title: Pre-hospital care--the evolution of a course for undergraduates.
abstract: Newly qualified doctors are ill equipped to deal with pre-hospital trauma emergencies. There is a public perception that medical education provides both experience and knowledge in this field. In Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK), committed doctors and nurses trained in pre-hospital care have evolved a specific course designed to equip the medical undergraduate to deal with pre-hospital trauma scenario. The pre-hospital trauma course for medical students has run annually from 1993 to 2000. The course caters for 200 students with a faculty of 30 instructors. Successful completion of the course which is rigorously assessed grants a certificate awarded by the Faculty of Pre-hospital Care at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Most importantly it equips the undergraduate with essential theoretical knowledge and practical skills to handle a pre-hospital trauma emergency.
authors.affiliation: Specialist Registrar in Plastic Surgery and Immediate Care Doctor, 271 Blossomfield Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B911TA, UK.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kilner
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thurgood
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006801:Humans; D006113:United Kingdom; D014947:Wounds and Injuries