The OMD is fortunate to be an important part of two EMS fellowships. UT Health San Antonio EMS Fellowship from the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Military EMS and Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center. The San Antonio Fire Department as a large urban fire department is the primary agency for the fellows’ education from both programs. Given the various contracts with other agencies though, experiences with suburban, rural, third service, and tactical medicine are all possible through various rotations.
Fellows function as Associate Medical Directors with the San Antonio Fire Department. They are responsible for online medical direction (about 8 twelve-hour shifts a month), quality improvement reviews, continuing education, and with their own response vehicle a robust scene presence. Fellows have gotten to participate in technical rescue and active shooter training through the various special teams in the fire department. While in the response vehicle, they get to respond to the highest acuity calls in the city where they can employ advanced field procedures and transfuse whole blood that they are responsible for carrying to the scene. In addition, they get a first-hand view of the system of care from first responder all the way to the hospital and can make meaningful improvements through their on-scene interactions and observations.
