Doctor Training

Doctors, nurses, paramedics and aviation crew undergo CareFlight’s unique in-house training.

In addition to clinical education, activities typically include a mix of winching and helicopter underwater escape training, aviation physiology and inflight/on the job mentoring.

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Doctor training

CareFlight’s senior doctors come from one of the three critical care specialties – Anaesthesia, Emergency Medicine or Intensive Care. All our specialists work part time at CareFlight and are active in their parent specialty to ensure they remain clinically current.

Registrars can undertake a six or twelve month term working full-time with CareFlight, but twelve month terms are preferred. All or part of these terms are accredited as special skills posts by the three critical care colleges – Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM). CareFlight is also proud to offer the Diploma of Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine to our registrars.

All doctors are required to undergo a pre-employment fitness assessment and undertake our Pre-Hospital Trauma Course.

In addition, CareFlight registrars undergo an intensive medical and aviation induction program which includes:

• Human Factors Training
• Medical equipment orientation
• Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine clinical skills
• Simulation
• Aviation Ground School
• Flight Training (+/- winch training ) and 20:11
• Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET)

Following successful completion of the training program, staff are required to work rostered shifts, review cases with specialists weekly and attend Quality Assurance meetings monthly. They also attend regular education sessions on an ongoing basis.

For helicopter operations ongoing currencies include three-monthly static winch currency training, six-monthly live helicopter winch training for winch capable operations, and two-yearly HUET.