EUROPEAN TRAUMA COURSE

The ETC is a training program for highly qualified health care professionals who are involved in the management of acute trauma cases. Our goal is to teach a simplified and standardised approach to trauma patients.
ETC is scenario based. Our team will guide you through 29 trauma admission scenarios, which have specific learning objectives, covering the broad spectrum of trauma care.

Throughout the course you will spend 85% of your time working in small groups, resembling trauma teams in a shock room environment. Every group is build up of participants coming from different specialties. You will be learning how to function within a team, as team leader and team member. Between the scenarios you will be swapping roles. In this way each participant has the opportunity to lead a trauma team, and also to experience all functions within a trauma team. In order to bring the scenarios to life you will need to play your role and join in actively.

At the beginning of the course you will be assigned a mentor, who will provide daily feedback and who is there for you, if you have any questions.

In order to pass the course firstly you must be present during all workshops. In line with modern educational principles, participant assessment is both formative and summative.

• Formative assessment: Each participant will be continuously assessed and marked during each scenario within all workshops, with respect to specific clinical and team management criteria. The latter takes into account both, team member skills (knowing your role within the team, performing your tasks during the scenarios, being helpful to colleagues, being proactive and communicating well) and team leader skills (leadership, overview, task allocation, decision making, empathy, clear communication and being able to listen to your team). After each scenario there is direct feedback to the candidates.
• Summative assessment: On the final day of the course each participant takes a role in three practice scenarios. This is followed by a summative assessment, which focuses on participant's team leader performance, team member performance, overall knowledge of the algorithms and practical skills. A pass grade or higher, as defined by predetermined criteria in both, the formative and summative assessments, is required to successfully complete the course. Unsuccessful participants are allowed one further retest, based on an unseen scenario.

It is important to thoroughly read the manual before you attend the course. Unlike in other Life Support Courses there are no repetition lectures. The ETC is an advanced course and participants must have experience in major trauma patient management before they attend a course.

ETC has a strong focus on non-technical skills and teamwork. You will experience how your team performance will improve during the course.

ETC is not dogmatic and we regard each course as a shared learning experience. We therefore very much appreciate your contribution and invite you to come forward and share your expertise with us.