FPOS -v- MIRA

The standard is set as far as we are concerned by the IHCD/SIA etc.

The FPOS-I is an excellent level for CPOs in any environment. It is appropriate for London Ambulance First Response Scheme Blue Light Responders who deal with emergencies ahead of healthcare professionals.

Equally, it is VERY appropriate for close protection operations in all environments (whether in UK, the sand pit etc), the oil and gas industry etc. Afterall, what could happen; Cardiac arrest - O2 and AEDs are included, RTC or fall from height - spinal injury management is included, traumatic amputation from a roadside bomb (EFP etc) - CAT tourniquets are covered.

No need to fancy it up, it works in a broad range of situations and environments.

If you feel the level is inappropriate, rather than going above the recognised base line and into the world of commercial uncertainty, why not look towards real credible products that are supported at national levels or provide recognised healthcare provider status:

If you want to operate without ANY medical support, perhaps in the jungle, look at a Wilderness First Aid, First Responder or Wilderness EMT course - recognised by the Wilderness Society or the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI).

If you want to work on an ambulance or gain a greater depth of pre hospital care knowledge and skills transferable to the CP environment, look at a real emergency medical technician course (not a 5 day commercial one which is essentially a first aid/responder) course (Afterall, how much can you learn in 5 days).

Consider:

AREMT - Emergency Medical Technician (over 300 didactic hours) based on the US DoT syllabus
NREMT - Emergency Medical Technician - US Dot Syllabus
IHCD - Ambulance Technican
HSE - Offshore Medic (Pre requisites apply, i.e qualified and experienced medic)
ASHI - Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician Upgrade (EMT required)

ALL of these course MUST contain clinical placements in order to pass and become registered as a healthcare professional. If they don´t, you will not get registered. How can you become a professional without appropriate practice.

You could then go on to develop an indepth understanding and consolidation of your trade, with bags of pre hospital patient contact to develop the all important competence and confidence.

You could then elect (After at least a year and 100s of hours clinical practice) to progress onto a Paramedic programme (AREMT, NREMT, IHCD etc)

Specialist Operational Support Ltd offer the following, ALL with clinical Placements:

AREMT - Emergency Medical Technician (Combined programme with Wilderness EMT upgrade)

AREMT - Paramedic

All of the above include:

Primary care clinic placements and Ambulance placements and our EMT students will also assist in a vaccination programme overseen by our Doctor, Nurses and Paramedics (Not a requirement but a great experience to assist a disadvantaged community)

In summary, don´t choose SOS because I am advertising on their behalf but make your own mind up based on your needs and what your goals are.

If you want to be a medic and not a ´paper first aider´ then patient contact following quality, realistic training is key.

If we can help, please feel free to contact us. I am not so biased I won´t advise you which other TPs are quality if their product suits your needs better.

The common goal of helping prepare others to aid our collagues is where its at!

When I am on a CP op, the side of a mountain, deep in the jungle or onboard a ship and am taken ill, I want to know the ´Medic´ has a sound grounding of knowledge, knows the A & P of healthy patients and has dealt with a sufficient number and variety of sick patients to: stay calm, methodically assess the patient and identify the cause before providing appropriate treatment based on their knowledge and skills competency level - this can only happen through patient contact.

Keep the faith and stay safe.

M4MED
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M4MED said:
"The standard is set as far as we are concerned by the IHCD/SIA etc.

The FPOS-I is an excellent level for CPOs in any environment. It is appropriate for London Ambulance First Response Scheme Blue Light Responders who deal with emergencies ahead of healthcare professionals.

Equally, it is VERY appropriate for close protection operations in all environments (whether in UK, the sand pit etc), the oil and gas industry etc. Afterall, what could happen; Cardiac arrest - O2 and AEDs are included, RTC or fall from height - spinal injury management is included, traumatic amputation from a roadside bomb (EFP etc) - CAT tourniquets are covered.

No need to fancy it up, it works in a broad range of situations and environments. "




Aint that the truth........ but how many more TP's would openly admitt that??
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well thats my mind made up FPOS-I it is but I'm glad the experienced commented on post as I had no idea MIRA was basically no higher than FPOS-I, Although does it make you stand out on CV??? from the hundreds with FPOS?

And these days some sort of med qual higher than a basic first aider is a must in this industry.
 
MIRA is a good course....but if it's teaching you skills that realistically speaking you can't legitimately use (and that appears to be what the med professionals are saying) then anything you pay beyond the price of an FPOS-i is pissed up the wall (or alternatively chucked straight into the training companies bank account!)

Not a dig at all....i did the MIRA and rated it and the instructors, just an observation.

Daz
 
Really good thread
Firstly, it was opened up with a sensible question.
It was then answered by one person, saying whatwe all already know.

I'm new to the industry, I'm an ex CMT1(V) volunteer with the BRC as ambulance crew(have the BRC IHCD enhanced skills for ambulance crew ticket) ILS and a few other bits and bobs.....and the 15 years of patient contact/CPD/and the underwater AED course(same people who teach the knife fighting course)

Took my CV and tickets to a few employers, who told me that it all looked very pretty, but unless I had Paramedic or FPOS-I, the above meant shit.
Went away and spoke to some TPs, who told me that their super sexy FPOS-I course, was the way forwards. Most of them were for CP, who needed it for their licence. Not because they wanted to be be medics, but because it enabled them to get employment as shooters.
Lots of these TPs were telling me that the extra day of the course, had this that and the other(things that after years of study and finally getting on a BArts&BTLS course I already knew about and had practiced). So I went with a non security industry provider, did a great FPOS I course, I now know what the FPOS I medics can do, and when I'm working with them, will allow them to work, and I will just stick my oar in, when needed.
The point I'm making is, go and get a bog standard FPOS-I, become a community responder, or St John or red cross member, and back up your training with practical experience and regular(?weekly) training sessions.
Things like ""standby CPD" also help and look great in your portfolio.
good luck.
3l
 
I still find it odd that 99% of the medic TP's have not jumped all over this thread so there for they must completely agree with it or dont dare say anything on CPW
 
While I agree with everything said above,
and I've definitely made my personal choice to become a real healthcare professional even though it's long and expensive,
Can someone explain me why so many serious companies are so fond of MIRA guys ??? G4S, CRG (AFAIK), SNE just to name a few.

Why ??
 
Lets just say you work for a UK government department and at the end of....oh i don't know lets say 22 years you decide i think i will take my pension and work in the private sector and at the same time lots of your friends are doing exactly the same....setting up lots of little specialist companies offering supporting skill set training to the major employers of that private sector industry.....you have the input on what skill sets the customers you serve require....and of course you can influence the preferred suppliers of those skills sets....get my drift?

Oh and MIRA is a good course.... just think very carefully before trying to sticking a chest drain into a major O&G client after 30 minutes practice on a dead pig! Might not turn out the way you would like...lol.
 
Hi Guys

Just read the thread (as I don't come on here that often as I always up to my neck in it). There are some very interesting and very true comments. As a registered professional myself I completely agree with many of your comments. Having worked in education for my local ambulance trusts and operationally for many years, I decided to set up Medipro purely out of frustration. I used to see many 'medics' on the private circuit on events etc with EMT certificates which meant nothing in the real world.

As a clinician we are always under scrutiny both professionally and educationally. Credibilty is paramount in education. This is why all of our courses (except the CPD ones) are approved by some awarding body. Many of our courses (especially the RCS Ed) have been introduced through customer demand. You are right in the fact that without professional registration or clinical governance you are not allowed to practice. This is even true for offshore medics once they touch down on the beechif they are not a HPC paramedic or RGN.

When you look at our pricing structure (which is available for all to see) we are by no means the most expensive. In fact we are constantly told we are very cheap compared to other TP's. My ethos is about the quality of education and releasing competent and confident clinicians.

Our faculty too are all current practicing professionals who are either HPC paramedics, RGN, doctors or current HSE Offshore medic. This brings current evidence based practice to the classroom which enhances the learners experience. I also stipulate that all my faculty have a professional teaching qualification.

I hope this eases any concerns about my Training company within this debate and welcome any comments or feedback. If anyone would like to speak with my direct or have any questions or issues about education or indeed any concerns about professional staus or content from any other TP, please conact me. Mobile 07957686520
 
MediPro,

I applaud your post and diligence and where you are and strive to be. Just one point I would both support and argue against (Not for the sake of it mind, not my style) and that is on EMT courses.

I whole heartedly agree that there are numerous 5 day commercial EMT courses out there which are no more than a first aid course and at best equivalent to a first responder course and as you point out, these ´certificates´ mean nothing.

I do however disagree that ALL EMT courses are like this.

Both the US National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) EMT-B course and the AREMT EMT-B (Both based on the US Department of Transport syllabus) are recognised national level certifications. There are 10,000s of EMTs employed across the US, Australiasia, Asia, Middle East and Latin America based on these qualifications.

Our EMT-Basic course contains 2 -3 months of distance learning plus 15 days onsite plus real world patient contact in primary care clinics, as an EMT on an ambulance in a busy capital city and in an A & E (ER/ED) dept.

Our faculty comprises Doctors, Expedition Medics, Herpetologists, Paramedics (with Military, Close Protection, desert, jungle, mountain and arctic experience)

Additionally our Wilderness EMT upgrade includes knowledge and skills taught by paramedics, mountain leaders, herpetologists and tropical medicine doctors and is recognised by the American Safety and Health Institute.

These EMT qualifications (Once registered after gaining the necessary clinical exposure) (NREMT and AREMT) are both acceptable in the oil and gas industry (see the regulations), acceptable to British Security companies (in the sandpit) and are a requirement of US DoD contracts.

Some of the biggest oil companies in the world are recruiting AREMT and NREMT EMTs and Paramedics.

Not to mention, several NHS Trusts call their Ambulance Technicians EMTs now.

I also note that whilst the HSE Offshore Medic course is an excellent course, it requires a previous medical qualification and significant patient contact priot to application, namely Nurse, Doctor, CMT etc (Some companies however, are accepting AREMT EMT and NREMT EMTs onto the course - but that´s a separate issue!)

So, to say EMT isn´t recognised isn´t entirely correct. I have posted at length on this topic on here in the past.

Depends on your view of the ´real world´ I suppose.

Anyway, I whole heartedly support your great work and diligence - more of it I say! Well done.

Best regards,

M4MED
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Amazing thread. I agree totally. If you don't follow up your training with real life patient experience it is all lost. You need to see those patients that have a heart condition, a sore throat, athletes foot, Montezumas Revenge, the kid with a runny nose and bad ears. You do the FPOS and then decide wether you want to go the whole nine yards and put in hundreds of hours of volunteer work or you want to join the rest of the Walts who claim to be medics but whom I would never allow near any of my patients.

Yes, I can teach you all about surgical airways, chest drains, cannulation, pelvis packing and fluid therapy in 5 days, but will it give you the experience and the competency to do them? NO.

I've used to work for one of TPs who are not responding to this threat, one who advertises in this forum constantly, and I left for the same reason. Tons of certificates out there not worth the paper and ink used to manufacture them.

Choose wisely and don't be another medic Walt

Mike
MD
Instructor in PHTLS, ATLS, DSTC, DIMS AND MRMI
 
Arnaud said:
While I agree with everything said above,
and I've definitely made my personal choice to become a real healthcare professional even though it's long and expensive,
Can someone explain me why so many serious companies are so fond of MIRA guys ??? G4S, CRG (AFAIK), SNE just to name a few.

Why ??
Click to expand...

It's esentially an 'old boys' net. It just so happens that the boss of one of the largest projects being serviced by one of the big players, is an old mukka of the boss of ExMed. The project made it an absolute requirement that everybody on that project from the big player, must be MIRA.

The end result was that the bods on project, all of which already held FPOSi quals and never in a million years wanted to be 'a medic', had to fund their own MIRA courses during their rotational leave or face the big heave ho...........Fookin outrageous.

No names no pack drill, but you know who you are, and you should be ashamed.
 
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