TEACHING TRAUMA MANAGEMENT IN THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Since their introduction into the United Kingdom, Advanced Trauma Life Support Courses (ATLS) have preferentially offered places to Consultants and Senior Registrars. It is usual, however, for the initial resuscitation of the seriously injured patient to be performed by relatively inexperienced junior staff. It is incumbent upon those medical staff who are ATLS providers or instructors to design local courses, based upon ATLS principals, to train their junior staff in a structured approach to managing these patients. We describe one such local course which may serve as a model for others.