About the EMT Textbook
The textbook used throughout the EMT Boot Camp is: Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured Digital Advantage Package, Twelfth Edition. Published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), this textbook provides the fundamental knowledge of the emergency medical services (EMS) system, safety and well-being of the emergency medical technician (EMT), and medical, legal, and ethical issues relevant to emergency care. Each chapter covers National EMS Education Standard Competencies.
Chapters Covered on Day 9 Include:
- Chapter 30: Chest Trauma
- Chapter 31: Abdominal Trauma
- Chapter 32: Orthopedic
- Chapter 33: Environmental Trauma
EMT Textbook Chapter 30—Chest Trauma: Summary
Chapter 30 focuses on the necessary knowledge and skills for pre-hospital care and transportation of patients with chest trauma. Students will learn how to recognize life threats associated with these injuries and how to provide immediate intervention.
Among other topics, the Chapter 30 curriculum covers:
- The anatomy and physiology of the chest and underlying organs
- The causes, effects, assessment, and management of chest injury
- Age-related issues specific to pediatric and geriatric chest trauma
- Morbidity and mortality information on chest trauma
- Blunt versus penetrating or open trauma
- Specific injuries, including sucking chest wound, pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, hemothorax, flail chest, and pericardial tamponade
After completing Chapter 30 and related coursework, you will be able to provide basic emergency care and transportation to a patient with an acute chest injury based on your assessment findings. You will know the signs of chest injury, the difference between a pneumothorax (air or gas between the chest wall and the lungs) and a hemothorax (blood between the chest wall and the lungs), and the possible complications. Students also learn the mechanics of ventilation for chest injuries.
EMT Textbook Chapter 31—Abdominal Trauma: Summary
Chapter 31 focuses on the pre-hospital care of patients with abdominal and genitourinary trauma. Students will study the cause, effects, and assessment of injuries relating to the abdominal, genital, and urinary organs and learn to recognize life threats associated with these injuries. The assessment section of this chapter is very comprehensive and follows the primary and secondary models.
Some of the specific injuries discussed in Chapter 31 include:
- Blunt versus penetrating mechanisms
- Evisceration
- Impaled object
- Injuries to external genitalia
- Vaginal bleeding secondary to trauma
- Sexual assault
After completing Chapter 31 and coursework, you will know how to manage a patient with abdominal and genitourinary trauma. You will be able to define closed and open abdominal injuries and provide examples of the mechanisms of injury (MOI), and the common signs and symptoms.
Chapter 31 will also provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to provide prehospital care to patients who have experienced a genitourinary injury. This includes injuries to the kidneys, bladder, external male genitalia, female genitalia, and rectum. Special considerations are also covered for a patient who has experienced a genitourinary injury caused by sexual assault, including patient treatment, criminal implications, and evidence management.
EMT Textbook Chapter 32—Orthopedic Trauma: Summary
Chapter 32 covers the cause, effects, assessment, and pre-hospital treatment of orthopedic injuries.
Some of these orthopedic injuries covered include:
- Open fractures
- Closed fractures
- Dislocations
- Amputations and replantation
- Upper and lower extremity orthopedic trauma
- Sprains and strains
- Pelvic fractures
After completing Chapter 32 and the related coursework, you will understand the structure of the musculoskeletal system and how it works. You will be able to provide prehospital care and transportation for patients with musculoskeletal injuries, including fractures, dislocations, amputations, sprains, and strains. Students are also taught the need for, general rules, and possible complications of splinting, including rigid, zippered air, vacuum, Hare and Sager traction splints. You will also learn the use of pneumatic anti-shock garments (PASG) to treat severe blood loss.
EMT Textbook Chapter 33—Environmental Trauma: Summary
Chapter 33 covers the prehospital care and transportation of patients with environmental injuries. Environmental injuries are caused by an element or force outside the patient which can occur anywhere—indoors, outdoors, on land, or in water.
Among other topics, Chapter 33 discusses the assessment and treatment of:
- Hypothermia
- Local cold injuries, such as frostbite
- Heat exposure illnesses, such as heat stroke
- Drowning
- Diving emergencies
- High-altitude sickness
- Electrical injury
- Lightning strikes
- Bites and envenomations
- Radiation exposures
After completing Chapter 33 and the related coursework, you will have learned how to properly assess and manage many common environmental injuries. You will gain an understanding of the risk factors, signs and symptoms, and emergency treatment procedures for a variety of conditions.
Day 9: Summary
Successful completion of Day 9 of EMT Boot Camp will provide the knowledge and skills needed to treat the chest, abdomen, genitals, urinary tract, muscles, and skeleton injuries. You will recognize the life threats associated with these injuries and how to provide immediate intervention. You will learn the proper assessment and management of many common environmental injuries and you will also be provided with the knowledge and skills needed to treat and transport EMS patients with environmental emergencies.
Day 9 requires 12 hours of participation from start to finish, including two half-hour breaks for lunch and dinner. The coursework and training are accelerated. You will be expected to process and retain a lot of information in a relatively short time.
The Unitek 14-day EMT Boot Camp is not easy, but it is worth it! Our dedicated graduates are among the best-trained and most effective EMTs in the world today. Click here to learn more about our two-week EMT Boot Camp.
(Click here to explore our full 14-day EMT Curriculum)
About Unitek EMT
Unitek EMT is one of the premier EMT schools in Arizona. Our mission is simple: training the next wave of top-notch EMT professionals. We offer a variety of training options to fit your needs, including an accelerated EMT program to get you mission-ready and certified fast. We also offer EMS Continuing Education courses to update your expertise and enhance your career. Unitek EMT instructors are experienced leaders in their fields, and our real-world training scenarios are ideal for aspiring EMT professionals.
