Expert Training on Disaster Medicine for Medical Students

IFMSA > News > Expert Training on Disaster Medicine for Medical Students

Set in the typical Italian town of Novara, at the peak of summer, 20 medical students met. They had travelled to Novara in order to attend the two weeks residential course of the Training disaster medicine Trainers (TdmT). The training was a success and they are now looking forward to train others.

TdmT is an expert course organized by IFMSA and CRIMEDIM and the course provides an introduction to disaster medicine.

The course is delivered on an annual basis and is open for any medical student to apply, with an acceptance rate of approximately 10% of the applicants. It consists of two weeks face to face residential course in Novara, followed by three months online training.

The teaching methodology during the TdmT course is highly innovative and, in addition to traditional classroom sessions, it includes computer based, table-top, virtual reality and live simulations, as well as study visits.

The teachers consist of experts from CRIMEDIM faculty or guest speakers from amongst others the European Master in Disaster Medicine Alumni Organization (EMDM Alumni). The topics addressed vary from the basics of disaster medicine, to understanding the complexities of the international disaster response system.

The students of TdmT year 2016 find the simulation the most exciting part of the program. It recreates a disaster by putting data from previous disasters into a computer based platform. The students task is to manage the health care response by using devices linked to the computer based platform. A classic complexity the students need to tackle in a simulation setting is to triage victims of a railroad accident with multiple patients walk away just as you began to triage them.

2016-09-tdmt-blogg-post-picture-2 — The outline of TdmT which includes expert training and peer-to-peer education, resulting in a global network of medical students interested in disaster medicine.

After graduation, each of the TdmT student is certified and eligible to deliver peer-to-peer education in the field of disaster medicine. These peer-to-peer three days trainings are called International Training on Disaster Medicine (IDMT).

The TdmT thereby creates a global network of disaster medicine trainers. The network is a natural platform for joint initiatives such as peer-to-peer training, research projects or even advocacy campaigns.