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Rating: 
Summary: Must Have
Review: Although DeGowin & DeGowin is the gold standard of physical examination texts, Bledsoe provides the paramedic student with an excellent background in patient assessment. Most one-volume paramedic texts are somewhat skimpy when it comes to the topic of physical examination techniques. This book is an excellent supplement. It also makes lesson planning easy since it follows the National Curriculum nearly to the letter. I currently use it as a resource for lecture material on the relevant topics for the paramedic and CE courses I teach. There is an incredibly thorough section on physical examination techniques, broken down by body system. It is quite in-depth, even covering ophthalmoscopic, otoscopic, ROM, and advanced neurological exams. Even though the aforementioned techniques are infrequently used in the field, it provides an excellent springboard for paramedics that work in the Emergency Department, as well as those that may wish to pursue the up-and-coming "paramedic practitioner" program that is now on the drawing board at the national level. After presenting physical exam techniques, they are brought together into complete assessments, with rationales presented for each component. This book also includes the standard communication and documentation sections. This book comes highly recommended, as well as volume one of this series. If volumes 3, 4 and 5 continue the tradition, the textbooks will most likely become the premier advanced prehospital education series.
Rating:
Summary: A Comprehensive look at Basic Paramedical Emergencies
Review: This book is significantly larger than other paramedic textbooks. It is probably the most comprehensive and detailed introductory text on the market. This isn't as detailed as AMLS but is a beginners guide of medical emergencies. There is 700p in this book, compared to roughly 500p, at most, in other books. The chapters: 1)Pulmonary 2)Cardiology 3)Neurology 4)Endocrinology 5)Allergies and Anaphylaxis 6)Gastroenterology 7)Urology and Nephrology 8)Toxicology and Substance Abuse 9)Hematology 10)Environmental Emergencies 11)Infectious Disease 12)Psychiatric and Behavioral Disorders 13)Gynecology 14)Obstetrics The cardiology chapter is probably the best in any paramedic text but it may still help to get other books like Dale Dubin's as a supplemental guide. Toxicology was covered pretty well too. Behavioral emergencies could have been done a little more extensively though. All in all this is a great book and a would make a valuable part of basic paramedic training.
Rating:
Summary: Intro to Advanced Paramedic Care at its Best
Review: This text is by far the single best introduction to advanced prehospital care available on the market today. Brady has elected to have a 5 volume series for paramedic education. Breaking up the various areas of emergency medicine has allowed much more specific information to be included into the volumes. This first volume is 640 pages including glossary. The chapter titles are: 1)Intro to Advanced Care 2)Well Being of Paramedics 3) EMS Systems 4)Roles and Responsibilities 5)Illness and Injury Prevention 6)Medical and legal aspects 7)Ethics 8)GeneralPathophysiology 9)General Pharmacology 10)Medication Administration 11)Theraputic Communications 12)Life Span Development 13)Airway Management Appx)Research in EMS Most other paramedic texts have just over 300 pages dedicated to the topics that this book has 640p for. All the sections are significantly larger than any other paramedic text. There is more detailed information and instructions for specific procedures, making self instruction much easier. I highly recommend this book to paramedic students. If your paramedic class has another book as its primary text I think you'd still get great use from this book. If you are a firefighter. first responder, etc and looking to go to the next level this may be the book for you. These new texts from Brady would also make fine additions to a library as a resource tool.
Rating:
Summary: Above Average Patient Assessment Text
Review: Though this book is put together in a rather odd format it is still a very good text from which the student can gain a lot of valuable knowledge. The paramedic care series, of which this is volume 2, has no formal anatomy and physiology sections. This book combines anatomy and physiology with the patient assessment section. Patient assessment is usually straight forward and not that difficult to learn but since this book combines it with anatomy it makes for a learning challenge. The books chapters: 1)History 2)Physical Exam Techniques 3)Patient assessment in the field 4)Clinical Decision making 5)Communications 6)Documentation Most paramedic texts have less than 100 pg for what this book spends almost 300p on. Anatomy and physiology are included in this text but that doesn't replace the need for a text dedicated exclusively to the topic. This text presents as basic into to A&P but nothing more. It does do a fantastic job at presenting what patient assessment is all about. There are a few things that were left out and a few "trades of the trick" that would have been useful if included. What kind of annoys me about the communication chapter is that they leave out so much. The phoenetic alphabet, basic radio communication procedures, tactical communications, numbering systems, appropriate procedures and other basic things like that are nowhere to be found. I understand the importance of knowing how radio systems function but the operators really need to have a basic understanding of radio procedures without having to purchase another book. Paramedics do so much communicating over radios and phones that they should have that info included in these basic training texts.
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