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After 17 years doing sales and marketing for IBM, Simpson was recruited by a little medical equipment company in Redmond, Wash., in 1966. It was called Physio-Control, and it had invented a machine called the direct current defibrillator -- used to restart a heart after a heart attack. Simpson pushed the machine not only into hospital emergency rooms, but later portable units could be used in the field, becoming available just as a new profession was starting up: paramedic. The "Lifepack" series of heart monitor/defibrillators made by Physio-Control are the gold standard for the field medic, and pretty much always have been. If it's not enough to be responsible for helping save countless lives, Simpson also wanted to make his employees' lives better: he is credited with creating the four-day work week, allowing his "team members" (as he called them) to work four 10-hour shifts and have a three-day weekend every week. When he retired in 1985, Simpson spent his time working for non-profits, raising money for various causes, especially the University of Washington; he served on 30 Boards of Directors and was a university Regent. He died January 20 at 79 from congestive heart failure. [Editor's Note: Heart failure is not something that can be corrected by a defibrillator, so there's no "irony" involved here. More info.] From This is True for 22 January 2006 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Gail Walraven List Price: $84.00 Amazon Price: $79.70 Editorial Review: Newly revised edition of a BEST-SELLING EKG book! Revised and updated to include topics such as the use of pacemakers and implanted defibrillators. A FREE in-book CD will give users an opportunity to practice in an interactive and fun environment. Appropriate for any student or practicing health care provider who needs to learn or review basic EKG or arrhythmia concepts.  By: LearningExpress Editors List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $13.57 Editorial Review: To get an EMT-Paramedic certification, candidates must not only complete a rigorous course of study, but also take and pass the EMT-Paramedic certification exam. This book offers the most current test prep for the exam sponsored by the National Registry of EMTs. In addition to the four practice exams and the official Practical Skills Exam of the National Registry of EMTs, this edition also includes a list of professional EMT associations and organizations, educational and training resources, and certification requirements for each state.  By: Bryan E. BledsoeRobert S. PorterRichard A. Cherry List Price: $144.00 Amazon Price: $136.00 Editorial Review: Essentials of Paramedic Care, 2nd edition, is the first text program to take students beyond the skills necessary to practice as a paramedic and into the underlying principles upon which those practices are based. Correlated to the U.S. Department of Transportation's 1998 National Standard Curriculum for EMT-Paramedic, this text provides the background content and skills coverage required for paramedic education. The text, comprised of five divisions, covers all eight modules of the curriculum. Division 1: Introduction to Advanced Prehospital Care (includes Airway Management) Division 2: Patient Assessment Division 3: Trauma Emergencies Division 4: Medical Emergencies Division 5: Special Considerations/Operations (includes Assessment-Based Management)  By: Richard YokleyRozane Sutherland List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $16.47 Editorial Review: This book captures the essence of an important chapter in television history: coverage of the origins of the Emergency!, a dramatic series significant beyond entertainment. Emergency! followed the daily lives of a pair of Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters/paramedics, along with their colleagues at Station 51 and the emergency room staff of Rampart General Hospital. The book offers a behind the scenes look, packed with interviews from many of the medical and fire department technical advisors, cast members, writers, and other production crew members that worked on the series.  By: Mark Marchetta List Price: $18.99 Amazon Price: $12.91 Editorial Review: This brand new test preparation manual readies men and women who are planning to obtain a paramedic license. The book presents three full-length model exams consisting of multiple-choice questions, and provides answer sheets and answer keys. Preceding the practice exams are detailed suggestions for test-taking success, plus chapters filled with practice questions and answers that cover the following topics: airway and breathing, cardiology, medical, obstetrics/gynecology /pediatrics, and operations. |
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