01/22/2026
Did you know that Worcester EMS Paramedics have some of the highest scope of practice of Paramedics in all of Massachusetts? Our Paramedics operate under several special waiver protocols to serve the Commonwealth at a higher level of practice than most departments are able to.
This months training was our annual refresher on Medically Assisted Intubations (also known as MEI, MAI, or most commonly known as RSI - rapid sequence intubation) .
‼️Why is this important? Unless the patient is unresponsive and in need of CPR, Paramedics are unable to fully protect a patients airway on standing MA protocol alone. There are many different scenarios where this could be detrimental to patient outcome. With the special protocol waiver, our Paramedics undergo a lengthy on-boarding process followed by yearly training to learn how to administer medications for sedation and paralysis to allow placement of advanced airway devices called endotracheal tubes, this process is called intubation, to prevent cardiac arrest or poor outcomes from unprotected airways. Without these medications, patients who are at risk for airway compromise would be unable to tolerate this procedure. Usually this process requires quick clinical thinking and management as most cases are emergent.
Training also included anatomy and physiology review, cases and scenarios in which the RSI process is necessary and how to preform it. We also continued our training on Ventilators, Surgical Cricothyrotomies, push-dose Epinephrine and reviewed Medical Control options for various procedures and medication administration.
As always, Worcester EMS staff are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care for our patients and are always training to ensure we are prepared for the worst case scenarios.
🐶 Our two training advisors Boss and Elsie were very happy to participate in making sure everyone was learning! Especially Chief Soucie and Medical Director Dr. Weisberg!