North Dakota Emergency Medical Services Association

2021 Annual Conference Presenters and Session Descriptions



Dan Batsie

Dan Batsie is the Chief of Emergency Medical Services for the Vermont Department of Health.  He has been a paramedic in New York, Maine and now Vermont for more than 29 years.  Over his career Dan has worked hard to elevate the profession of prehospital medicine and demonstrated a particular passion for high quality EMS education.  Dan has directed two CoAEMSP accredited paramedic programs, authored two EMS textbooks, and lectured both nationally and internationally on current EMS topics.  In addition to his work at the state level, Dan is active in numerous national EMS projects and committees. 

Friday April 9, 2021     

 8:30am-9:40am “Changing Our Culture One Ambulance at a Time”- 1.25 LCCR

The future of EMS is full of complex challenges.  Provider mental health, discrimination, harassment, bullying all impede the progress of our profession and in many cases stand in the way of successful recruitment and retention.  Although these problems must be addressed by the highest levels of EMS administration, the power of the individual to affect change in our world should not be dismissed.  Even the lowliest, newest practitioner can contribute to change.  This class will discuss the concept of interpersonal influence and describe its importance in addressing our most important cultural challenges.  Specifically, we will discuss how interpersonal influence can positively impact mental health and harassment and bullying situations and describe why these grass roots interventions are so important to larger cultural change.  We will use specific examples and discuss why one person can make a difference. 

2:15pm- 3:15pm Critical Anaphylaxis 1 NCCR Immunological

Severe allergic reactions are certainly not a new problem facing EMS practitioners, but recently there has been a great deal of research that has challenged some of our most commonly held assumptions regarding the assessment and treatment of this most deadly disorder.  This class is designed to update all levels based upon the most recent contributions to the prehospital evidence-based guideline.  A clear and specific decision-making algorithm will be discussed as well as best practice emergent interventions.  This class is designed for the EMT level; however, some advanced concepts will be described.  All levels are welcome.

Saturday April 10 2021

9:45am-10:45am I Think I’m Going to Throw Up: Management of the Nausea and Vomiting Patient- 1 LCCR

“I think I’m going to throw up” is a complaint heard daily by EMTs across the globe.  In fact, it’s so common that most providers have developed a reflex to quickly grab for the emesis bag and pray they don’t have to clean up a mess.  At the advanced levels, the reflex has evolved into dispensing antiemetic medications like candy at Halloween.  However, not all nausea and vomiting patients are routine and frequently these symptoms mask underlying, life-threatening problems.  Are we really assessing these patients properly?  Are we really treating them effectively?  This class will discuss the most common etiologies of nausea and vomiting and provide assessment strategies to better identify when these symptoms indicate a potentially critical patient. We will describe best practice, prehospital treatment for nausea (both basic and advanced interventions) and review the current evidence to differentiate myth from fact.

Sunday April 11 2021

8:30am-9:30am Managing Endocrine Emergencies as an EMT- 1 NCCR Endocrine

The role of the EMT is frequently undervalued in the setting of endocrine emergencies.  Commonly these patients are immediately routed to the advanced levels, but far too often we forget the value and effectiveness of key basic level care.  Furthermore, recent advances in the management of endocrine emergencies have afforded the EMT a wider array of treatment options and enabled safe and successful care of sicker patients before the arrival of ALS.  This class will discuss the assessment and treatment of common endocrine emergencies.  We will discuss and update current EMT level therapies and describe new advances at the EMT level such as intranasal and intramuscular medications.  Although all levels of care are welcome, this class is primarily designed for emergency responders, EMTs and AEMTs.

11:00am-12:00pm Toxicology and the EMT: What Every EMT Should Know about Toxicological Emergencies- 1 NCCR Toxicological

Typically, toxicology is a topic presented with advanced life support in mind.  Antidotes and interventions are assumed to live only at the paramedic level.  In today’s world however, EMTs are better prepared than ever to address the most common toxicological emergencies.  This class will focus on basic toxicological care applied before the arrival of advanced providers.  We will discuss common deadly overdoses and poisonings and describe interventions possible at the EMT scope of practice.  .


Chris Dick

Chris is a 29 year EMS veteran and has been a paramedic for 26 of those years.  He is a native North Dakotan who spent 20 years in the mountains of Montana and Colorado and recently returned to ND with his family in 2017.  He has worked in private, county and fire based EMS.  He has also worked as a ski patroller and spent two seasons working in a ski clinic at the base of Copper Mountain, CO.  Chris spent 16 years in CO in EMS leadership for a county based EMS system.  Chris holds a BA in Biology from the University of Jamestown.  He has dedicated his life to providing excellent patient care and improving EMS.   He and his family reside in Williston, ND where he is the EMS Supervisor at the Williston Fire Department and coaches and chases his boys, who are heavily involved in hockey, around the state.  Chris is also dedicated to supporting safety in EMS and positive mental health while doing this crazy job and founded the H.E.R.O. Classic Hockey Tournament in 2016.

Friday April 9, 2021 

11:15am-12:15pm  Are You Ready for This?- 0.5 NCCR Culture of Safety 0.5 NCCR Ambulance Safety

The speaker will take you on a wild ride and step by step through a recent ambulance crash that ended in eight feet of ice water.  This will not be your typical ambulance safety lecture and will open your eyes, in a new way, to the dangers in our industry.  This presentation will provide you with safety measures you can put into practice immediately and highlight lifesaving equipment you may consider carrying with you.


Tom Dobrzynski

Sunday April 11, 2021

12:15pm – 12:45pm  BONUS Session – “ROSC” (0.5 NCCR Post Resuscitation)



Jason Dush

Jason serves as the Operational Medicine Unit Manager for the Texas Department of Public Safety. In his current role, Jason is responsible for the states law enforcement medical first responder program. Prior to working for DPS, he was the Chief Operating Officer for a national ambulance transport company. He previously worked as full-time Firefighter Paramedic for the Arlington Fire Department for 10 years where he also served as the EMS Clinical Coordinator for 3 years. Jason's resume includes 27 years of paid EMS/Fire with 2 different large metropolitan departments and 13 years as a Critical Care flight paramedic. Jason has been an active commissioned police officer and Tactical Paramedic since 1997, currently commissioned as a Cold Case Homicide Detective in Williamson County, TX. Jason is passionate about EMS education and is a known speaker locally and nationally over the last 17 years for bringing a sense of motivation, humor, passion, energy, leadership, and practical experience to his audience.

Friday April 9, 2021     

 10:00am-11:00am Bleeding Control Made Easy: Tourniquets, Pressure Points and Wound Packing- 1 NCCR Hemorrhage Control

When I went to EMT school, I had numerous bandages for different types of wounds and that’s all I could use. Not all of my patients met the textbook type injuries and what was I to do with all of my bandages? Today’s data supports a paradigm shift of bleeding control measures that are simple and effective for medical providers and the general public. This class will cover hands on demonstrations of simple and effective techniques along with tricks of the trade that will change the way you do bleeding control. This lecture will be full of videos and pictures.

2:15pm- 3:15pm Special Healthcare Needs: Disease Specific Managing the Special Needs Patient in your Community- 1 NCCR Special Health Needs


Although every special-needs patient is different and every family is unique, there are some common concerns that link these patients together. Maintaining appropriate care and management in the prehospital setting can be a challenge when not properly trained and prepared for these unique cases. With newer and updated equipment, it has become more common and practical for patients once cared for in the hospital setting to be cared for at home. Specialized equipment, chronic conditions, communications, management, and transport of these patients can be a challenge for prehospital providers. This session will be disease specific focused.


Saturday April 10, 2021 

1:00pm-2:00pm Special Healthcare Needs: Devices Managing the Special Needs Patient in your Community- 1 NCCR Special Health Needs

Although every special-needs patient is different and every family is unique, there are some common concerns that link these patients together. Maintaining appropriate care and management in the prehospital setting can be a challenge when not properly trained and prepared for these unique cases. With newer and updated equipment, it has become more common and practical for patients once cared for in the hospital setting to be cared for at home. Specialized equipment, chronic conditions, communications, management, and transport of these patients can be a challenge for prehospital providers. This session will review some of the latest and greatest devices, management, and transport considerations.

2:15pm-3:30pm Rush Hour: Human Trafficking- 1 NCCR At Risk Populations

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery for labor and sex. Public servants working on the frontlines are in a place to recognize and report human trafficking victims. Almost every one of us have managed a patient who was trafficked for sex or labor and never knew it. As public servants, we must be advocates for these victims and be better educated and prepared to recognize and manage these victims while in our care. This lecture will open your eyes to the reality of the prevalence of human trafficking in our communities.

Sunday April 11, 2021

8:30am-9:30am When I Don’t Have Siri, Alexa or Google: BLS Critical Care Assessment- 1 LCCR Critical thinking in medicine requires using logic to understand medical problems and make reasonable decisions in patient management. Have you had that patient that stumped you or made you really think? Have you had that call where your patient assessment and management flow didn't go so well because you didn't know where to start with treatment priorities? Jason will break down and simplify the ABC's of patient assessment, management, and treatment priorities. This fun and exciting class will have you walking away feeling more comfortable, confident and competent with your critical thinking and patient management skills.

1:00pm-2:00pm Humpty Dumpty Did What??? Trauma Case Studies- 0.5 NCCR Trauma Triage and 0.5 NCCR CNS Injury 0.5

In a case study format, there will be videos and pictures to depict insult of injury patterns as we have group discussion on highlights of patient and scene management priorities.


Chief Corey A. Johnson

Captain Johnson current serves the City of Williston Fire Department.  Aside from normal shift duties he is also assigned to the Williams County SWAT Team as a Paramedic and is part of the Hazardous Materials Response Team.  Captain Johnson has 12 years of experiences in emergency services and is currently an Instructor Coordinator in the state for EMS programs and for the NAEMT PHTLS and TCCC programs.  Previously he was a Paramedic Supervisor for a regional ALS service in western Pennsylvania and was a team member of the Pennsylvania EMS Strike Team with several deployments to natural disasters. 

Saturday April 9, 2021

9:45am- 10:45am Role of Research and Evidenced Based Guideline- (0.5 Research & 0.5 EBG)

  • o   This session will examine the challenges of conducting research in EMS and why we need to have more of it.
  •   Objectives for this session include:
  •   Identify national initiatives and resources that promote and enable EMS Research
  •   Explain the practical use of research in EMS care
  •   Explain the scientific method
  •   Differentiate among the different research methods
  •   Explain the process of conducting a literature review

Sue Johnson

Saturday April 9, 2021

Stroke Recognition and Severity Tools- 1 NCCR Stroke

This lecture will identify the options for out-of-hospital stroke assessment tools and review EMS interventions during a stroke emergency. The session will discuss the importance of knowing a timeline of stroke events and identify patients needing rapid transport to the most appropriate stroke hospital. Stroke syndromes and symptoms associated to stroke will be discussed along with case study review.


Ron Lawler

Ron has had a diverse career. He has worked in the military, retail, manufacturing and service industries. He became involved in EMS in the ‘90s at F-M Ambulance Service in Fargo, ND. He has held several positions including dispatcher, EMT, Paramedic, ALS educator, Paramedic Program Coordinator and now Director of the Sanford Health EMS Education Department. Ron is active in EMS research and has presented abstracts and posters at several national conferences. Ron is a board member for the North Dakota EMS Association, an elected member of the National Association of EMS Educators Board of Directors and servers on their Education Technology Committee and Research Committees, is an appointee to the North Dakota Education Advisory Committee and is active with the Minnesota EMS Regulatory Board.

Thursday April 8, 2021

6:00pm- 10:00pm Instructor Recertification (NO CEUS)

Sunday April 11, 2021 

2:15pm- 3:30pm Stress and PACT –A Panel Discussion 1LCCR


Julie “Jules” Scadden

Julie “Jules” Scadden, PM, EMS-Ed; has been involved in EMS for over 27 years and currently serves as the Director of EMS for Dysart Ambulance Service, a blended volunteer/paid ambulance service in central Iowa. Jules also serves as co-chair on the Iowa EMS-C Advisory Council, the Service Director representative on the Iowa Quality Assurance and Scope of Practice Committee and is Vice-Chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council-EMS/Rescue Section. She served on the National Scope of Practice Review committee and continues to service on the National EMS Quality Assurance and Prehospital Evidence Based Guidelines Consortium. She is an EMS Educator and presenter at regional, state & national EMS conferences with a focus on Pediatrics and Children with Special Healthcare needs, a reviewer and writer of EMS Educational materials.

Friday April 9, 2021     

 11:15am-12:15pm  Ow, Ow, Ow…That’s Gonna leave a Mark!”-0.5 NCCR CNS Injury 0.5 NCCR Hemorrhage Control

The child athlete is ever growing and changing physically and socially. Sports become an exciting and fun part of their growth, developing physical and social skills, teamwork, the importance of following rules, and the health benefits of exercise. Participation in sports means the child will experience a sports injury at some point and sports injuries in children differ from those seen in adults. This presentation discusses the benefits of sports, commonly seen injuries in the child athlete and special circumstances involving sports injuries in children with special challenges.

Saturday April 10, 2021 

8:30am-9:30pm Total Chaos: Behavioral Emergencies- 1 NCCR Psychiatric Emergencies

You are called to a female with exhaustion from fighting aliens all night.. EMS is often the first medical intervention for individuals who are experience a psychological break: chemical or organic. Chaos is resides on the scene and in the patient’s mind and poses serious safety hazards for everyone involved. This presentation explores a variety of behavioral emergencies and methodology of assessment and management for these emergences while keeping everyone safe.

11:00am-12:00pm  “Closet Monsters-Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy”-   1 LCCR

As mandatory reporters, EMS must be able to recognize the “Red Flags” of abuse, become a child advocate and protector as well as the child’s healthcare provider. However, the red flags of child abuse can sometimes not be clearly visible. This presentation discusses Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP): an often misdiagnosed form of child abuse in which a parent intentionally causes an illness in order keep in contact with healthcare providers. Through case study discussion we will explore how EMS may be the front line in stopping these “closet monsters of child abuse.”

1:30pm-2:00pm In the Eyes of the Aged: Geriatric Emergencies

EMS providers have frequent contact with Geriatric patients, yet we tend to treat them no differently than our other patients. This interactive session will address the special issues surrounding the assessment, emotional and psychological issues, physical care and packaging of this special patient population.

Sunday April 11, 2021

9:45am-10:45am  "The Weight of Life" – Bariatrics 1 LCCR

EMS calls involving bariatric patients are becoming increasingly common and present a number of challenges to the EMS practitioner. This interactive session will discuss how obesity has created new health care issues for patients and EMS practitioners as well as special issues surrounding the assessment, treatment and packaging of this special patient population.



Dustin Szczech

Clinical Consultant – Mechanical Circulatory Support Division, Abbott

Earned my ASN in 2011, and BSN in 2014. My nursing career started in 2011 at the University of MN on the Intermediate Care Unit, and in 2014 joined the Heart Failure team as a Ventricular Assist Device Coordinator. In 2017 I joined Abbott as a Clinical Consultant, serving the Minnesota and Dakotas geography. My primary responsibilities include MCS device support and education. This includes attending/supporting surgical implants, providing technical support to implanting centers, and providing education to the community on the device.


Friday April 9, 2021   

3:15pm - 3:45pm Bonus Session- Ventricular Assist Devices- 0.5 NCCR VAD


Recognize the basic anatomy of a VAD

Recognize the LVAD device and equipment

Identify the special assessment considerations for VAD patients

Identify safety and emergency steps for VAD patients



Jeremy Thomasson

Jeremy Thomasson, FPC, NRP, CMTE, currently serves as Business Operations Manager for PHI Air Medical in Texas. Jeremy has been involved in EMS and education for  20 years. He has served as an EMS Director, Field Training Officer, and Outreach Educator.  He has instructed in multiple EMS and critical care programs throughout his career. He is actively involved with teaching and coordinating outreach education offerings, including EMS CE, AHA and NAEMT programs, as well as ITLS.

Friday April 9, 2021   

10:00am-11:00am  Out of the Norm….Not So Common Pediatric Emergencies- 1 NCCR Pediatric Transport

Pediatric emergencies are stressful enough for responders. What happens when it's something we don't always think about or see? Something that we might not catch? This lecture will explore some of these emergencies and the current treatments and considerations for them.

1:00pm-2:00pm You, Me, and Baby Makes Three….A Look at High Risk Obstetrics- 1 NCCR OB Emergencies

This presentation will take a look at the High Risk Obstetrical patient and serve as a reminder of the complications associated with them. We will also take a look at the factors that put a patient at risk and the goals of our treatment and transport decisions.

Saturday April 10, 2021

8:30am-9:30am  Crew Resource Management: Let’s Talk!- 1 NCCR Crew Resource Management

Positive communication is important in all aspects of what we do.  From emergency care to safety to hand-off reports.  This lively discussion will highlight the roots of crew resource management and take the concepts the instructor has learned in over 10 years of air medical EMS experience to make them applicable to everyday EMS issues.

11:00am-12:00pm Pain Management 101-What am I treating and Why?- 1 NCCR Pain Management

Confusion still reigns when it comes to the patient requiring pain management and/or sedation .In this visual and interactive presentation

Sunday April 11, 2021

11:00am-12:00pm Where there’s a Will, there’s a WAVE.  ETCO2 Basics- 1 NCCR Capnography (ALS)

End tidal Co2 capnography has been around for a while.  Yet to some providers it is still a seldom used or completely understood tool.  This immersive presentation will discuss the basics of waveform interpretation as well as demonstrate the most common, yet imperative, uses available to providers.

1:00pm-2:00pm The Well Being of the EMT (LOL)…….revisited- 1 LCCR

Dealing with losses in the healthcare field is usually compartmentalized into losing patients or coworkers. But what happens when those losses are truly your own? Your job, your health, your family? We spend a lot of time learning to deal with others pain and suffering, but how do we deal with our own? How can we identify and correct our own shortcomings? In this presentation, we will discuss what it is like to fall from the proverbial “top” to rock bottom, and how one medic (the instructor) has dealt with these issues and the takeaways that you hopefully can apply to yourself and your career.


Howard Walth

Howard has had a heart for EMS & Trauma ever since his first ambulance run in 1982. He currently serves as the Trauma Coordinator for CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck.  He is a retired Bismarck Fire Lieutenant and maintains certifications as a RN, CEN, CFRN, CCRN, TCRN, LNCC and Paramedic.

Sunday April 11, 2021

9:45-10:45am- Field Triage and Trauma Triage- 1 NCCR Field Triage/ Trauma Triage Waiting for a description

“This session will examine a mock scenario complete with several contingencies.  The “START” triage system will be reviewed and participants will practice the principles learned by triaging multiple patients.”


Friday April 9, 2021

3:15pm-3:45pm  BONUS Session – “Ventricular Assist Devices”) (0.5 NCCR VAD)

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Saturday April 10, 2021

8:00am-8:30am  BONUS Session – “EMS Provider Hygiene, Safety & Vaccinations” (Speaker TBD) (0.5 NCCR Provider Hygiene & Safety)




North Dakota EMS Association

1622 East Interstate Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58503

1-701-221-0567


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