TEMS Protocols

Virginia Beach EMS is part of the Tidewater EMS (TEMS) regional council and follows the TEMS protocols.

While the TEMS protocols serve as the basis for the care provided to our patients, the individual departmental Operational Medical Directors (OMDs) may, at their discretion, make changes to the protocols for their providers. 

An example of this is Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI). Even though it is included in the regional TEMS protocols, only a couple of OMDs allow their providers to utilize this protocol and perform this skill. Virginia Beach EMS is one such agency.

VB Rescue Prehospital Skills Delineation for Affiliated Providers

The Virginia Beach EMS OMD, Dr. Stewart Martin, has specified local customizations to regional skills delineations. For example, TEMS protocols anticipate that EMTs will be authorized to apply CPAP, but Virginia Beach restricts the application of CPAP to higher-certified providers. 

The VB Rescue Prehospital Skills Delineation for Affiliated Providers indicates what patient care can be performed by each provider certification level:

• Current TEMS protocols
• VB Rescue prehospital skills delineation for affiliated providers
• TEMS medication delineation

VB Rescue Supplementary Protocols

The following supplementary protocols were developed to provide department-specific guidance for Virginia Beach EMS providers:

• VB Rescue LUCAS supplementary protocol
• VB Rescue ultrasound supplementary protocol
• CPR-induced consciousness supplementary protocol