James Pointer, MD
Emergency Medical Services

EDUCATION

Sep. 1970 - Jun. 1974
Tufts University School of Medicine

Sep. 1966 - Jun. 1970
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
B.A. (Psychology) High Honors

Sep. 1962 - Jun. 1966
Gloucester, VA High School


POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

Jul. 1977 - Jun. 1979
University of California, San Francisco
Fellowship in Emergency Medicine

Jul. 1975 - Jun. 1977
University of California, Irvine
Family Medicine Residency, Chief Resident

Jul. 1974 - Jun. 1975
Scottsdate Memorial Hospital, Arizona
Internship (Family Practice Resident)


TEACHING APPOINTMENTS

Clinical Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University , Dec. 1994- Aug. 1997

Associate Clinical Professor, UC San Francisco, Nov. 1985 - Oct. 1993

Clinical Instructor, UC Davis, Sep. 1980 - Jun. 1981

Clinical Instructor, UC San Francisco, Aug. 1979 - Jun. 1981

Lifetime Instructor, California Junior College System, Sep. 1980 - Present

Family Medicine Pathway Advisor, UC San Francisco, Mar. 1978 - Jun. 1979

Assistant Clinical Instructor, UC Irvine, Jan. 1977 - Jun. 1977


CLINICAL ACTIVITIES EXPERIENCE

Bethesda Memorial Hospital, Boynton Beach, FL, Emergency PhysiciaN
Mar. 1995 – Aug. 1997

St. Mary’s Hospital, West Palm Beach, FL, Emergency Physician
Dec.1994 - Sep. 1995

Coral Springs Medical Cntr, Coral Springs, FL, Emergency Physician
Jan.994 – Aug. 1997

North Broward Medical Center, Pompano Beach, FL, Emergency Physician
Nov. 1993 – Aug. 1997

Kaiser Foundation Hospital, San Rafael, CA, Emergency Physician
Mar. 1992 - Oct. 1993

Providence Hospital, Oakland, CA, Emergency Physician
Jul. 1988 - Mar. 1992

Highland General Hospital, Oakland, CA 
Aug. 1987 - Aug. 1988 Assistant Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine
Jul. 1987 - Jul. 1988 Member, Medical Executive Committee
Jun. 1983 - Jul. 1987 Member, Credentials Committee

Associate Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine Oct. 1982 - Aug. 1987
Community Hospital, Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA Aug. 1979 - Nov. 1981
Director, Emergency Department

Ross General Hospital, Ross, CA, Emergency Physician Aug. 1977- Aug. 1979

Novato Community Hospital, Novato, CA, Emergency Physician
Jun. 1978 - Aug. 1979

Canyon General Hospital, Anaheim, CA, Emergency Physician Jan. 1976 - Jun. 1977


ADMINISTRATIVE, EMS, AND TRAUMA SYSTEMS EXPERIENCE
Medical Director, Marin County Fire Department, Southern Marin 
Feb. 1999 - Present
Emergency Medical Paramedic System, Ross Valley Paramedic
Authority

EMS Agency, County of Alameda, Interim Director Oct. 1997 - Mar. 1998
Medical Director
Sep. 1982 - Dec. 1988
Sep. 1997 – Present

Medical Director, St. Joseph’s Ambulance Service May 2002 - Present

Area Medical Officer- Palm Beach County, Coastal Physician Group
Oct. 1994 - Sep. 1995
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Chairperson, EMS and Trauma QI Committee, North Broward Medical Center
Jul. 1994 – Aug. 1997
Pompano Beach, FL

ClinCon ’95 Program Planning Committee Sep. 1994 - Aug. 1995

EMS Medical Directors Association of Florida Dec. 1993 – Aug. 1997

EMS Coordinator, Coastal Physicians Group, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Nov. 1993 – Aug. 1997

Medical Issues Committee, EMS Council, Broward County, FL Nov. 1993 – Aug. 1997

MIS Subcommittee, EMS for Children, State of California Jan. 1992 - Oct. 1993
Chair, Jan. 1992 - Oct. 1993

EMS Agency Medical Director, City and County of San Francisco
Oct. 1988 - Oct. 1993

Chairperson, Clinical Advisory Committee, City and County Oct. 1988 - Oct. 1993
of San Francisco

State of California, Scope of Practice Committee Dec. 1989 - Oct. 1993
Jan. 2001 - Present
Chair,Apr. 1993 - Oct. 1993

Chairperson, Trauma Audit Committee, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
Dec. 1987 - Oct. 1988
Sep. 1997 - Present

Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Assoc of California

EMS Medical Consultant, County of Marin Aug. 1985 - Dec. 1988

Paramedic Base Station Physician, Highland General Hospital, Jan. 1982 - Sep. 1982
Oakland, CA

Co-organizer and main instructor, EMT-II Program, Sonoma, CA
Jun. 1980 - Nov. 1981


BOARD CERTIFICATION

American Board of Emergency Medicine, Nov. 1983
Recertification, Nov. 1993

American Board of Family Practice, Jan. 1978
Recertification, Jul. 1984


MEMBERSHIPS and MERIT BADGES

San Francisco Medical Society, Jan. 1989 - Dec. 1993

National Association of EMS Physicians, Aug. 1986 - Present

California Medical Association
Nov. 1985 - Dec. 1993
Oct. 1998 - Present

Alameda - Contra Costa Medical Society
Nov. 1985 - Dec. 1988
Oct. 1998 - Present 

Alameda County Chapter, American Heart Association, Aug. 1985 - Dec. 1988

Advanced Trauma Life Support
Mar. 1985 – Mar. 1998

Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Mar. 1985 – Mar. 1998

American College of Emergency Physicians
1977 - Present

EDITING AND REVIEWING EXPERIENCE

Associate Editor, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Jul. 1994 - Jan. 2000

Reviewer, American Journal of Emergency Medicine May 1994 - Present

Editorial Reviewer, Emergency Medicine Desk Reference Apr. 1994 - Present

Reviewer, Annals of Internal Medicine Sep. 1991 - Present

Consulting Reviewer, Annals of Emergency Medicine Jun. 1983 - Present


OTHER
Member, Trauma Center and Base Hospital Site Review Team

Member, Prehospital Provider Request for Proposal Review Teams

Formal and informal lectures to physicians, house staff, mobile 
intensive care nurses, and paramedics at national, regional, and local levels

Speaking, reading knowledge of Spanish


PUBLICATIONS

Journals

McGuire TJ, Pointer J: Pediatric Apparent Life-Threatening Events:An Underrecognized Entity in Emergency Medical Services. Prehospital Emergency Care 6: 229, 2002.

Pointer J, et al: Can Paramedics Using Guidelines Accurately Traige Patients? Ann Emerg Med 38: 268, 2001.

Pointer J: Experience and Mentoring Requirements for Competence in New/Inexperienced Paramedics. Prehospital Emergency Care 5: 379, 2001.

Pointer J, et al: Can Paramedics Using Guidelines Acurrately Triage Patients? (Abstract) Prehospital Emergency Care 4:93, 2000.

Pointer J, Helander-Daugherty K, Kramm P: Paramedics Administration of Childhood Immunizations: A first in California. (Abstract) Prehospital Emergency Care 4:103, 2000.

Rusteen J, Martchenke J, Pointer J, Barton C: Prehospital communications during the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Prehospital Disaster Med 10: 225, 1995.

Madsen CD, Pointer J, Lynch TG, Evans GT: A comparison of adenosine and verapamil for the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia in the prehospital setting. Ann Emerg Med 25 649, 1995.

Martchenke J, Pointer J: Hospital disaster operations during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Prehospital Disaster Med 9: 146, 1994.

Palafox, J, Pointer, J, Martchenke J, Kleinrock M, Michaelis J: The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake: Issues in Medical Control. Prehospital Disaster Med 8: 291,1993.

Pointer J: Current Practice of Emergency Medicine (Book review). Ann Int Med, 15 April 1992.

Pointer J, et al: The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake: Impact on Hospital Patient Care. Ann Emerg Med 21: 1228, 1992

Callaham M, Madsen CD, Barton CW, Saunders CE, Pointer J: A Randomized Clinical Trial of High-Dose Epinephrine and Norepinephrine vs. Standard Dose Ephinephrine in Prehospital Cardiac Arrest. JAMA 268: 2667, 1992.

Pointer J, Osur M, Mathews B, Campbell C, & McCall C: The Impact of Standing Orders on Medication and Skill Selection, Paramedic Assessment, and Hospital Outcome: A Follow-Up Report. Prehospital Disaster Med 6: 303, 1991.

Dieckmann R, Pointer J, & Barton C: Rectal Diazepam for Prehospital Pediatric Status Epilepticus. (Abstr) Prehospital Disaster Med 6: 389, 1991.

Pointer J: Acute Medicine (Book review). Ann Emerg Med 20: 1400, 1991.

Saunders C, Amick P, Applegarth J, & Pointer J: The 1989 San Francisco Earthquake: Impact on Emergency Medical Services Dispatch, Communications and System Operations. (Abstr) Ann Emerg Med 19: 456, 1990

Pointer J & Osur M: Defibrillator Study: Just the First Step (editorial). J Emerg Med 7: 203, 1989.

Pointer J: Clinical Characteristics of Paramedics' Performance of Pediatric Endotracheal Intubation. Am J Emerg Med 7: 364, 1989.

Pointer J: Effect of Standing Orders on Field Times. Ann Emerg Med 18: 1119, 1989.

Pointer, J, et al: Safety of Axial Traction (letter) Ann Emerg Med 18: 1119, 1989.

McGuire T & Pointer J: Evaluation of a Pulse Oximeter in the Prehospital Setting. Ann Emerg Med 17: 1058, 1988.

Pointer J: Clinical Characteristics of Paramedics' Performance of Endotracheal Intubation. J Emerg Med 6: 505, 1988.

Pointer J: Is Advanced Life Support the Standard of Care? Am J Emerg Med 5: 89, 1987.

Pointer J & Osur M: EMS Quality Assurance: A Computerized Incident Reporting System. J Emerg Med 5: 513-517, 1987.

Pointer J: The Advanced Life Support Base Hospital Audit for Medical Control in an Emergency Medical Services System. Ann Emerg Med 16: 557-560, 1987.

Pointer J: Glucose Analysis: Indications for Ordering and Alternatives to the Laboratory. Ann Emerg Med 4: 75-78, 1986.

Pointer J & Small L: Emergency Physicians' Duty to Warn and Protect: A Critique and Guidelines. J Emerg Med 4: 75-78, 1986.

Pointer J: The Emergency Physician and Medical Control in Advanced Life Support. J Emerg Med 3: 31-35, 1985.

Pointer J & Dailey RH: Standards for Attending Staff in an Emergency Medicine Residency Program. J Emerg Med 1: 271-274, 1984.

Pointer J, Fletcher AB, & Mathews B: Is BLS Enough? (editorial), Am J Emer Med, Nov. 1984.

Pointer, J: The Use of the Unna's Boot in the Treatment of Ligamentous Ankle Injuries. West J Med 139: 257-259, Aug. 1983.

Pointer J: Typewriter Correction Fluid Inhalation: A New Substance of Abuse. Clin Toxicol 19(5), 493-499, 1982.

Pointer J: Utilizing Nasotracheal Intubation to Full Potential. ER Reports 3: 143-148, Dec. 27, 1982.

Pointer J, Barnett R, Nimtz J, & Beers D: Subacute Laetrile Intoxication. West J Med 134: 170-172, Feb. 1981.

Pointer J & Best P: The Effect of KCI-Induced Cortical Spreading Depression on Shock Thresholds in Rats. Proc Am Psych Assn, June 1970.


Chapters in Books

Pointer J: "Levels of Prehospital Providers" in Kuehl, A (ed): The Medical Director's Handbook, St. Louis, C.V. Mosby, 2nd Edition, 1994, 3rd Edition, 2002.

Pointer J: "Community Planning Strategies" in Dieckmann RA (ed): Pediatric Emergency Care Systems Planning and Management, Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, 1992.

Pointer J: "Nasotracheal Intubation" in Dailey RH (ed): The Airway: Emergency Management, St. Louis, C.V. Mosby, 1992.

Pointer J: "Evaluation of EMS System Components" in Swor RA (ed): Quality Assurance in Emergency Medical Services, St. Louis, C.V. Mosby, 1992.

Pointer J: "Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis" in Callaham M (ed): Current Therapy in Emergency Medicine, Toronto, B.C. Decker/C.V. Mosby, 1987.

Pointer J: "Genital Infections" in Rosen P, Baker RJ, Braen CR, Dailey RH, et al: Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice (2nd, 3rd, & 4th editions), St. Louis, C.V. Mosby, 1987, 1992, 1997.


Book

Pointer J, Fletcher AB: Basic Life Support: An Assessment-Oriented Approach, Rockville, MD, Aspen Publishers, 1986.