Google just came out with their top searched terms and "ALS" was one of them;
What does ALS stand for? What is ALS?: In the EMS World (Emergency Medical Services), ALS stands for Advanced Life Support.
Advanced Life Support
This identifies an "advanced EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)" The basic EMT is given the task to give all the preliminary, BLS (Basic Life Support) aids to the patient if necessary. If after BLS is given, the EMT feels that more advanced help is required, a member of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) team is requested to take over. Under medical direction an ALS provider can give more advanced skills or treatment such as start an IV (Intravenous) and fluids, deliver medicines, and perform advanced oxygen therapies or more invasive skills.
The ALS group is a team of highly trained individuals that provide more advanced medical help to the patients at the scene or in-transit when needed. In other words, they are trained and under physician direction, authorized to do the things that basic EMTs cannot do for the patient. To understand their purpose better, here is a closer look at the different ALS team's composition, their respective duties and responsibilities.
The Advanced Life Support team is composed of several member groups namely: the regular paramedic, and the critical care paramedic/Flight Paramedics.
Paramedic (EMT-P)
Paramedics are licensed individuals who can perform tasks beyond that of an EMT. These tasks include: cardiac monitoring, intubation, and administering IV medications. Paramedics are subject to 18-24 months of difficult theoretical training and practice. After the formal training, they are also required to render hours of practice and to undergo certification. If a paramedic wants to specialize in a specific field, they can further their studies and subject themselves for more certification as required.
Critical Care Paramedic (CCEMTP) / Flight Paramedic (FPC)
Critical Care and Flight Paramedics are similar to paramedics except that they are certified to provide extended care to patients in critical conditions and in complicated situations. Through their training, they are allowed to use more advanced equipment and devices that are often just used in ICU or critical care units, perform tasks like blood administration, and chest tube insertion among others.
MedEvent911 employs both BLS and ALS providers in a wide variety of special event settings including but not limited to conferences, races, movie and TV productions, competitions, festivals, VIP protection duties to name a few.
Interested in learning more about MedEvent911's Event Medical services? Give us a call at 877-811-6760 or get a no-obligation Event Staffing quote here.