Book excerpt: Virtual Patient Encounters is a breakthrough in EMS education! Users can get real-world prehospital experience without leaving the classroom or home! The Virtual Patient Encounters learning triad - a textbook, interactive patient simulation software, and a study guide that ties everything together - offers a state-of-the-art tool for developing critical thinking skills. Users can apply what they're learning in Mosby's EMT-Intermediate Textbook for the 1999 National Standard Curriculum, 3rd Edition on 15 virtual patients in a variety of prehospital environments. It's an incredible opportunity to make real patient care decisions in a safe environment! An extraordinary study guide that helps students take the knowledge they learn in Mosby's EMT-Intermediate Textbook for the 1999 National Standard Curriculum, 3rd Edition, and apply it to 15 complex patient care scenarios in a virtual prehospital setting - promoting mastery of NSC competencies Utilizes interactive patient care simulation software, featuring scenario-setting videos, virtual assessment tools, treatment protocols, emergency drug information, intervention wizards, and more Serves as a bridge between the classroom and clinicals - so students truly understand how theory applies to situations they'll face in the real world Presents realistic emerging conditions that are a direct result of students' interventions Provides hands-on learning - making it easy for audio, visual and kinesthetic learners Offers students peace of mind - preparing them for clinicals by removing the risk of harming real patients and building their confidence throughout the course Makes assessment of students easy - instructors can gauge student comprehension and ability to think critically through study guide exercises and logs from the software. Provides the opportunity for class discussion on the same patient - so the entire class can discuss learning points of each virtual patient and their outcomes.