The Effects of Hyper-Realism in Scenario Based Training

June 27, 2018

Make up and Special FX

Anyone who has ever gone to a bad horror movie can attest to the fact that Hollywood makes the magic. From the finite details in special FX to the exact timing of emotion in acting, if a movie lacks the fine details it will be an absolute failure. Scenario based training draws the same emotions much like the movie industry, especially as it relates to emergency medical training.

As the old saying goes, “the devil’s in the details.”

The devil causes chaos and mayhem and like Murphy’s first law of combat, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” So, when we set out to realize the special FX of medical training it was as such that we realized we can no longer create training scars with poor FX, much the same way we must avoid training scars in any craft we seek to perfect.

The goals of sound scenario-based training are

  1. Safety
  2. Efficiency
  3. Realism
  4. Focus on the task being taught and tested
  5. Focus and emphasis throughout the testing on the desired outcome as it relates to the objectives.

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Tourniquet – Do and Don’t’s

June 12, 2018

With the seeming rise of hyper violent events occurring around the World many individuals are seeking training and equipment for being able to respond to a potential casualty. At present the greatest emphasis in Pre-Hospital trauma care is being placed on the integration of tourniquets as a first line defense against massive bleeding.

Many brands and varieties exist on the market (read my list of recommended tqs)

MOST IMPORTANT

Regardless of the type, or brand of tourniquet you carry the most important part of carrying the life saving piece of equipment are:

  1. Owning and carrying it where it counts
  2. Knowing exactly how to use and maintain a tourniquet after application.

But first, some general points:

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Pros and Cons of my Top Three TQs

June 7, 2018

Due to recent events and ongoing mass shootings and the potential for terror attacks we are learning as Americans how quickly a human being can bleed to death and just how vitally important it is to be able to stop a massive bleed.

With all of the information out there and products available commercially it can be a bit confusing weighing out the good from the bad. So I thought I would take this opportunity to help clarify a few things about the use of tourniquets and discuss the pros and cons of my top three choices for stopping arterial bleeding.

Understand the use of a tourniquet can and should only be used to control major arterial bleeding on an extremity. The general consensus for lay responders is to place the tourniquet as ‘high and tight’ on the wounded limb as possible.

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