The Prehospital Care Programme

The Programme

The Prehospital Care Programme - founded in 2007 by Dr Anne Weaver, Dr Danë Goodsman, Mr Craig Cassidy, and Dr Emma Lightbody (then a medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry) - is a unique educational opportunity offered to medical students at Barts and the London School of Medicine, in collaboration with the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the London's Air Ambulance. It offers a chance for selected students to become part of a structured programme, allowing them to gain early clinical exposure in the prehospital environment. It was the first of such programmes to be implemented in the UK; to read about how the PCP started please see How It All Began...

Studies show that prehospital care is an important, yet often neglected part of the medical undergraduate curriculum. The Prehospital Care Programme (PCP) was introduced at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2008 to expose medical undergraduates to this unique area of medicine. The programme makes use of the links between the Medical School, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the London Air Ambulance (LAA), and places students, years 2–5, with mentors from these services during a series of working shifts. During these shifts, students are assigned a set of learning objects and are instructed to complete a specially designed Student Report Form for each case that they observe. Interest in the programme has increased exponentially since it was introduced, with many other schools now creating their own form of the programme. It appeals to medical students who are enthusiastic about the field of Emergency Medicine and Prehospital Care, and offers them a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge and experience. It also encourages students to develop their prehospital care skills, communication skills, interprofessionalism and record keeping.

For more information regarding the programme, and how you can get involved, visit the About The PCP section.

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