“Email the EMT” Project
We have been studying the cardiovascular system and many of the emergency conditions related to this
body system. This assignment is intended to help you learn about and articulate your understanding of
what’s happening in the body during a myocardial infarction.
Instructions: Your friend is nearing the end of the EMT program and confesses to you in an email that
he’s still a little hazy on what exactly is happening in the body during a myocardial infarction. You, being
in your second semester of paramedic school, have a pretty good handle on this. Email him back to
explain. Make sure you address the details in terms of “where” (specific anatomy); and “how/what”
(pathophysiology).
This is an informal writing assignment, so it will not need to be structured like an academic paper
(specific margins, font, that sort of thing) and will not require citation. It will also not be subject to
revision after submission—so make sure you’ve said what you wanted to say in your submitted draft!
Purpose: To explain in detail the pathophysiologic processes involved in an MI to a person with some,
but limited, medical understanding and vocabulary. This will allow you to practice your use and
understanding of the relevant terminology, and will allow you to assess your own understanding of MI
pathology.
Format & Audience Considerations: You’re responding to an email, so your structure can be informal.
You will ultimately send this email to ME, but remember that you’re responding to your friend, who is a
beginning EMT. Use appropriate medical terminology, because this is the language of our profession
and your friend needs to learn it; but you may need to explain some of those words in “layman’s terms”
for your friend, who is new to the EMS field. For example, if I were writing a similar email about
emphysema, I might say something like: “Air trapping in the lungs of the emphysema patient causes
atelectasis, which is when the alveoli, or air sacs in the lungs, collapse and can’t work anymore.” Or,
“the treatment goal is bronchodilation, or opening up of the airways.”
Evaluation:
“5” = correct and detailed explanation of MI pathology using appropriate medical terminology with
explanation in layman’s terms of complicated medical terms.
“2” = roughly correct explanation of MI pathology with significant gaps in detail, minor factual errors, no
or incorrect medical terminology.