You are a field supervisor for your EMS system and are working with a new EMT during his probationary period. Both of you are currently on the scene of a 10-month-old pediatric patient for what dispatch describes as 'an unknown medical emergency.' Upon arrival, the parents state the infant is 'just not acting right.' Currently the infant opens his eyes when you shout his name suddenly, he can localize painful stimuli when applied, and he is grunting with each respiration. He was born 3 weeks premature. His capillary refill is 2 seconds. You ask your new EMT to calculate the pediatric GCS score. The EMT should respond with which numeric value?

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks: Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted - Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats - History... Show more

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks:
Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted

- Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats
- History taking or Chief Complaint Assessment
- Vital Signs
- Treatment and Reassessment

The primary assessment includes identifying immediate life threats through the ABCs:
Airway: Assess for problems such as an airway obstruction or an airway occluded by blood or vomit
Breathing: Assess the patient's ability to ventilate and oxygenate
Circulation: Assess the patient's ability to perform internal respiration 

Other tips for EMTs include:
Look at the whole patient
Decide whether to oxygenate or ventilate
Determine shock
Search for the signs of Beck's triad
Check for Cushing's triad
Recognize that not all wheezes are asthma
List the causes of altered mental status 

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