Howard Young, physician assistant, on gurney, helps Dr. Ranjan Sachdev, Central Kansas Medical Center orthopedist, demonstrate a procedure during the first of a new series of EMS training classes sponsored by CKMC.
The regular joint meetings of local Emergency Medical Services and Central Kansas Medical Center personnel have morphed into an area-wide series of training courses.
The series recently began with Greg Faimon, M.D., discussing head injuries and Ranjan Sachdev, M.D., concentrating on orthopedics. Dr. Faimon is CKMC’s Emergency Room medical director and Dr. Sachdev is the hospital’s orthopedist at Central Kansas Orthopaedics at CKMC.
"This enhanced effort is an offshoot of the regular meetings we have always had with the Great Bend EMS," Dr. Faimon said. "We have had great success and now want to include EMS first-responders from all over central Kansas.
"Emergency medicine is a team approach that starts at the scene with the EMS personnel," Faimon continued. "This is often the beginning of the continuum of care."
During the first training session, the physicians offered an overview of treatment options in the pre-hospital setting.
"There were good discussions on different techniques and medications," Dr. Faimon noted. "We were all learning by sharing our experiences with one another."
The session involved 31 EMS providers from Barton, Rice and Ellsworth counties. In future courses, CKMC hopes to attract representatives from other nearby counties too, said Leilani Schenkel, CKMC’s chief operating officer.
"We are trying to build even stronger relationships with EMS personnel," Schenkel said. "The feedback after the first session was ‘we want more.’ They want this valuable information, along with case studies so they know what happens with their patients after care and treatment in the emergency room.
"This is so important to the EMTs," Schenkel added. "They are concerned for their patients and want to know how the situation turns out. These training sessions will provide a great opportunity for that and for networking with one another."
Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano attended the first training session and is eager for more.
"This was a great start," Napolitano said. "It creates an open dialogue between CKMC and the medics in the field. This collaboration will improve total patient care, which is always our goal.
"CKMC has always encouraged the doctors to talk with the EMTs," Napolitano added. "This training series will take that communication to the next level. It is fantastic for everyone involved, especially the patients."
The fire chief also noted that CKMC is allowing EMS to choose training topics. "This is just another way to build good relationships with other EMS departments and with CKMC," he said.
The next class is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16 in CKMC’s St. Dominic Room. It will focus on chest pain and cardiac arrest, and ice-related injuries such as those resulting from falls.
