Course Length: 16 Hours Syllabus (PDF)
Tuition:             $200.00 Schedule
Location:           NHSHP Application (PDF)

Intended Audience

         The Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Provider Course is designed for pre-hospital providers responsible for the initial evaluation and treatment of traumatic injuries.The course is available to all levels of pre-hospital care providers, and programs are typically attended by Emergency First Responders (Fire, Police, Search & Rescue, etc.), EMTs, Paramedics, Nurses (including Industrial based Occupational Health Nurses), Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Background

The PHTLS Provider Course was developed in response to a need for standardized efficient trauma care in the pre-hospital environment that would correlate with the standard practice and principles being taught to the surgeons through the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course.
PHTLS focuses on principles, not preferences. By focusing on principles of good trauma care, PHTLS promotes critical thinking. The Executive Committee of the PHTLS Division of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons believe that, given a good fund of knowledge, pre-hospital care providers are capable of making reasonable decisions regarding patient care. Rote memorization of mnemonics is discouraged. Furthermore, there is no “PHTLS way” of performing a specific skill. The principle of the skill is taught, and then one acceptable method of performing the skill that meets the principle is presented. The authors of the program realize that no one method can apply to the myriad of unique situations encountered in the pre-hospital setting.

Course Overview

The PHTLS Provider Course is designed to be an intensive 16 hour continuing education experience. The course is scenario based, with lectures and interactive skills station components meant to enhance the health care providers’ knowledge, and further develop the critical thinking skills required to effectively treat the trauma patient in the field.
Successful completion entails that the participant has:
  • Attended the entire course
  • Adhered to course content and demonstrated all practical skills as outlined in the PHTLS textbook
  • Achieve a passing score of 75% on the written pot-test
  • Successfully completed a final assessment station as team leader

Schedule


     

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