Devon Air Ambulance Senior Consultant, Tim Nutbeam, reports on an eventful weekend of simulation and learning involving Critical Care team members and Exeter University students.

In early September 2019, Devon Air Ambulance partnered with the University of Plymouth to deliver a weekend of simulation, teaching, and excitement. 

57 students, 4 doctors, 12 critical care paramedics, 15 volunteers, 4 professional actors, a makeup artist and our support and delivery team descended on Okehampton Youth Hostel for some intensive learning activities.

On the Saturday our clinical teams delivered 8 stations covering a wide variety of clinical and practical skills, such as patient assessment, immobilisation and emergency treatment. 

On the Sunday the students joined with our Critical Care Teams to undertake some challenging patient scenarios - the professional actors and make up artists made these scenarios particularly useful, exciting and realistic.

Delivering training sessions in this way is an effective way for our crew to keep their knowledge and skills honed, and delivering critical care in simulations with other clinicians who are less experienced mirrors real life when working alongside staff not able to deliver critical care interventions and is a fabulous and fun training experience.

All of this training helps new generations of critical care specialists to emerge to deliver emergency care to our patients. Read more about who our services help.