On September 27, 2010, the Centura Health Trauma System presented the Rural Trauma Team Development Course in Burlington, Colorado. Multiple facilities participated in the one day course and included 18 representatives from Kit Carson County Community Hospital, Keefe Memorial Hospital, Lincoln Community Hospital, and Goodland Regional Medical Center.
The Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC©) was developed by the ad hoc Rural Trauma Committee of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to help rural hospitals with development of trauma teams. The course is designed to train small rural hospital or clinic trauma teams in the team approach to the initial assessment and resuscitation of the injured patient and his/her transfer to definitive care. The goal of the course is aimed at promoting a decision to be made regarding the need for transfer of the critically injured trauma patient requiring definitive care in a level 1 or 2 Trauma Center within 15 minutes of patient contact. Key points are that the small rural facility can make a difference in the care of the trauma patient, the regional trauma center is a resource, and pre-hospital personnel are valuable assets (taken from the intro to the RTTDC from the ACSCOT publication).
This was an 8 hour course that combined didactic sessions with hands on skills and scenario stations. Teams were invited to participate from facilities with a recommendation of 3 persons per team, preferably a physician or physician extender, a nurse, and a pre-hospital provider. Trauma surgeons from within the Centura Health Trauma System presented the learning modules and then teams rotated through the scenario and skills stations. Participants were able to place chest tubes, practice intubation techniques, and perform surgical and needle cricothyrotomies as well as perform as teams in the simulated care of a critical trauma patient.
The Centura Health Trauma System looks forward to presenting this course on a biannual basis in various regions of the state. For further information please contact:
Amanda Soychak, RN, NREMTP
Trauma Outreach Coordinator
Centura Health Trauma System
303.804.8254
amandasoychak@centura.org
