Title: Overview Module IX Patient Assessment
Course: EMS 1119 Emergency Medical Technician > Section: Module IX Patient Assessment

We have reached the point in the course where your work now begins to focus on the patient. You will now become precise words and actions as you learn the steps and processes to be methodical and consistent the assessment of inures and medical conditions. You will practice a thorough and sequential process based on priority. You will develop impressions based upon objective (what you see) and subjective (what you are told) findings as they apply to the injury or illness you are treating.

1. Everything begins with an assessment — and everything do do as an EMT is based upon your assessment and its findings.  Remember this!
2. The importance of conducting an appropriate patient assessment cannot be over emphasized.

It is comprised of essentially five steps: scene size up; primary assessment; history taking; secondary assessment; reassessment. First you will learn the parts of the assessment and then you will learn to put them together and form a comprehensive systematic process.

The key to your success will be to commit to memory a consistent process and repetitive practice. Later, as you gain more knowledge about the various medical and trauma conditions, you will learn how to modify your assessment to target specific conditions (drill down) and or situations. Additionally, based on the initial presentation and the various mitigating factors that can present themselves, you will adapt and streamline your actions, but this comes with experience. Do not take short-cuts, do not cut corners, do not pass “Go and collect $200” (Monopoly).  If you do, you miss something. If you miss something, the patient pays the price.

This module is the perfect example of how skill lab reinforces the didactic material. You do not need to be in skill lab to practice your patient assessment skills. You can practice on a family member or friend. You can verbalize your sequence of assessment when you're studying by yourself. The point is that patient assessment skills require repetitive practice. The utilization of skill practice checklists or psychomotor checklist will be helpful to accomplish this goal. NREMT skill sheets for patent assessment are included in this module.