Code Calm on the Streets: Mental Toughness Skills for Pre-Hospital Emergency Personnel

Code Calm on the Streets provides the concepts and psychological skills for performance enhancement in medical emergencies for pre-hospital emergency personnel. It is clear that those who choose such a career already possess special character, and it is tested on a daily basis. Whether in routine care or emergency situations, each response provides the opportunity for touching and changing patient lives. Code Calm can help you do this with greater confidence and competence.

Contents:

Chapter 1 - Fit for Duty: Physical Conditioning and Mental Toughness

Chapter 2 - Emotional Lights and Sirens: Arousal and Mental Toughness

Chapter 3 - Mental Alarms: Stress, Fear and Mental Toughness

Chapter 4 - Mental Diazepam: Arousal Control and Mental Toughness

Chapter 5 - Mental Scans: Performance-Enhancing Imagery and Mental Toughness

Chapter 6 - Mental Scopes: Concentration and Mental Toughness

Chapter 7 - Mental Prescriptions: Self-Talk and Mental Toughness

Chapter 8 - Mental Ablations: Negative Thought Stopping and Mental Toughness

Chapter 9 - Mental Clinical Pathways: Affirmations, Attitude and Mental Toughness

MICHAEL J. ASKEN, PH.D.

Mike holds a B.A. degree in social & behavioral sciences from the Johns Hopkins University. He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a minor in medical psychology at West Virginia University and received his internship training at the East Orange (New Jersey) Veterans’ Administration Hospital. He is a Fellow of the Division of Health Psychology and the Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology of the American Psychological Association. He was involved in training physicians, intensive care unit nurses, neonatal intensive care unit nurses, nurse anesthetists and enterostomal therapists for twenty-five years. He was the psychologist for the Family Practice Residency at Polyclinic Medical Center and continues as the psychologist for Internal Medicine Residency and Surgical Residency Programs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was an adjunct assistant professor of behavioral science at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center—Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. He has been an invited reviewer for Pennsylvania Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Western Journal of Medicine, the Sport Psychologist, and Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly. Dr. Asken has published articles in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Journal of Surgical Research, Primary Care, Journal of Family Practice, Pennsylvania Medicine, Journal of Medical Education, Family Medicine, Physician Executive, Journal of the Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Journal of Practical Nursing, Professional Psychology, the International Journal of Sport Psychology and Rehabilitation Psychology, among others. While continuing to train residents and physicians, Dr. Asken is now the psychologist for the Pennsylvania State Police. He is on the editorial board of the The FireArms Instructor. He has written articles for PoliceOne.com., The Crisis Negotiator, The Tactical Edge, Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline, SWAT Digest, Law Officer, The Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police, and the FireArms Instructor. He is an instructor for Top Gun undercover narcotics agent training. He has consulted with and/or provided training for the National Tactical Officers’ Association, Eastern States Vice Investigators Association, the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, the New England Crisis Negotiator’s Association, the FBI, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Agents, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Navy Special Warfare Group I, and the U.S. Army War College.

e-mail: dxrxtx@aol.com

KERRY ANNE WHITELOCK, D.O.

Kerry Anne Whitelock, D.O. received her Honors degree in biology, a minor in world literature, and a master’s degree in nutrition, all from the Pennsylvania State University-University Park Campus. During this time, she also served as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with Alpha Community Ambulance Service, Inc., now Centre LifeLink EMS. During her last year of service to Alpha, she was selected to be an officer-in-charge (OIC), helping the organization earn its national accreditation status. Kerry responded to hundreds of EMS calls during her 5 years as an EMT, most notably the HUB Lawn sniper incident in 1996, during which she provided emergency care to one of the shooting victims. It was this incident that sparked Kerry’s interest in the field of enhancing mental performance during stressful emergency situations. Her medical school education at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, internal medicine residency experience at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, and current academic internist responsibilities have all deepened Kerry’s commitment to teaching EMS personnel about how they can maintain mental toughness during medical emergencies. While Kerry has published articles about various topics in the fields of nutrition and medicine, Code Calm-EMS is her first book.

E-MAIL: emscodecalm@gmail.com