The Prehospital Care Programme gives medical students the chance to learn prehospital medicine on the front line via shifts with London Ambulance and London's Air Ambulance Emma Lightbody selected Barts and The London School of Medicine because of an attraction to Prehospital Care. After spending a year as an observer with the London Ambulance Service and several months working closely with the air ambulance (both in extra-curricular time), Emma was keen to expand her personal contacts into an academic programme linked to the medical school which other students could benefit from. The initiation of a Pilot PCP was in November 2007, and this has been a great success, leading to further expansion of the team. The Development Team
The Prehospital Care Programme was founded by a Development Team, which remains at the centre of the management of the Programme. It is representative of the different stakeholder groups involved in the programme, and the individuals involved were handpicked as people who would share the same vision, are positive role models, and would be committed to the Programme. The Development Team shares a vision of what medical education can be. The Development Team is detailed below:
Lead Medical Student (currently Siobhan Williams, 4th year medical student, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry) and their committee. Dr Anne Weaver, Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Prehospital Care at the Royal London Hospital, and Lead Clinician for the London Air Ambulance. Dr Danë Goodsman, Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at Barts and the London, and Interprofessional Education Lead for Queen Mary and City University. Mr Craig Cassidy, London Ambulance Service Paramedic and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry
The Prehospital Care Programme aims to involve medical students in the basics of Prehospital Care by having them complete shifts with a designated paramedic/doctor mentor, who will teach and guide the students throughout their learning. The specially designed programme will not only provide education and support for medical students, but will also engage them in integrated, multi-agency, training from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London's Air Ambulance (LAA). This unique educational pathway is a 4 Year Student Selected Component of the MBBS degree, and aims to make Barts & The London a centre of excellence for this type of undergraduate Prehospital Care Training.
