they can do to improve the quality of management and thus the patient's chance for survival in a cardiac emergency. ACLS for EMT-Basics teaches what you as an EMT-Basic can do in situations that require advanced cardiac life support.(This program we developed by AAOS and is not an AHA certification program)Students will learn various skills and concepts to assist ALS providers with various team approach situations with Advanced Life Support, including: Sudden Cardiac Arrest - A & P of Heart-Chemical Processes/Gas Exchanges - Assessment of the Cardiac Patient - Fundmentals of Cardiac Rhythm Analysis - EMT-B Interventions - Pharmacology - Stroke or Brain Attacks - Considerations with Pediatric and Neonatal - Death and Dying
• Inhalant Abuse Recognition
• Inhalants are unique among abused substances: they have almost universal availability, they are legal products when used for their intended purposes, and many adults are unaware of their danger. More than 1,400 everyday products, including school and art supplies, common solvents, gases, and cleaning and shop chemicals have the potential to be abused with addictive and deadly consequences.  Nationally, nearly one in four 6^th and 8^th graders has intentionally inhaled to get high.
• DT4EMS (Defensive Tactics for EMS)

• There is a widely recognized but little acknowledged problem threatening emergency medical service personnel:  injury through assault.  The frequency of assault on our EMS providers is alarming. Many EMS providers have anecdotal stories of how they were attacked by a violent patient, an angry bystander or upset family member. While most attacks are not life threatening, the risks of serious injury is evident and unpredictable. DT4EMS™ is Designed to be Liability Conscious.  Beyond receiving training in the limits to force and restraint by EMS personnel, participants are trained in articulation and documentation skills that will hold up to any scrutiny in any legal or ethical venue.  Sound decisions in the face of a dangerous assault by a patient, and the articulation skills to prove the reasonableness of those responses will reduce the liability exposure in any situation.

• TBI (Tramatic Brain Injuries)

• Prehospital personnel consider traumatic brain injury (TBI) one of the most serious and difficult challenges that responders encounter in the field, especially when the patient is a child.  TBI is a serious health problem in the United States with almost two million injuries occurring each year, the majority of which are caused by traffic crashes, followed by gun shot wounds, falls and sports injuries.  It is the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults. 

  
  

If your service is interested in hosting a specialized program listed or have a need for a specialized training not listed, please contact KVEMS directly.

Below is a listing of our current speciality programs. Call 877-0936 to register for these programs!