Trauma education for health professionals

Related: VGH Trauma Services

Vancouver General Hospital is the Level 1 Adult Trauma Centre for British Columbia. As the quaternary referral centre for the province, VGH Trauma Services provides province-wide education to health-care professionals caring for patients along the trauma continuum of care. 

Specialized certification programs, such as Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care (DSTC) are offered on an ongoing basis at VGH.  

Rounds are CME-accredited teaching rounds presented to a multidisciplinary group involved in the care of the trauma patient along the continuum of care.

When: Every Tuesday at 12pm noon  
Where: This is an online program presented on Zoom. Registration is not required, see details below.  
Audience: Health professionals. This group is made up of surgical residents and students, attending surgeons, Emergency and Critical Care nursing staff, military and paramedical staff.  
Contact: TraumaEduc@vch.ca 

How to join Trauma Rounds

Join online: 

• Join session via https://ubc.zoom.us/j/92675681014 
• Meeting ID: 94675834312 
• Password: 834312 

Join by phone: 

• Dial 778-907-2071 (Canada). Callers will be charged for any long-distance charges that may apply 
• Enter the Zoom Meeting ID 926 7568 1014, followed by “#” 
• Password: 681014  

Problems connecting? Contact Sandra Santander at sandra.santander@vch.ca​ or (604) 875-5292 

Recordings

Regional Trauma Rounds are available from the links below and will be available for streaming one to two days after each presentation.

ATLS is an internationally-recognized foundational course for teaching management of trauma. Participants will learn the framework for timely management of life-threatening injuries. Course includes online, didactic and practical sessions along with simulated assessment scenarios.

When: See the provider course dates below for upcoming 2024 dates.
Where: VGH Simulation Centre - 2nd floor of the Leon Blackmore Pavilion
Registration: Email TraumaEduc@vch.ca to register for an ATLS course.

ATLS program details

Participants will learn a structured approach to identify, intervene and manage injuries associated with major trauma. 

The ATLS® course provides its participants with a safe and reliable method for the immediate treatment of injured patients and the basic knowledge necessary to: 

1. Assess a patient’s condition rapidly and accurately. 
2. Resuscitate and stabilize patients according to priority. 
3. Determine whether a patient’s needs exceed a facility’s resources and/or a doctor’s capabilities. 
4. Arrange appropriately for a patient’s interhospital or intrahospital transfer (what, who, when, and how). 
5. Ensure optimal care is provided and the level of care does not deteriorate at any point during the evaluation, resuscitation, or transfer processes. 

2024 and 2025 Provider Courses – Vancouver Coa​stal Health

Below is a list of upcoming ATLS® courses being held at Vancouver General Hospital. If you would like to register for a course, please email us at TraumaEduc@vch.ca.

• November 4 to 5, 2024
• January 20 to 21, 2025
• February 25 to 26, 2025
• April 14 to 15, 2025
• May 12 to 13, 2025
• June 9 to 10, 2025
• Refresher courses may be run in conjunction with the above dates. Please contact the course coordinator for inquiries.​

2024 Provider Courses – Island Health

Below is a list of upcoming ATLS® courses being held on Vancouver Island. If you would like to register for a course, please contact them directly at ATLS@islandhealth.ca. 

• November 23 to 24, 2024 in Campbell River

2024 ATLS Instructor Courses – Vanco​uver Coastal Health

If you have interest in becoming an ATLS Instructor, please contact the the VGH course coordinator at glen.purcell@vch.ca. If you would like to register for a course, please email us at TraumaEduc@vch.ca.​ 

• January 22 to 23, 2024 
• November 7 to 8, 2024

For additional course listings in B.C., please visit the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) website. You can also access a list of ATLS Coordinators located in Canada​.​ 

The DSTC course was developed by the International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care (IATSIC) in response to the lack of written teaching material regarding strategic trauma resuscitation, early definitive care and surgical priorities. Since 1991, the course has been run in several countries and hosted at VGH since 2004.

The course is intended for surgeons who may infrequently care for trauma patients.

When: Email VGH Trauma at TraumaEduc@vch.ca to be included on the distribution list to receive information about the 2024 course.
Audience: Exclusively for surgeons
Contact: TraumaEduc@vch.ca

DSTC details

This course has been developed for qualified surgeons with limited trauma experience or training. The course objectives are

• Improved resuscitation of the trauma patient
• Faster time to definitive care
• Improved surgical decision making
• Increased awareness of surgical sequelae

This course assumes all principles of ATLS and builds on them.
 

The one-day cadaver-based course follows a modular, body region approach to surgical interventions for the bleeding trauma patient. Each section begins with a short, case-based overview, followed by a hands-on exposure performed by students under the guidance of faculty. The student-to-faculty ratio is low, allowing extensive faculty guidance and interaction with students. The student assesses their ability to perform each exposure independently and is evaluated on knowledge and technical skills. 

Audience: Mid-level and senior surgical residents, trauma and acute care surgical fellows, or any surgeon who wishes to undertake a review of this anatomy. It is an accredited course eligible for CME credits.
Registration:  Email traumaeduc@vch.ca​

Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC)

Building on the principles of ATLS®, RTTDC is a simulation-based course where providers work in multi-disciplinary teams to provide care in simulated trauma scenarios. It includes an interactive discussion tailored to the needs of the local site, hands-on skill portion, hands-on skill practice and simulation scenarios tailored to the needs of the facility.

Contact: TraumaEduc@vch.ca.

Rural Trauma program details

The course takes place at the local site with scenarios taking place in the patient care spaces. Coordination in done in conjunction with local staff and experienced faculty are brought in. Also covered are ideal communication concepts, team-building discussions, and triage or mass casualty scenarios.

Key concepts include:

• Resuscitation of major trauma patients
• Organized assessment and interventions
• Prioritization of treatment
• Medical and nursing management
• Team communication
• Ongoing treatment in low-resource settings
• Transfer decision making
• Optional topics include pediatrics, burns, triage, mass-casualty scenarios

VGH has supported RTTDC courses in the Coastal region since 2013 and is actively working with other health regions to deliver the courses in other regions of the province.

Additional rural trauma education

Enhanced Surgical Skills (ES​S) outreach

ESS physicians across Canada often provide trauma care at rural sites with limited surgical capability. VGH is working with select sites across BC to enhance the ability of these physicians to treat trauma patients prior to transfer.

Remote Simulati​​ons

VGH trauma physicians have worked with the University of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority to facilitate in-situ multi-disciplinary simulations in remote sites. These simulations are done using established simulation education theory and available video conferencing technology.

Find more resources and education for health professionals, including Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and more. If you would like more information on any trauma education, please contact traumaeduc@vch.ca.