NAEMT GEMS Course in Reno
Geriatric Education for EMS for providers who care for older adults. How aging changes assessment, medications, trauma, and the social picture, and what to do about it.
- 8-hour course
- Classroom
- 4-year NAEMT card
- 8 CAPCE hours
Geriatric Education for EMS
A holistic approach to the older patient built on the GEMS Diamond: geriatric, environmental, medical, and social assessment. Third edition.
Taught at an authorized NAEMT Training Center in RenoUpcoming GEMS dates
Tap Register on any date to book online. Dates update live from our schedule.
Need GEMS for your agency, hospital, or senior care staff?
GEMS is scheduled on request. Tell us your head count and the dates that work, and we will set up a class at our Reno classroom or at your facility.
GEMS classes meet at 255 W Moana Ln, Suite 200 in Reno or at your facility, and serve EMS and healthcare providers from Sparks, Carson City, Fernley, Fallon, and Lake Tahoe.
About the GEMS course
Older adults are the fastest-growing group of EMS patients, and they rarely present like the textbook. GEMS teaches you to see what aging hides.
Geriatric Education for EMS prepares prehospital practitioners to respond to, assess, and care for older adults. You learn how aging affects every body system and changes the way illness and injury present, and you practice a comprehensive geriatric assessment using the GEMS Diamond: the geriatric, environmental, medical, and social factors that together explain what is really going on with your patient.
NAEMT develops its medical education with partner organizations that include the American Geriatrics Society. The third edition covers polypharmacy and toxicity, respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic emergencies, trauma and falls, elder maltreatment and psychosocial emergencies, end-of-life and palliative care, and the devices you meet in the field, from ventilators and LVADs to catheters and implanted defibrillators.
Prefer self-paced? NAEMT sells a fully online GEMS course through its publisher. Our classroom course adds discussion, scenarios, and instructor coaching.
GEMS on naemt.orgGEMS course format
One classroom day, one NAEMT provider card, 8 CAPCE hours.
GEMS provider course
An 8-hour classroom course with lectures, case discussions, and interactive patient simulations. Earns the NAEMT GEMS provider certificate and card, valid 4 years, and 8 CAPCE hours.
See GEMS datesAgency and facility classes
We teach GEMS at your station, hospital, or senior living community so your whole team learns the same approach to older patients.
Request a classWhat you'll learn in GEMS
The course follows NAEMT's third edition GEMS curriculum.
Changes with age
How normal aging and chronic disease change vital signs, pain, and presentation.
The GEMS Diamond
Geriatric, environmental, medical, and social assessment, together, every call.
Polypharmacy and toxicity
Drug interactions, adverse effects, and the medication lists that tell the story.
Respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic emergencies
The atypical MI, the quiet pneumonia, and stroke and delirium in older adults.
Trauma and falls
Why older adults are injured by low-energy mechanisms, and what to look for.
Elder maltreatment and psychosocial emergencies
Recognizing abuse, neglect, and self-neglect, and what to do about it.
End-of-life and palliative care
Advance directives, POLST, hospice patients, and comfort-focused care.
Devices and special situations
Ventilators, LVADs, ICDs, catheters, ostomies, skin disorders, and disaster triage for older patients.
Who should take GEMS?
GEMS is for providers at every level who care for older adults, in the field and in the facility.
- EMTs, advanced EMTs, and paramedics
- Emergency medical responders and firefighters
- Nurses in emergency, long-term care, and home health
- Physician assistants and physicians
- Interfacility and community paramedicine crews
- Assisted living and skilled nursing staff
Caring for patients at both ends of life? EPC is NAEMT's pediatric course and pairs well with GEMS.
See EPCOn class day
- Bring a government-issued photo ID.
- Bring your current EMS, nursing, or other healthcare license or certification.
- Bring your GEMS course book and any pre-course work we sent you.
- Arrive about 10 minutes early to park and find Suite 200. Late arrivals may be turned away.
Why take GEMS with Hinson CPR
Our instructors have cared for older adults on the ambulance, in the ICU, and in the home, and they teach GEMS from those calls.
NAEMT-approved instructors
Every NAEMT course here is taught by instructors NAEMT has approved and monitored, using the current NAEMT materials, under our medical director.
Taught by working clinicians
Our instructors are experienced educators and working clinicians who have worked the ambulance, the helicopter, and the hospital.
CE that counts
GEMS is CAPCE accredited for 8 hours of continuing education and recognized by the National Registry for recertification.
A card good for 4 years
Pass the course and NAEMT issues your GEMS provider certificate and card, valid for 4 years.
Small, hands-on classes
Real equipment, realistic scenarios, and plenty of time at the stations and for your questions.
Your place or ours
Train in our Reno classroom on Moana Lane, or we bring the course to your station, hospital, or agency.
Your NAEMT GEMS provider card
Complete the course and NAEMT issues your GEMS certificate of completion and provider card, good for 4 years, with 8 hours of CAPCE credit. Students who complete an NAEMT course are also eligible for a free introductory NAEMT membership.
GEMS questions
What is the GEMS Diamond?
A memory aid for the four lenses of geriatric assessment: Geriatric (age-related changes), Environmental (the home and scene), Medical (the complaint and history), and Social (support, safety, and resources). Looking through all four is how you catch what a standard assessment misses.
How long is the GEMS course?
The provider course is 8 hours, usually taught in one day.
What certification do I get, and how long is it good for?
When you pass, NAEMT issues a certificate of completion and a GEMS provider card that is valid for 4 years.
Does GEMS count for continuing education?
Yes. GEMS is accredited by CAPCE (the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education) for 8 hours of continuing education credit and is recognized by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) for recertification.
What are the prerequisites for GEMS?
GEMS is open to EMTs, AEMTs, paramedics, emergency medical responders, nurses, physician assistants, and physicians. There is no separate clinical prerequisite beyond your current license or certification.
Do I need the GEMS book?
Yes. You must have access to the current NAEMT GEMS course textbook before, during, and after class. You can add it when you register. If you decline the book at registration, you are confirming that you already have access to the current edition by other means, for example a copy from your employer.
How do I register?
Registration is online only. When a GEMS date is posted, pick it at the top of this page and tap Register to finish on our secure checkout. For a course scheduled on request, text (775) 235-2117 or email Info@HinsonCPR.com and we will set a date and send you the registration link. We cannot take registrations or payments over the phone.
What if I need to change my date?
Contact us before your class. GEMS reschedules are $50, and all purchases are nonrefundable. Full details are in our terms and conditions.
Can you teach GEMS for my agency or crew?
Yes. Most GEMS classes run as private courses for fire departments, ambulance services, hospitals, and other groups. We can teach at our Reno classroom or at your station or facility. Text (775) 235-2117 or email Info@HinsonCPR.com with your head count and the dates that work for you.
Is Hinson CPR the same as Sierra BLS?
Yes. Hinson CPR is the new name for Sierra BLS. Same owner, same classroom on Moana Lane, and the same authorized NAEMT Training Center.
GEMS and the Geriatric Education for EMS logo are trademarks of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), used here to promote registered NAEMT courses taught by Hinson CPR, formerly Sierra BLS, an authorized NAEMT Training Center. Use of the NAEMT name or course logos does not imply NAEMT endorsement of Hinson CPR or its other services.
What our students say
Rated 5.0 stars on Google from more than 330 student reviews.
Larry was fantastic! Class was broken into easily digestible sections, the mannequins & equipment was perfect for learning. Larry is so knowledgeable from his education and experience in the military and medical facilities. Highly recommend his courses.
Excellent experience overall. Instructor was prepared and able to answer all questions throughout. The instructor has a ton of experience and was able to properly correct our efforts without making us feel dumb. He was both patient and professional in all dealings.
Needed my BLS card for my EMS academy at TMCC. Terry... is a really knowledgeable person... Terry has a good set up, he means business and is ready to answer questions and give great advice. Highly recommended
You can tell Terance genuinely cares about his students' success. Such a professional and supportive environment... As a ICU nurse I recommend the BLS & ACLS classes!
The class was very informative and the hands-on were great. Larry is a very thorough teacher and was eager to answer any and all questions and explained different situations to help us understand the “why”. I would recommend his class to anyone.
It was so nice to find an on site course in a snap. I searched and found on a Tuesday and was completing my recert that Friday.
Give your older patients the assessment they deserve
One day of focused geriatric training, an NAEMT card good for 4 years, and 8 hours of CAPCE credit. Text us to schedule GEMS for your team.