CareFlight has developed the Remote Trauma Course (RTC) to deliver life-saving skills in a way that includes all participants and respects different cultures and learning styles.
The course teaches participants how to respond to trauma incidents, including how to treat haemorrhaging and how to maintain an airway. Given the Northern Territory is extremely remote with some communities hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest hospital it’s important everyone has the skills, knowledge and confidence to provide treatment that can save lives.
While the course is designed for first responders, in the NT that can be anyone from person who runs the local store, a worker at a
remote cattle station or a ranger caring for country. The course can also be tailored to specific industries or work groups, especially in remote settings.
RTC focuses on typical trauma scenarios experienced in the Territory and it is delivered in an inclusive way involving story-telling and yarning circles to include all learning styles and draw upon participant’s own experiences and skills. This is an important way support the community members who underpin the Top End Medical Retrieval Service (TEMRS) contract.
The course has shifted from traditional PowerPoint presentation styles into a more hands-on and visual style which is more appropriate for the variety of regional and remote locations where we deliver the course.
As part of the course development process and in line with our Reconciliation Action Plan, we worked with a local Indigenous designer Emma Woodhouse to design our collateral so it is Territory focused and connects with participants. It uses pictorial elements to reduce reliance on English and the written word, which is important given the range of languages spoken in the Territory. In some communities English can be a second or third spoken language, so it’s important we deliver the course in a way that respects and reflects that.
