Pre Hospital Emergency Anaesthesia Course

Guys, a word of warning.

If you're not a paramedic, doc or nurse and/or are unfamiliar with the equipment found and used routinely within an NHS A&E truck, including the monitors, suction units and ventilators, you'll be wasting your dosh.

This is a big hit training course, that should not be taken lightly, and only done by people that have a genuine need for the knowledge, and who have access to continuation training that will keep them and the team they work with, practiced in these skills.

If this course is treated as just another tick in the box, you will without doubt kill the first person you attempt to anaesthetise.

Be warned guys.

Starlight Out
 
Actually bro, I feel I owe you an apology.

It wasn't my intention to 'dis' your thread, and having read my post back, it sounds like that's exactly what I've managed to do.

A clumsy post indeed. Sorry for the lack of thought.

Back to this course. When I did mine not so long ago, I turned up thinking "well, it's a string to my bow I suppose". But within about 3 minutes of sitting down, it reminded me of just how badly things can go. I was the only Paramedic on the course, all the rest with the exception of 1 spectaculary gifted and skilled nurse practitioner, were docs and anaesthetists. Everybody, irrespective of experience or 'trade' had regular clusterfook moments where you just wanted to be somewhere else - anywhere infact.

There are something like 14 full immersion simulations on manikins that seem more alive than next door's Cocker Spanial, but unlike him, are destined to die at the slightest excuse. All of the sims have reactive senses, so they will get worse in real time. They know what's supposed to be wrong with them, know what your doing about it, and what meds you're giving them and how much. Tongues will swell up and airways will close. Some sims leave you with no alternative other than a surgical airway - and if you're too slow or at times too fast, they're dead.

The proceedure can't be carried out safely as an individual, and the whole team (Min 2, hopefully 3 but you hope 4) need to be training together regularly.

The meds used are outside of normal JRCALC (Ketamine/Suxamethonium/Morphine/Medazolam/Atracurium), so Paras and Nurses need to be signed off regularly.

Don't get me wrong - it was a great course, and some of the people on it, were truely gifted, so it was good to work with them. It was really well run, by an amazing faculty. Detailed feedback was given after each sim, followed by Qs and As. Every sim was different and your responsibility within the team changed each time, so learning is always dynamic and will always happen.

I had a lot of fun (I think) and learned loads. If I could afford it, I'd do the whole thing again every 3 months, but that's only so I don't kill too many of my casualties.

BUT, and it's a big, huge, fookin massive BUT, I felt we were all left with the feeling that this is very much a quick way to kill the casualty if you or any member of the RSI team get it wrong. Hence the doom and gloom caution.

Anyway bro, just my bit of feedback for yawl. Hope it assists.

Starlight Out
 
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No worries Starlight, rest easy.

I agree with everything you've said and I'm sure other Medics on the site would back your statement. It was posted as an alternative to the ATACC course run up north.
 
Guys, a word of warning.

If you're not a paramedic, doc or nurse and/or are unfamiliar with the equipment found and used routinely within an NHS A&E truck, including the monitors, suction units and ventilators, you'll be wasting your dosh.

This is a big hit training course, that should not be taken lightly, and only done by people that have a genuine need for the knowledge, and who have access to continuation training that will keep them and the team they work with, practiced in these skills.

If this course is treated as just another tick in the box, you will without doubt kill the first person you attempt to anaesthetise.

Be warned guys.

Starlight Out

Cheers Starlight. I was looking at doing this course but now that you have mentioned the warning, I think I will save my money and get myself back to university as a student paramedic first.
 
If you are looking at a half way between the two, have a look at the pre hospital RSI assistants course offered by alliedmedicalsupport.org
 
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