Prehospital Emergency Pharmacology

About our authors Bryan E. Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, FAEMS, EMT-P, is an emergency physician, researcher and EMS author. Presently, he is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine, and an Attending Emergency Physician at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS.

Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Bledsoe worked as an EMT, a paramedic and a paramedic instructor. He completed EMT training in 1974 and paramedic training in 1976 and worked for six years as a field paramedic in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1979, he joined the faculty of the University of North Texas Health Science Center and served as a coordinator of EMT and paramedic education programs at the university.

Dr. Bledsoe is active in emergency medicine and EMS research. He is a popular speaker at state, national and international seminars and writes regularly for numerous EMS journals. He is active in educational endeavors with the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Dr. Bledsoe is the author of numerous EMS textbooks and has in excess of 1 million books in print. Dr. Bledsoe was named a "Hero of Emergency Medicine" in 2008 by the American College of Emergency Physicians as a part of their 40th anniversary celebration and was named a "Hero of Health and Fitness" by Men's Health magazine as part of their 20th anniversary edition in November of 2008. He is frequently interviewed in the national media. Dr. Bledsoe is married and divides his time between his residences in Midlothian, TX, and Las Vegas, NV.

Dwayne E. Clayden, MEM, BHSC, PARAMEDIC, is the Director of Emergency Services and Emergency Management for the Stoney-Nakoda First Nation in Morley, Alberta, Canada. He was previously Academic Chair, Prehospital Care Programs in the School of Health and Public Safety at SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During his career in emergency services, he has been a Manager, Learning and Development for Alberta Health Services-Emergency Medical Services; Assistant Deputy Chief, Staff Development; and Assistant to the Medical Director for the City of Calgary Emergency Medical Services in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was responsible for clinical competency assessment, medical control protocols, field training, prehospital research, quality care, the in-house paramedic program and the tactical EMS team.

In 2000, the Governor General of Canada presented Mr. Clayden with the Exemplary Service Medal for his contributions to EMS in Canada. In 1998, the Alberta Prehospital Professions Association presented him with the Award of Excellence for his contributions to emergency medical services in Alberta.

Mr. Clayden began his career in 1978 as a police officer in Calgary. In 1980, he joined the Calgary Fire Department, Ambulance Division, as an emergency medical technician (EMT). Following his paramedic education at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), he became a member of the Staff Development Division of the City of Calgary Emergency Medical Services. In 1987, he began his teaching career at SAIT, first in the EMT program and then in 1988 in the paramedic program. In August 2011, he returned to SAIT Polytechnic as the Academic Chair, Prehospital Care Programs.

From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Clayden was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ON SCENE, an EMS periodical for Canadian EMS. He has coauthored two texts with Dr. Bryan Bledsoe for Brady Publishing, Prehospital Emergency Pharmacology and Pocket Reference for EMTs and Paramedics, and coauthored Essentials of Paramedic Care, Canadian Edition. Mr. Clayden is also a fiction writer of crime thrillers.