RCS to offer British trauma course for medical students in India

EHM News Bureau - Ahmedabad

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the oldest of the royal surgical colleges in the United Kingdom has for the first time, rolled out its pre-hospital trauma course for medical students in India. The course will be conducted from 7th to 9th October at Ahmedabad. The College, which has completed 500 years of its inception this year, will offer the course through its faculty of prehospital care.

Andrew Thurgood, course director of the programme, underlined the reality, “There is a public perception that medical education provides both experience and knowledge. In fact, newly qualified doctors even in the UK are ill equipped to deal with pre-hospital trauma emergencies. There is a perceived belief that medical students are competent in first aid and in the principles of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), yet in most medical schools, they only learn basic aspects and very little skills. Some medical schools in UK are exploring the possibility of Advanced Trauma Life Support courses and yet none of these seriously address pre-hospital scenarios.”

The faculty of pre-hospital care at Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has evolved a specific course designed to equip the medical undergraduates to deal with pre-hospital trauma scenario. The pre-hospital trauma course for medical students is being conducted annually since 1993 in UK. On successful completion of the course, a certificate is awarded by the faculty of pre-hospital care at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Dr Manjul Joshipura, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon and country director for the RCS (Ed) course in India, says “The course will be offered in partnership with the Academy of Traumatology (India). It will be spread over consecutively for two and a half days on a non-residential basis to cover major theoretical and practical issues and life saving skills in prehospital trauma situation. Only final MBBS students and interns are eligible to apply for the course. The assessment will include MCQ, life saving skill techniques and viva.”

“The course is brought in India through science and technology initiative of the British Council in India and we are pleased to support this course for the benefit of medical students in India,” said Manjula Rao, head of science and technology division at British Council, Mumbai.

More details of the course is available on www.indiatrauma.org.