EMT-B Wiki Index
Last updated: 2026-04-05
San Juan College EMT-B Program — New Mexico
This wiki covers the core knowledge and skills for the EMT-Basic certification, aligned with NREMT psychomotor and cognitive exam content and NM EMS Bureau protocols.
Foundations
| Article |
Description |
| ems-system |
What EMS is, system activation, EMT-B scope vs paramedic, online vs offline medical direction, NM EMS Bureau and San Juan College context, chain of survival |
| safety-bsi |
BSI standard precautions, PPE levels, donning/doffing order, scene safety categories (traffic/violence/hazmat/structural/electrical/fire), when to stage vs enter, NM desert/oil field context |
| legal-ethical |
Types of consent, minors, refusal of care, duty to act, abandonment, negligence, scope of practice, documentation/PCR requirements, HIPAA, DNR |
Assessments
The five-step patient assessment sequence is the backbone of every patient contact. Every intervention connects back to a finding in this sequence.
| Article |
Description |
| scene-size-up |
BSI/PPE, scene safety, MOI vs NOI, number of patients, resource request, c-spine consideration |
| primary-assessment |
General impression, AVPU, airway, breathing, circulation, transport decision |
| history-taking |
SAMPLE history and OPQRST for every patient |
| secondary-assessment |
Rapid trauma (DCAP-BTLS head-to-toe) vs focused physical exam; full vital signs |
| reassessment |
Repeat primary, vital sign trending (5 min critical / 15 min stable), intervention checks |
Pharmacology
EMT-B scope medications. Every drug requires the 6 Rights: right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation. Every drug requires standing order or online medical direction.
| Article |
Drug |
Key Indication |
| oxygen |
Oxygen |
Hypoxia, respiratory distress, chest pain, shock, trauma |
| oral-glucose |
Oral glucose (Glutose, Insta-Glucose) |
Altered mental status in known diabetic who can swallow |
| aspirin |
Aspirin (ASA) |
Suspected ACS / cardiac chest pain |
| epinephrine-auto-injector |
Epinephrine (EpiPen) |
Anaphylaxis with systemic involvement |
| activated-charcoal |
Activated charcoal |
Certain ingested poisons within 1 hour (check NM protocol) |
Procedures
NREMT psychomotor skill stations. Each article includes NREMT-tested checklist steps and NM protocol context.
| Article |
Skill |
Core Concept |
| bvm-ventilation |
BVM Ventilation |
Absent/inadequate breathing; two-rescuer technique; O2 at 15 LPM |
| oxygen-administration |
Oxygen Administration |
NC (1–6 LPM) vs NRB (10–15 LPM); pre-inflate reservoir bag |
| cardiac-arrest-aed |
Cardiac Arrest / AED |
100–120 CPR, 30:2 ratio, immediate CPR post-shock, 2-min cycles |
| spinal-immobilization-supine |
Spinal Immobilization (Supine) |
Manual stabilization, PMS baseline, C-collar, body before head on board |
| spinal-immobilization-seated |
Spinal Immobilization (Seated/KED) |
KED application, torso before head straps, padding the void |
| bleeding-control-shock |
Bleeding Control / Shock |
Direct pressure, tourniquet, O2, position, warmth, priority transport |
| joint-immobilization |
Joint Immobilization (Splinting) |
Immobilize bone above and below injured joint; PMS before and after |
| long-bone-immobilization |
Long Bone Immobilization (Splinting) |
Immobilize joint above and below fracture; traction splint for femur |
Medical Emergencies
| Article |
Key Topic |
| acs-chest-pain |
Aspirin 324 mg, nitroglycerin criteria, STEMI recognition + advance notification |
| anaphylaxis |
Epinephrine 0.3 mg IM; systemic vs. localized; biphasic reaction risk |
| seizure |
Airway protection, lateral positioning, glucometry, status epilepticus |
| stroke |
Cincinnati/FAST, "last known well", Stroke Center transport, no ASA, no HTN treatment |
| diabetic-emergencies |
Hypoglycemia: oral glucose if alert + can swallow; hyperglycemia: IV fluids |
| respiratory-distress |
Intervention ladder: position → O2 → BVM; silent chest = impending arrest |
| asthma-copd |
Albuterol 5 mg neb; ipratropium adjunct; do not delay transport for nebulizer |
| altered-loc |
Glucometry first; differential includes hypoglycemia, OD, stroke, trauma |
| behavioral-psychiatric |
Scene safety, de-escalation, one provider, medical cause first |
| overdose-poisoning |
Naloxone for opioid OD; scene safety; Poison Control 800-222-1222 |
| abdominal-pain |
NPO, position of comfort, transport; AAA + hypotension = priority |
| shock |
Recognize early (AMS + tachy + poor perfusion); O2, position, IV, transport |
| syncope |
All syncope requires hospital; check BGL, cardiac monitor, rule out hemorrhage |
| environmental-emergencies |
Heat stroke: mist + fan; Hypothermia: 60-sec pulse, gentle handling; Drowning: ABC |
| nausea-vomiting |
Symptoms requiring cause identification; lateral position; anti-emetics = ALS |
Trauma
| Article |
Key Topic |
| burns |
Rule of Nines, palm = 1% TBSA, airway burns, Parkland formula, burn center transport |
| chest-trauma |
Tension pneumo recognition; occlusive dressing 3-sided; flail chest BVM splinting |
| head-injury-tbi |
Prevent hypoxia/hypotension; GCS; no hyperventilation except herniation |
| spinal-injury |
Selective immobilization criteria; not all MOI requires full spinal immobilization |
| electrical-injury |
Scene safety first; hidden internal damage; cardiac monitoring required |
| abdominal-pelvic-trauma |
Internal hemorrhage invisible on exam; mechanism is the diagnosis; pelvic binder reduces pelvic volume; you cannot stop internal bleeding in the field |
| extremity-trauma |
Splint to prevent movement, hemorrhage, and neurovascular injury; compartment syndrome 6 Ps; load-and-go overrides splinting in multisystem trauma |
| venomous-bites |
NM rattlesnakes; no tourniquet/cut-suck/ice; immobilize at heart level |
| sexual-assault |
Evidence preservation; no pelvic exam; strangulation = transport even if asymptomatic |
Special Populations
| Article |
Key Topic |
| obstetric-childbirth |
Normal delivery, complications (breech, prolapsed cord, pre-eclampsia), APGAR |
| neonatal-resuscitation |
Warm/dry/stimulate; BVM 40–60/min; CPR 3:1 for HR <60; target SpO2 85–95% at 10 min |
Operations / Universal Care
| Article |
Key Topic |
| dnr-death-determination |
Valid DNR criteria; signs of irreversible death; comfort care always allowed |
| refusal-of-care |
Competent adult refusal; pediatric refusal; involuntary transport NM statute |
Quick Reference: Assessment Finding → Intervention
Quick Reference: Medical Emergency → Protocol
| Condition |
Key EMT-B Actions |
| Chest pain / ACS |
Aspirin 324 mg chewed; O2 if SpO2 <94%; 12-lead EKG; STEMI advance notification |
| Anaphylaxis (systemic) |
Epinephrine auto-injector 0.3 mg IM; high-flow O2; ALS intercept; transport |
| Seizure (active) |
Clear area; do not restrain; note start time; do not put anything in mouth |
| Seizure (postictal) |
Lateral position; suction; BGL check; transport; ALS if status epilepticus |
| Stroke suspected |
Cincinnati/FAST screen; "last known well"; Stroke Center transport; no ASA |
| Hypoglycemia + can swallow |
Oral glucose 12–25 g buccal; reassess BGL at 15 min |
| Respiratory distress |
NC/NRB O2; BVM if absent/inadequate breathing; albuterol if asthma/COPD |
| Anaphylaxis with wheeze |
Epinephrine first, then albuterol — not albuterol alone |
| Nausea/vomiting |
Lateral position; suction ready; identify cause; anti-emetics = ALS |
| Heat stroke |
Remove from heat; remove clothing; mist + fan actively; ALS for IV fluids |
| Cold exposure |
Remove from cold; dry; warm; gentle handling; 60-sec pulse check |
| Venomous bite |
No tourniquet/cut/ice; immobilize at heart level; irrigate; rapid transport |
| Sexual assault |
Evidence preservation; no pelvic exam; strangulation = transport |
Concepts
| Article |
Key Topic |
| glasgow-coma-scale |
GCS scoring (E/V/M), severity thresholds, trending, documentation format, vs. AVPU |
| avpu |
Four-level LOC scale (Alert/Voice/Pain/Unresponsive); airway adjunct correlation; vs. GCS |
| dcap-btls |
8-component trauma physical exam mnemonic; each finding's clinical significance; head-to-toe application |
| sample-opqrst |
Both history-taking frameworks; how each letter drives medication and treatment decisions |
| vital-signs |
The 6 vital signs (BP, pulse, respirations, skin, pupils, SpO2); normal ranges by age group; how to measure each; abnormal findings; trending intervals |
| pulse-oximetry |
SpO2 measurement, normal values, and critical limitations: CO poisoning false high, poor perfusion, anemia, nail polish, motion artifact |
| six-rights |
Right Patient/Drug/Dose/Route/Time/Documentation; applied to each EMT-B scope medication |
| shock-physiology |
Cellular mechanism of shock; 4 types; compensated vs. decompensated; why tachycardia precedes hypotension |
| kinematics-of-trauma |
KE = ½mv²; three collisions in an MVC; restraint patterns; falls; low vs high velocity penetrating; significant MOI criteria; predictable injury patterns |
| rule-of-nines |
TBSA estimation; adult percentages; pediatric modifications; palm method; Parkland formula |
| cincinnati-stroke-scale |
Three-component prehospital stroke screen; FAST comparison; last known well vs. onset time |
| apgar-score |
Neonatal assessment at 1 and 5 minutes; 5 components; scoring interpretation; resuscitation context |
| start-triage |
MCI triage algorithm; 4 tag colors; Black (expectant) rationale; JumpSTART pediatric modification |
| load-and-go-vs-stay-and-play |
Is the thing killing this patient fixable in the field? 10-minute scene time target; conditions that mandate immediate transport |
Practice Drills
Scenario-based drills set in San Juan County, NM. Each has hidden assessment/intervention answers.
Source Files
| Raw File |
Content |
raw/protocols/nm-sop-guidelines-treatment-2022.pdf |
NM EMS Treatment Guidelines (September 2022) |
raw/supplemental/patient-assessment-sequence.md |
Full 5-step assessment sequence |
raw/supplemental/emt-b-pharmacology.md |
EMT-B scope medications |
raw/nremt/psychomotor-skills.md |
NREMT psychomotor skill station checklists |