After ten successful editions of the HEMS Course held by INAER España in collaboration with the Nursing Department at Alicante University, this year’s course content and scope of the subjects have been expanded to create the first HEMS Specialist and Airborne Medical Assistance Course, entitled in Spanish I Curso de Especialista HEMS y Asistencia Médica Aerotransportada (HICMS, FWAA).

On 5 March, Manuel Palomar, rector of Alicante University, and Manuel López Aguilar, CEO of INAER in Spain, inaugurated the course’s first edition, bringing together 26 healthcare professionals from various European and Ibero-American countries.

The main objective of the new course, which has increased from 6 to 30 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits, is to prepare medical professionals for emergencies involving the use of a helicopter for transportation or rescue operations.

Faculty from Alicante University and HEMS healthcare instructors from INAER España have developed course content such as an online theory unit featuring educational tools such as i-video and i-chat, as well as 90 hours of in-class sessions held over the course of nine full days at Alicante University and INAER España facilities in Alicante and Albacete.

Based on clinical simulations and practice in real situations with real materials, this university specialist course covers key aspects such as assistance for serious trauma patients (including non-hospital blood transfusions), time-dependent conditions (heart attacks or acute myocardial infarction, strokes, etc.), assistance for accidents involving multiple victims, specialised transportation for critical patients (with heart-lung machine systems, IABP, etc.) The course also includes flight training sessions in helicopters for HEMS missions and two full on-call shifts with INAER España’s HEMS units.

Over the course of five months, HEMS Specialist and Airborne Medical Assistance Course participants will take part in one of the most internationally demanding training programmes in the field of airborne medical assistance.