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From: AlanDonnaJ@aol.com
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999
INTERESTED IN A FIELD MEDICINE WORKSHOP?
Recently I flew from Sonoma County Back East to Ohio to attend a field medicine workshop. Sixty people from all over the U.S., and most with no more experience than First Aid, gathered to learn how to better deal with emergencies and medical situations when ambulances or hospital care are not available. Everyone was concerned about Y2K, although some were also into wilderness camping or emergency preparation.
These classes are taught by paramedics, dentists, former combat medics, etc. I thought the instructors were very knowledgeable, and appreciated their taking the time to do skills like suturing or casting with students until the students were comfortable with the skill. Medical terminology was not stressed, although all the preparatory materials I read, such as the books "Where There Is No Dentist" and "Where There Is No Doctor," were very helpful in understanding the classes.
We are so used to having hi-tech medical care, that few people know how to perform medical services in low-tech conditions. This is a good introduction to working in such circumstances.
It is possible that we could have such a training here in the Sonoma County, California area if enough people were interested. It would take three days, and cost about $200 per person. We would need at least 30 people, a place to have the classes, a person to handle registration and money, and hospitality for the instructors, or else motels for them.
Curriculum:
* Field Dentistry: Fillings, broken teeth, abscesses, re-cementing crowns, denture repair * Fracture Management: Hands-on casting, diagnosing, setting, and placement * Field Surgery: Suturing, incisions, wound cleaning, removal of foreign objects * Field Sterilization: How to manage sanitation in a field setting * NBC: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical: masking, shelter, containment etc. * Pharmacy: Medications, first aid and other medical supplies.
Please let me know if you are interested in attending or helping organize.