SCC EMS Exam Study Guide EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS @2026
Santa Clara county EMS - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Oversight and management of Trauma System
- Planning, implementation, evaluation
EMS Medical Director - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Medical control, clinical operations, management of trauma
system
- Ensuring proper training
- Developing treatment protocols
- Developing triage and destination policies
- Trauma system quality improvement
- Monitoring clinical compliance
One at each trauma center!
EMS Director - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Admin. and oversight of trauma system
- Allocating resources and personnel
- Developing agreement with trauma centers
Standing commitees - ANSWERS💫✔️-Advise and assist management of EMS system.
Trauma Centers - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Located in Department of Surgery
- Directed by a surgeon
- Maintain an Emergency department
- Staffed by surgery specialists
- Staffed by non-surgical specialists
Director of trauma - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Coordinate with in-hospital services and with ED
,- Be a researcher in trauma care (only required at Level 1 center)
- Attend 16 hours/year of continuing education
Trauma program manager - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Has to be an RN
- Attend 16 hours/year of continuing education
- Coordinate day-to-day clinical process
- Collaborate with trauma program medical director
Intensive care unit (ICU) - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Have bed available within 3 hours
- Has to be designated medical director
- A physician on duty and available 24hrs/day
- Staff nurses with ratio of 1 nurse per 2 patients
24 hour personnel - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Physician in post-anesthesia room
- RNs in post-anesthesia room
- Lab and pulmonary techs
- Certified radiology tech
- CT scan tech
- Pharmacist
Operating suite - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Operating room staffed and available 24hrs/day
- Have a second operating room available within 30 min
Level A Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident that results in a threat to public safety, patient, by-
stander, or responder
- Reported immediately to EMS Duty Chief via country comm.
Level A Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-EXAMPLE:
, Deviation from EMS policy, errors with patient harm, failure to respond to request for aid, equipment
failure with patient harm, unprofessional conduct.
Level B Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident that does not result in patient harm, but is a deviation
from EMS policy
- Reported to EMS agency within 5 business days
Level B Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-EXAMPLE:
General compliant, equipment failure, etc.
Level C Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident where a responder provided outstanding care above
expectations
- Reported within 7 business days
EMS Agency Variance Process - ANSWERS💫✔️-- The compliance officer will receive report, assign
tracking number, and ensure correlation between variance and incident.
- The compliance officer will within 6 business days send an acknowledgement to reporting party
- EMS agency will evaluate report
Policy generation - ANSWERS💫✔️-- SCC EMS Agency responsibility
- Any system stakeholder may request
- Open comment period of 30 days or more
- Suggestion must be electronically written and submitted to SCC EMS
- EMS director makes final decisions, but must have agreement and signature of EMS medical director
- Policies become effective 30+ days after approval
Policy revision - ANSWERS💫✔️-- All policies reviewed every 3 years
- All protocols reviewed every 2 years
- EMS Director may make minor revisions without public comment
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS @2026
Santa Clara county EMS - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Oversight and management of Trauma System
- Planning, implementation, evaluation
EMS Medical Director - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Medical control, clinical operations, management of trauma
system
- Ensuring proper training
- Developing treatment protocols
- Developing triage and destination policies
- Trauma system quality improvement
- Monitoring clinical compliance
One at each trauma center!
EMS Director - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Admin. and oversight of trauma system
- Allocating resources and personnel
- Developing agreement with trauma centers
Standing commitees - ANSWERS💫✔️-Advise and assist management of EMS system.
Trauma Centers - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Located in Department of Surgery
- Directed by a surgeon
- Maintain an Emergency department
- Staffed by surgery specialists
- Staffed by non-surgical specialists
Director of trauma - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Coordinate with in-hospital services and with ED
,- Be a researcher in trauma care (only required at Level 1 center)
- Attend 16 hours/year of continuing education
Trauma program manager - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Has to be an RN
- Attend 16 hours/year of continuing education
- Coordinate day-to-day clinical process
- Collaborate with trauma program medical director
Intensive care unit (ICU) - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Have bed available within 3 hours
- Has to be designated medical director
- A physician on duty and available 24hrs/day
- Staff nurses with ratio of 1 nurse per 2 patients
24 hour personnel - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Physician in post-anesthesia room
- RNs in post-anesthesia room
- Lab and pulmonary techs
- Certified radiology tech
- CT scan tech
- Pharmacist
Operating suite - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Operating room staffed and available 24hrs/day
- Have a second operating room available within 30 min
Level A Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident that results in a threat to public safety, patient, by-
stander, or responder
- Reported immediately to EMS Duty Chief via country comm.
Level A Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-EXAMPLE:
, Deviation from EMS policy, errors with patient harm, failure to respond to request for aid, equipment
failure with patient harm, unprofessional conduct.
Level B Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident that does not result in patient harm, but is a deviation
from EMS policy
- Reported to EMS agency within 5 business days
Level B Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-EXAMPLE:
General compliant, equipment failure, etc.
Level C Variance - ANSWERS💫✔️-- Any incident where a responder provided outstanding care above
expectations
- Reported within 7 business days
EMS Agency Variance Process - ANSWERS💫✔️-- The compliance officer will receive report, assign
tracking number, and ensure correlation between variance and incident.
- The compliance officer will within 6 business days send an acknowledgement to reporting party
- EMS agency will evaluate report
Policy generation - ANSWERS💫✔️-- SCC EMS Agency responsibility
- Any system stakeholder may request
- Open comment period of 30 days or more
- Suggestion must be electronically written and submitted to SCC EMS
- EMS director makes final decisions, but must have agreement and signature of EMS medical director
- Policies become effective 30+ days after approval
Policy revision - ANSWERS💫✔️-- All policies reviewed every 3 years
- All protocols reviewed every 2 years
- EMS Director may make minor revisions without public comment
