Preparing a workforce to deal with emotional trauma

Mike Taigman and Nicole Holm join the podcast to discuss resiliency and chaplaincy

May 26, 2022 10:15 AM •

This episode of EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

In this special edition of EMS One-Stop, Host Rob Lawrence is joined by Mike Taigman, improvement guide at FirstWatch, and Nicole Holm, MA, BCC, a chaplain with Allina Health Emergency Medical Services. This edition was recorded the day after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Holm and Taigman discuss resilience and the role of chaplaincy in EMS. The conversation identifies coping strategies and methods to prepare a workforce to deal with such levels of mental trauma in the future.

Read more: Uvalde aftermath: What should we do today? - “Sadly, this isn’t the last time we will see these headlines, but for us, today, put the tourniquet away and focus on the heart and soul of those in our charge.”

Watch for more:

Learn how chaplaincy, peer support, EAPs and CISM programs can alleviate stress

Learn how mental health support programs can alleviate stress in the workplace

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Rob Lawrence

Rob Lawrence has been a leader in civilian and military EMS for over a quarter of a century. He is currently the director of strategic implementation for PRO EMS and its educational arm, Prodigy EMS, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and part-time executive director of the California Ambulance Association.

He previously served as the chief operating officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority (Virginia), which won both state and national EMS Agency of the Year awards during his 10-year tenure. Additionally, he served as COO for Paramedics Plus in Alameda County, California.

Prior to emigrating to the U.S. in 2008, Rob served as the COO for the East of England Ambulance Service in Suffolk County, England, and as the executive director of operations and service development for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust. Rob is a former Army officer and graduate of the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served worldwide in a 20-year military career encompassing many prehospital and evacuation leadership roles.

Rob is the President of the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI) and former Board Member of the American Ambulance Association. He writes and podcasts for EMS1 and is a member of the EMS1 Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with him on Twitter.