EMS 20/20 podcast artwork

PODCAST · education

EMS 20/20

EMS 20/20 is podcast hosted by two experienced Paramedics. Spencer Oliver and Christopher Pfingsten discuss real calls run by real responders and pull out the lessons you won't find in a text book. This podcast is aimed at Paramedic students, seasoned Paramedics looking to refresh, or any one interested in a deeper dive into pre-hospital health care.

  1. 246

    Kemento

    Chris discovers a sound board as Spencer goes through the call... backwards? Start at the end and end at the beginning for the wild ride, complete with dramatic movie quotes.

  2. 245

    Special Edition | CSI: Truck Stop

    Spencer is in the hot seat and performs quite well! He has the world's most annoying intern, but thankfully a helpful partner and PD as well. How does he do? Listen and find out!

  3. 244

    My Heart Will (Not) Go On

    Friend of the Show QANTU joins us for a Titanic Sized episode! Will the efforts to pace a patient be the life boat that's needed? Or will this patient be kicked off the floating door and die an icy death?

  4. 243

    Lives Out: An EMS 20/20 Mystery

    Dr. Will Heuser join the crew in a an altered LOC mystery! Intubation, a mystery of a history, and a blood pressure that is not cooperating with authorities. Will and the guys will also be at FAST26, get your tickets now! fbefast.com

  5. 242

    Do Not Pass ER

    Special Guest GEOFF MURPHY of Master Your Medics fame joins the guys for a trip around the game board as a Canadian crew navigate the harsh realities of the unknown reasons someone could be altered... with a STEMI. Maybe.

  6. 241

    This Call is Baulder's Dash

    Chris finds the effects button on the mixer as Spencer relays a call that shows everything that can go wrong when systemic, cultural apathy sets in deep in a system.

  7. 240

    Special Edition: Stroke of (un)Luck

    Chris has his worst luck yet, as he finds an altered patient, and angry wife, and absolutely no help. How does he do? Vote on our IG! @ems2020show!

  8. 239

    Gravitating Towards Anaphylaxis?

    A rapidly swelling tongue and plummeting saturations point a crew into EXACTLY the... wrong? Direction? Can you figure it out before the guys do? Let us know!

  9. 238

    SUPER Special Edition: Split the Party!

    TODAY IS AWESOME! For the first time ever, neither of us are in the hotseat! Instead, the crew from The RideAlong EMT School Podcast join us in an epic collab event! How does a pair of newly minted EMT's and an experienced Paramedic do against the madness that besets them? And no, we don't go easy on them...

  10. 237

    Shake N Bake Boys, I Think We Got a BBQ

    The guys welcome Special Guest Dr. Mike Lauria to the show! A crew attends a patient that is perfectly alive, but does NOT stay that way! Can this crew get in sync with what the patient needs, or do they head down a spiral of doom? And can Spencer and Lauria STOP adding movie references?

  11. 236

    PREVIEW: Stranger Lungs

    To the whole STRANGER LUNGS episode, head over ems2020.com and get signed up for the EMS 2020 CE platform!

  12. 235

    Special Edition: Reacting to the Lake

    Spencer is given a call that has everything from boats to mystery homemade sunscreen... how does he do? Check out our IG at @ems2020show and vote today!

  13. 234

    Twisted Tongue Trauma (ish...)

    The guys review a call that has blood coming from... somewhere in the mouth. Maybe. Maybe deeper. But there's a lot! Enough to cause some shock? Maaayyyybbeeeee....

  14. 233

    Special Edition: Chris Sucks at Electrolytes

    Chris gets a call that he... isn't the most proud of. But Spencer feels he did OK+ ! What do you think? Vote now on Instagram!

  15. 232

    Philip Gets Fried

    A pediatric airway/neuro/ewww call! Can Chris and Spencer get this figured out? An error occurs... does the agency step up and future proof themselves? Or do they fall to the old ways of the past?

  16. 231

    Special Edition: The Bottom Drops Out

    Spencer is in the hotseat and for the life of him (or his pretend patient) him simply cannot get a good role. Did he do a good job, or will you score him lower than the dice did?

  17. 230

    The Last POLST Bender

    The guys handle a code that gets maybe too handled? Or not handled enough? When does a POLST form count? Listen and find out!

  18. 229

    Special Edition: Signs Point to Fracture

    Spencer causes Chris to bounce off the walls by giving him a pediatric trauma patient with a clueless dad! How does he manage? Vote now!

  19. 228

    In The Wake of Stabby McStabberface

    The guys take a stab (lol) at a very chaotic scene that involves AT LEAST one stabbing... and little to know scene safety. Just how bad can a stand by go? Listen and find out?

  20. 227

    Special Edition: I Have Better Things To Do

    Chris gives Spencer the greatest challenge of all: a distracted Supervisor as a partner. Can Spencer redirect a partner who clearly has more important things to do? Or will he lose his famous cool?

  21. 226

    Red Dead Redemption Too?

    In a gunslinging adventure, the bullets may not be the biggest problem that comes from today's episode. Did we give up before we even got started? Listen and find out!

  22. 225

    Special Edition: Fierce Resistance, Betrayal

    Chris is given a scenario with a stubborn patient and… a stubborn ambulance Paramedic? Spencer puts Chris on the fire engine this time around, let’s see if he burns! Vote!

  23. 224

    When Things Get Skrewy

    How do you convince an unaltered but still kind of altered patient to go to the hospital? Especially when they claim they are being tormented by random people who are stealing their sandwich fixings? Listen and find out!

  24. 223

    Special Edition: Branching Diagnosis

    In a traumatic twist, Spencer finds himself planning to extricate a patient from... a tree? Does he make the right call? Can he remove this patient from a STICKy situation? Vote now on Instagram!

  25. 222

    Control Bleeding and Emotions

    The guys put themselves in the shoes of a crew that enters a chaotic and potentially dangerous scene. So come on down and meet some friends of mine as Special Guest Dave Horowitz, author of Medic - A Diary, joins the guys in this harrowing tale.

  26. 221

    Special Edition: Sepsis on Shaky Ground

    Chris digs deep on a patient assessment and also on the structural integrity of the building he's in. Will he do a commendable job, or will his plans... fall through?

  27. 220

    Code Alone

    Holy wow is this episode... wild. Every calamity that can occur, will occur, especially if you are unprepared. It's almost as though being unprepared invites a swinging paint can to the face. How does today's crew handle a heat related call? Or is it an MI... or is it respiratory?

  28. 219

    Special Edition: Drowning Fool

    Can Spencer manage some absolutely wrecked lungs? Or will he drown in the salty sea? Vote and let us know what you think! @ems2020show on Instagram!

  29. 218

    The Toxicity of This Lady

    Dr. Ryan Feldman from The Poison Lab joins us again to talk about a patient that took... all of it. Like all of it. All gone. Can she be saved?

  30. 217

    Special Edition: Pregnant Pause

    Chris is in the hotseat as Spencer gives him a chest pain call... that is interrupted by an MVA... that is interrupted by a pregnancy call... that is interrupted by a seizure call...

  31. 216

    L.A.S.T. Call

    The guys fumble through an interesting call with many odd findings... including a high-end hotel that is well prepared for the arrival of EMS. Can this all BLS crew come to the right conclusion?

  32. 215

    Special Edition: The Shootout

    Today Chris takes aim at Spencer with a call that is all about scene management and lotsa blood! Does Spencer hit the bullseye? Vote on our Instagram!

  33. 214

    Freedom From Incompetence!

    The guys follow a crew that is mired with questionable choices and potentially a lack in leadership? Should this call have ever been ran? Will the mighty bald eagle weep for this patient? Listen and find out!

  34. 213

    Special Edition: Did They Slip or Knot?

    On today's special edition, Chris is put in the hotseat by Spencer on an altered LOC patient with a significant language barrier. Can Chris translate this difficult call into a success? Vote now on Instagram!

  35. 212

    Trouble In The PlayPlace

    Special guest Patrick Pianezza, the writer of CODE 3 (streaming now on Apple and Amazon) joins the guys on a pediatric case with ever so helpful 'nurse' bystander. Do the guys sort things out and figure out what's what (and importantly, whose who)? Listen and find out!

  36. 211

    Slay Thy Assumptions!

    Spencer brings a call riddled with stumbles from both the patient and a seasoned Paramedic. Does this field training need some training of their own? Listen and find out!

  37. 210

    Special Edition: Heated Reaction

    Spencer finds himself in the hot seat on a hot day in a hot field with unresponsive patient. What could be the problem? Or problems? Does Chris make things harder? Of course he does. VOTE now!

  38. 209

    Altered Addison's

    A crew runs a call with an altered patient. Could it be a rare endocrine disorder? Hypotension? Hypoglycemia? Bad cyberware? Find out on this week's episode!

  39. 208

    Special Edition: Unhappy Meal

    Chris is in the hotseat as he does a call hungry, making each roll harder and each success a little more out of reach. Are his efforts a super sized success, or does his clinical skill belong on the dollar menu? Vote now!

  40. 207

    Hot Pursuit, Hotter Patient with RAINN WILSON

    RAINN WILSON joins Chris and Spencer (no, really) as they discuss a methamphetamine marathon runner who gets brought up to medium rare. Can an EMT push against the tide to get the right thing done? Can Chris expand his vocabulary? Check out CODE 3 starring RAINN WILSON in select theaters NOW!

  41. 206

    Special Edition: Damnit Jerry!

    Spencer is in the hot seat, but this time he has the help of Jerry the helpful RN at the local nursing facility / rehab / pit of despair! How does he do? Visit our Instagram to find out!

  42. 205

    Ding Dong, The Patient's... Dead?

    When a code 99 comes in for a frequent flyer, a crew finds themself in a classic case of "there's more than meets the eye". Do they follow the yellow brick road to get their questions answered? Click your rube red slippers three times and be transported away to a land of not quite death but maybe some destruction.

  43. 204

    Special Edition: It Can't Be THAT Simple... Can It?

    Chris is in the hotseat and immediately starts over thinking a call involving a possible stroke... or UTI... or hypoglycemia... or alcohol? Check out @ems2020show in Instagram and vote on his performance!

  44. 203

    Paralyzing Yourself to Refuse

    What does Carhart pants, Fireball Whiskey, weed, and an allergy to authority have in common? They're all in this episode! Follow the Paramedic of Darkness into the fray as we sort out and angry MVA patient that has more issues than they realize.

  45. 202

    Special Edition: Oops! All Trauma!

    Spencer is in the hotseat trying to fix all the problems with a severe trauma patient. Also, Chris cannot count. Vote on Instagram now!

  46. 201

    Self Inflicted Surgery

    Hands down, this is the weirdest episode. So many twists and turns. Chris rants about TXA again (start the emails), Spencer gets weird about barnyard animals, and a goat is suspect for attempted murder. Maybe.

  47. 200

    Special Edition: Face the Pain

    Chris is in the hot seat! Spencer pulls out a rare but immediately life threatening disorder that threatens to crush Chris under the weight of airway management. Does Chris prevail? VOTE NOW ON INSTAGRAM! @ems2020show

  48. 199

    Bold Strategy Cotton

    An interfacility call that seems like your basic, everyday call... until it isn't. A patient goes from walking and talking to huffing and puffing to gasping and... dying?

  49. 198

    Special Edition: Little Altered Man

    Spencer is given a 'kitchen sink' type call as Chris leaves him looking around every corner to see if he can walk down Holland road. Does Spencer eek out a 2, or is he leaving you waiting for more? Vote on IG!

  50. 197

    Sus 4 CO

    Hey wait... that's not Oxygen! Call an emergency meeting! Does the crew in this week's episode get to the bottom of the problem BEFORE it's too late? Listen and find out on this OD turned CO!

Type above to search every episode's transcript for a word or phrase. Matches are scoped to this podcast.

Searching…

We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.

No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.

Showing of matches

TOPICS IN THIS SHOW

Click any topic to search every transcript on PodParley for moments someone mentioned it.

Loading reviews...

ABOUT THIS SHOW

EMS 20/20 is podcast hosted by two experienced Paramedics. Spencer Oliver and Christopher Pfingsten discuss real calls run by real responders and pull out the lessons you won't find in a text book. This podcast is aimed at Paramedic students, seasoned Paramedics looking to refresh, or any one interested in a deeper dive into pre-hospital health care.

HOSTED BY

Long Pause Media | FlightBridgeED

Produced by Christopher M Pfingsten

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does EMS 20/20 have?

EMS 20/20 currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is EMS 20/20 about?

EMS 20/20 is podcast hosted by two experienced Paramedics. Spencer Oliver and Christopher Pfingsten discuss real calls run by real responders and pull out the lessons you won't find in a text book. This podcast is aimed at Paramedic students, seasoned Paramedics looking to refresh, or any one...

How often does EMS 20/20 release new episodes?

EMS 20/20 has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to EMS 20/20?

You can listen to EMS 20/20 on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts EMS 20/20?

EMS 20/20 is created and hosted by Long Pause Media | FlightBridgeED.
URL copied to clipboard!