Doctors and nurses from across the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) and LifeFlight networks gathered across the state last week to upskill on essential trauma training.
The Trauma STAR Program put crews through intensive clinical scenarios covering mass casualty events, cardiac arrests, hemorrhage control, and advanced retrieval medicine.
This year, State Aeromedical Lead Ben Clarke enhanced the course further by coaching crews through practical training in emergency amputations.
“The practice of clinical care is ever evolving, and to ensure our teams are managing patients effectively according to best practice, we cover training in a broad spectrum of critical care presentations,” Ben said.
“It ensures we create a culture of excellence amongst our aeromedical team.”
The training included high-pressure, real-world simulations where crews were forced to make split-second decisions – from freeing a trapped “patient” inside a vehicle to performing emergency procedures in time critical circumstances.
Queensland Fire & Rescue specialists also led some of the exercises, refreshing the team on extrications and scene safety.
“We see the breadth of trauma presentations here at the RFDS,” Ben said.
“It is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and evidence shows that appropriate early trauma care improves patient outcomes.
“This training covered trauma realistically, with an emphasis on procedures and patient cohorts that are less often encountered.”
Nurse Manager – Aeromedical Training Maree Cummins, who has served more than 34 years with the Flying Doctor, helped facilitate the training while sharing her own learnings.
“This was a valuable opportunity for the team to practice emergency skills and scenarios with other emergency services and share their own experiences from working on the frontline in some of Queensland's most remote regions,” she said.
With RFDS crews regularly responding to emergencies thousands of kilometres from major hospitals, the training ensures our doctors and nurses are prepared for anything — at a moment’s notice.
Senior Consultant – Aeromedical Shima Ghedia has been a doctor for more than 30 years and said the training was a great refresher.
“I think every doctor involved in rural medicine should have an opportunity to know how it feels to do an amputation so that if (touch wood) you ever have to do one, you have the skill,” Shima said.
