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A full IHCD Technician course through Lifeskills Medical
takes 6 weeks (plus pre-course study), with full Technician
qualification dependent on satisfactory completion of 750
operational hours demonstrating competency in all key skills,
with assessment being made by an appropriately qualified
person. So, how about the Lifeskills Medical 5 day course?
What some people seem to get hot under the collar about is
not so much what skills are learnt, but the use of the term
“EMT”, with shouts of, "They should be called advanced first
aiders, or advanced first responders". However, a survey
showed that it is not IHCD Technicians who shout this, but it
comes from those who perform a similar role to the EMT,
but whose organisations they belong to do not allow them to
call themselves EMT's. In the UK the term EMT was first
used by Lifeskills Medical for training courses some 15
years ago, and the term has now been universally adopted.
A Lifeskills Medical EMT is not an IHCD Technician (we know
this - we train both), but a Lifeskills Medical EMT is a prehospital
medic who has extended skills, knowledge and
training. They are often responsible for on-site or mobile
emergency medical cover, as independent ambulance
crews, remote areas medics, or combined fire and rescue
personnel within a large industrial complex or at airports. |
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IHCD Ambulance Technician training takes you from
absolute zero to the end of initial training in 6 weeks, with
much of that time spent learning anatomy & physiology, body
systems, and basic life support. This is because most
students on joining have never touched the subject. By
contrast, students for Lifeskills Medical EMT training will
normally have completed a minimum of 2 years practising
as a first aider at HSE First Aid At Work level or higher, and
prior to the training will undertake 2 weeks pre-reading, with
on-line tests and a further exam on day one, day three and
day five of the course to check and confirm their skills,
knowledge and apability to complete and pass the course.
EMT's don't do just 5 days training. They have good solid
base knowledge and skills before they attend training, which
counts for some three or even four weeks of the IHCD
Technicians course. So, whilst an Ambulance Technician
might be termed an “engineer” with diagnostic capability, the
Lifeskills Medical EMT is a “mechanic”, with extended
practical skills and knowledge to stabilise a patient prior to |
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reaching advanced medical help. EMT's are expected to
further develop the skills and knowledge taught, and record
this by utilising their own organisations PDP, or recording
their own CPD, developed in line with an accepted
competence framework or guidance for assessment. The
standard of knowledge required for entry on to a Lifeskills
Medical EMT course and the intensity of the training is such
that those who do pass the course gain invaluable
knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of
medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital
environment, using techniques and equipment far beyond
that of the first aider. Our training is very much in demand.
Lifeskills Medical trained EMT’s are employed in diverse
situations including the oil and gas industry, the police, in
offshore installations, on motor racing circuits, and in the
county and airport fire and rescue services. Independent
ambulance services also demand that their crews have EMT
knowledge and skills, as their duties are such that they are
more than first aiders. To call EMT's 'Advanced First Aiders"
would be misleading as they manage and transport medical
or trauma patients in the pre-hospital care role using skills
and knowledge including advanced airway management,
oxygen and entonox administration, primary and secondary
patient assessment, vital signs monitoring, 3 lead ECG
monitoring, blood glucose testing, head, spine, chest,
abdominal and limb trauma. Lifeskills Medical EMT's are also
trained in shock evaluation, AED use, application of splints,
spinal immobilisation, the management of medical emergencies, burns, pregnant patients, triage systems,
basic emergency medication for asthma, angina,
anaphylaxis, diabetes and trauma & assisting with IV fluids.
So, the term EMT is well suited to those trained to meet
these requirements, and the Lifeskills Medical EMT course
is accepted throughout commerce and industry in the UK
and abroad. Most NHS Ambulance Service Trusts could not
cope with their workload without the help of independently
trained EMT's. Lifeskills Medical EMT's are also accepted by
IHCD as having appropriate clinical skills and knowledge to
instruct the IHCD First Person On Scene (FPOS) courses if
they hold an appropriate teaching qualification. As with IHCD
Technician's, Lifeskills Medical EMT's are regularly reassessed
to ensure they are delivering best practice, so
their EMT qualification needs renewing every 2 years. Full
advantage should be also taken by the EMT of maintaining
this qualification, together with completing other specialist
courses offered by Lifeskills Medical, such as our extended
skills modules, EMT Advanced, Ballistics Injury Management,
ILS, PEPPS, and IHCD Emergency Services D1/D2 Driving. |
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