Ketamine is widely used in prehospital care for pain management, but its unique dissociative effects can be mentally and emotionally distressing when the patient’s psychological safety is overlooked. This lecture examines how limited awareness of ketamine’s experiential effects can unintentionally contribute to patient distress and highlights practical, trauma-informed strategies to reduce risk. Participants will explore the psychological effects of ketamine and how provider behavior, informed consent, and setting influence whether the patient experience is perceived as a welcomed relief or a “bad trip.”

NYS CME - ALS - Core - Pharmacology