/r/EMS is a subreddit for medical first responders to hangout and discuss anything related to emergency medical services.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're a student or new to the field and have questions or need advice, we kindly ask that you head over to our sister subreddit: /r/NewToEMS.
Before posting, please check out our FAQ that outlines general facts about emergency medical services and various resources to help guide you in the right direction. There is also a wiki and search feature.
FAQ courtesy of 47599. Last update: 8/22/2014
Rules
You are required to follow our rules and failing to do so may result in your posts removed and account banned.
Bigotry, racism, or hateful speech is not allowed.
No posts related to self-harm.
Do not ask basic questions. Post those in /r/NewToEMS instead or refer to the FAQ, Wiki, or search feature.
No non-EMS related submissions or off-topic content.
New certifications or licenses may only be posted on Thursday's in our weekly thread called Triumphant Thursday.
Do not ask for or provide medical advice.
Only submit memes, image macros, reaction gifs, rage comics, cringe shirts, etc. on Mondays and you must write "[MEME]" in the beginning of the post's title. This rule does not apply to comment sections.
All posts that are solicitations or self-promoting must be approved by moderation team prior to posting.
Verified Flair
Special flair identifying country of origin and level of certification can be obtained after verification by the mods. We have standard flair available for many levels of care, and new flair options are added occasionally by request on a case by case basis.
How to Verify
Click here to submit a flair verification request form to the moderation team.
As always, users can still add (non-verified) flair with the self-serve flair module in the sidebar - just click "edit" next to your user name.
Discounts
Discounts for EMSers!
Codes and Abbreviations
Keep in mind that codes and abbreviations are not universal and very widely based on local custom. Ours is an international community, so in the interest of clear communication, we encourage using plain English whenever possible.
For reference, here are some common terms:
- A&O - Alert and oriented
- ACP - Advanced Care Paramedic
- CAO - Conscious, alert, and oriented
- CCP - Critical Care Paramedic
- ECG - Electrocardiogram
- EDP - Emotionally disturbed person
- EKG - Electrocardiogram
- EMS - Emergency Medical Services (duh)
- EMT - Emergency Medical Technician. Letters after the EMT abbreviation, like "EMT-I", indicate a specific level of EMT certification.
- FDGB - Fall down, go boom
- MHA - Mental hygiene arrest
- MVA - Motor vehicle accident
- MVC - Motor vehicle collision
- PCP - Primary Care Paramedic
- Pt - Patient
- Hot, Red, Code-3 - Using lights and sirens in a response.
- VSA - Vital signs absent
A more complete list can be found here.
Related Subreddits
EMS Snu courtesy of mmomjian. Subreddit style and banner courtesy of medicaid_driver.
