03/02/2021
Eventually we face the reality that there is absolutely nothing optional about coping with death. EMS providers will never overcome being uncomfortable with the death notification skill as long as we ignore the need for it. Alexandra Jabr, EMT-P, is the creator of Emergency Resilience, LLC and the course “Death Communication for First Responders: How to Deliver Unfortunate News.” In this month s first podcast she speaks with host Mike McCabe about this neglected portion of our training and its impacts. Don t miss the associated print article, “Death Communication What We ve Failed to Teach.”
Follow EMS World (EMSWorldOFCL) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. EMS World Spring is March 3–5, and EMS World Expo is Oct. 4–8, 2021 in Atlanta!
Understand the state of current education as it relates to death and grieving;
List five practices EMS providers can implement to alleviate family suffering;
Describe how occupational resilience is essential to effective EMS work;
Learn what terms to avoid when communicating with those who are grieving.
Almost 10 years ago I spotted the words
Coping with Death (optional) listed in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) instructor manual. “Why don’t we ever teach this section?” I asked the man who gave me my first job as an American Heart Association instructor. He uncomfortably replied, “We don’t have time to teach it.”