In March 2022, we welcomed five new Specialist Paramedics to the team.
As part of their induction, they attended the Helicopter Crew Course (HCC) held at our Airbase in Thruxton.
We spoke to one of those new recruits, Clare Fitchett, who talked us through the course.
“Although we had all previously worked within Critical Care services, this course gave us a great opportunity to refresh our clinical skills and learn new skills in line with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) clinical guidelines and procedures.
“The training and education team had devised a great course – a mix of theory and practical simulation training, with sessions being delivered by HIOWAA doctors and paramedics.
“The first few days included learning how to use blood and refresher training on undertaking pre-hospital sedation. We then switched our attention to undertaking a pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia (PHEA) and other complex critical care interventions.
“Throughout the week, we took part in several clinical simulations which allowed us to put our new clinical skills into practice. Using the new Life-cast manikins added another level of realism into the training package.
“At the end of the course, we all felt confident that we had a solid clinical foundation for our new roles, and over the last few months we have been undertaking supervised shifts to allow us to consolidate our training.
“This has recently culminated with us being signed off as autonomous specialists paramedics, able to work both within the Critical Care Team, or by ourselves.
