NREMT Question Example: Spinal Immobilization vs. Spinal Motion Restriction

Dan Limmer breaks down an NREMT-type test question about spinal restriction. This was during an NREMT review session, and participants were able to vote on what they thought was the best answer.
Dan takes the question and answer choices apart and discusses what makes the best answer the best answer. EMS is always changing, and sometimes you’ll find that the best answer for the NREMT is something that challenges what you were originally taught.
For more information on the most recent standards for spinal motion restriction in emergency care, please visit bit.ly/Spinal-M....
For weekly, online, live study sessions that cover multiple NREMT practice questions like this, join EMTReview.com or ParamedicRevie... (Premium or Premium Plus levels only).
You can also purchase an in-depth, one-hour, streaming NREMT Review video where Dan reviews 9 NREMT-style questions, including samples of the new TEI questions (which the NREMT added to the exam in 2020). bit.ly/NREMT-re...

[@donaveningram826]

Question 2 is what I was taught in class.

[@maryhollendoner]

Collar plus backboard is what we learned in class - our instructor specifically said you never do c-collar without backboard.

[@Limmereducation]

In 2018 several physician and surgeon groups came together and created a position paper that detailed doing away with spinal immobilization and instead doing spinal motion restriction. The NREMT will use this procedure on their exam, and books have switched as well. You can find a link to the position paper and a flowchart we use to describe the process here: limmereducation.com/article/spinal-motion-restriction/

[@maryhollendoner]

​@@Limmereducation Thanks for your response, but you can imagine it's tough as a student to know who to believe - my instructor or your website - when they don't match up. I guess the EMS world is always changing slightly, and I only hope that the NREMT doesn't include questions on things that are being taught differently!

[@Limmereducation]

@@maryhollendoner you don’t have to believe us. Please look at the NREMT site for their guidance on this - link provided. You may want to share with your instructor as well. www.nremt.org/News/National-Registry-of-EMT-s-Resource-Document-on-Sp

[@maryhollendoner]

This link is super helpful! There are so many sources promising to help pass the NREMT and they don't always agree with each other, so it's great to see information directly from the NREMT themselves. Thanks you for sharing!

[@maryhollendoner]

I purchased your app and completed a practice test earlier today and have a few questions about some of the questions on it. I filled out your contact us form with my questions, so I hope you might be as helpful as you were in this YT thread! (My NREMT exam is on Wed)

[@keeganbennett2549]

It somewhat makes sense to me, however I assumed "Choice 2" was correct because even though he is alert and sober, meaning he has the wellbeing to understand his decisions complaining of ONLY neck pain AFTER the "car crash", wouldn't any MVA or MVC be given SMR with backboard since it is considered high MOI for spinal injuries?????

[@WheresRevi]

Question is super vague... you'd do a full PMS exam and look for other C/C to determine if Full restriction is needed. Welcome to the NREMT.

[@brittanyromano2476]

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