Information on Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Training

At the last ISIC Conference, many members expressed an interest in further training in pre-hospital emergency care, but were unsure of what courses were available. This web-page was produced to provide members with information on some of the most popular courses available. In order to facilitate members from different back-rounds, including voluntary aid organizations, fire and rescue personnel, EMTs, nurses and doctors, we have included courses for all levels of experience from "First-Responder" to "Fellowship". These range from the most basic first-aid courses for lay-responders to specialist medical qualifications for doctors wishing to pursue postgraduate training in the speciality of immediate care.

1: Emergency Medical First Responder Course
This course developed by The National Ambulance Training School is designed to provide a higher level of First Aid training for industry; members of voluntary aid organisations and lay-responders in rural communities. The course is offered either full-time over six days, or part-time two evenings per week over seven weeks. It includes teaching on Adult, Infant & Child Basic Life Support; Automated External Defibrillators; Patient Assessment; Trauma and Medical Emergencies. Candidates who successfully complete the Final Assessment are awarded the Emergency Medical First Responder Certificate. For further information, contact The National Ambulance Training School: Tel: 01 671 51 89 or e-mail:nats@indigo.ie

2: Basic Life Support (BLS) Courses; Automated External Defibrillator Courses
     Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Courses
The Irish Heart Foundation offer a comprehensive range of resuscitation training courses accredited by the American Heart Association designed to accommodate students with varying levels of training and experience. These include half-day, one-day and two-day courses covering Basic Life Support, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Members are advised to contact the Resuscitation Training Officer of their local hospital, or contact The Irish Heart Foundation's Resuscitation Training Department to discuss which course would best suit their own individual needs. For further information, see www.irishheart.ie or e-mail: lobrien@irishheart.ie

3: Paediatric Education for Pre-Hospital Providers (PEPP) Course
This 2 Day course developed by The American Academy of Paediatrics focuses specifically on the pre-hospital assessment and management of paediatric emergencies. The course is provided by The National Ambulance Training School, and is available to ambulance personnel, doctors and nurses who may be required to care for paediatric patients in the pre-hospital environment. The course programme includes lectures and skills stations covering Child Development; Respiratory Emergencies; Cardiovascular Emergencies; Poisoning; Trauma; Emergency Delivery and Neonatal Resuscitation; Children with Special Needs and Child Maltreatment. For further information, contact The National Ambulance Training School: Tel: 01 671 51 89 or e-mail:nats@indigo.ie

5: Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Course
First developed by The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) in co-operation with The Committee on Trauma of The American College of Surgeons, this 2 Day course is designed to improve the outcome for the multiple trauma victim by teaching timely and appropriate pre-hospital emergency care. Through a series of lectures and skills sessions, the course focuses on a rapid and systematic assessment of the trauma victim with attention prioritised towards stabilizing the patient's airway and cervical spine, breathing and circulation, followed by rapid transfer to an appropriate hospital. For further details, contact The National Ambulance Training School: Tel: 01 671 51 89 or e-mail:a.malone@ucc.ie

6: Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Course
This 2½-Day course is primarily designed to teach non-specialist doctors a safe, reliable method for the initial assessment and management of trauma patients. Although the majority of participants are junior doctors working in a hospital setting, the principles taught are equally applicable to the pre-hospital environment. The course includes lectures and practical skills sessions covering basic and advanced airway management, chest injuries, abdominal injuries, head injuries, spinal injuries, musculo-skeletal injuries, burns, trauma in pregnancy, paediatric trauma and safe transfer of the trauma patient. For further information see: www.rcsi.ie or e-mail: cmcguinness@rcsi.ie

7: Safety at Scene Course
Initially run in 1997 by the Lancashire Fire & Rescue International Training Centre, this course has annually drawn participants from all over Britain. Conventional service training has always focussed on the 1-2-3 of Safety, but joint service training demonstrated that problems arose for non-firefighters in the perception of what could be unsafe. The course is not designed to turn ambulance personnel, immediate care doctors and police officers into super heroes, rather the opposite. The two day course provided by Eventmed is intensely practical, involving the use of fire extinguishers, cutting equipment on vehicles, railway familiarisation and an entrapment exercise. Participants are advised that it is an ideal time to test their own equipment and that a level of physical fitness is required in view of the strenuous effort required during some parts of the course. For further information visit www.eventmed.co.uk or e-mail: info@eventmed.co.uk

8: Vehicle Entrapment Rescue Immediate Care Specialist Course
The extrication of an entrapped patient after a road traffic accident requires the combined skills of both medical and technical rescue professionals. The 2-day Vehicle Entrapment Technical Rescue Immediate Care Specialist Course provided by The British Association of Immediate Care (BASICS) gives pre-hospital care practitioners both the technical and medical rescue skills required to achieve successful extrication. The course includes theoretical lectures and practical exercises involving the extrication and treatment of casualties from accident damaged vehicles. For further information, see www.basics.org.uk or e-mail: educ@basics.org.uk

9: Major Incident Medical Management and Support MIMMS) Course
This 3 Day course provided by The National Ambulance Training School is available to ambulance personnel, other emergency service personnel, doctors and nurses who may be required to respond to a multiple casualty incident. The course consists of a series of lectures, group scenarios and table-top exercises covering all major aspects of managing a multiple casualty incident. For further information, contact The National Ambulance Training School:
Tel: 01 671 51 89 or e-mail:nats@indigo.ie

10: Immediate Care Cardiac Course / Immediate Care Trauma Course
The Immediate Coronary Care and Immediate Trauma Care Courses are provided by The Centre for Immediate Care Services (CICS), a new division of the Department of General Practice at University College Dublin (UCD). The two courses are held over consecutive days and are provided at a variety of locations throughout the country. Courses are open to general practitioners, nurses and EMTs. The Immediate Trauma Care Course covers the primary survey; basic and advanced airway management; spine immobilization; chest injuries; head injuries; incident management and vehicle extrication. The Immediate Coronary Care covers the management of myocardial infarction and unstable angina; ECG recognition; basic life support; use of Advisory External Defibrillators and cardiac drugs. Emphasis is placed on the practical use of emergency equipment. For further details visit: www.ucd.ie/~genpract/ or call Ms Clara Nolan at 01 4020537.

11: Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Course
This 3-Day residential course organized by The British Association of Immediate Care (BASICS) in association with The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is open to GPs, nurses, ambulance service personnel and members of the voluntary aid organizations. It consists of lectures and practical skills sessions covering all aspects of pre-hospital emergency care, including incident management, trauma, obstetric and gynaecological, paediatric and medical emergencies. Candidates who successfully complete the course receive a Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Certificate awarded jointly by BASICS and The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care. For further information, see www.basics.org.uk or e-mail: educ@basics.org.uk

12: Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (Dip IMC RCS(Ed))
The Diploma in Immediate Medical Care was first introduced by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1988 to establish a standard of excellence for doctors involved in providing pre-hospital emergency care, either at sporting events or as part of their work in general practice. In recognition of the contribution made to pre-hospital care by other professionals, the Diploma examination was opened to nurses and NHS Ambulance Service paramedics in 1998.

Candidates are required to provide evidence of appropriate post-registration training including clinical experience in the area of pre-hospital emergency care before being considered eligible to sit the exam. BASICS offers a five day Immediate Care Course in Cambridge for candidates preparing for the Diploma, many of whom go on to successfully pass the examination. The examinations are held over one full day and consist of a written paper; multiple choice question paper; triage exercise; projected material question paper; viva examination; core skills assessment and moulage scenarios.

For information on the BASICS Immediate Care Course, see www.basics.org.uk or e-mail: educ@basics.org.uk For a copy of the exam regulations relating to The Diploma in Immediate Medical Care, e-mail: information@rcsed.ac.uk or apply to: The Information Section, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Adamson Centre, 3 Hill Place, Edinburgh EH8 9DS, Scotland.

13: Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care (FIMC RCS(Ed))
The Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care of The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is open to those medical practitioners who have obtained the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care and have completed at least four years practice in the area of pre-hospital care. Candidates must complete a specialist training programme that meets with the satisfaction of The Specialist Advisory Board in Immediate Medical Care and submit a portfolio which describes their experience and training. The examinations are in two parts. For further information, see www.rcsed.ac.uk or e-mail: information@rcsed.ac.uk For a copy of the exam regulations relating to The Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care, apply to: The Information Section, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Adamson Centre, 3 Hill Place, Edinburgh EH8 9DS, Scotland.