Tactical Medicine Course

[Rawhide20]

Gentlemen,
I sure would appreciate your opinions on this course. I am a college student and shooting enthusiast interested in gaining valuable skills in many areas. I like to shoot and enjoy gaining proficiency with firearms. I see there are inherent risks with being around guns, and also just in living. I would appreciate your thoughts and concerns about the following course description. Would you recommend I take it?
Thanks
RH
here is the link to the sight...https://www.jrhenterprises.com/displayProductDocument.hg?productId=178

Tactical Lifesaver course
In the 1990's, JRH pioneered medical training for survivalists with Survival Medicine I, II, III, IV and V classes. Now we are proud to offer a 2 day Tactical Lifesaver course. Taught by a physician's assistant and Iraq war vet who teaches the Combat Casualty Lifesaver course to the military, this course is a great way to increase your medical skills. Topics include: INDIVIDUAL PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, PERFORM FIRST AID TO CLEAR AN OBJECT STUCK IN THE THROAT OF A CONCIOUS CASUALTY, PERFORM MOUTH-TO-MOUTH RESUSCITATION, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR BLEEDING OF AN EXTREMITY, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR AN OPEN CHEST WOUND, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR AN OPEN ABDOMINAL WOUND, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR AN OPEN HEAD WOUND, PERFORM FIRST AID TO PREVENT OR CONTROL SHOCK, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR A SUSPECTED FRACTURE,: IMMOBILIZE A SUSPECTED SPINAL INJURY, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR BURNS, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR HEAT INJURIES, PERFORM FIRST AID FOR COLD INJURIES, ADMINISTER FIRST AID TO A NERVE AGENT CASUALTY, TRANSPORT A CASUALTY, INITIATE AN INTRAVENOUS INFUSION FOR HYPOVOLEMIC SHOCK, MEASURE AND MONITOR A CASUALTY'S PULSE, MEASURE AND MONITOR A CASUALTY'S RESPIRATIONS, APPLY A SAM SPLINT TO A FRACTUREDLIMB, INSERT AN OROPHARYNGEAL AIRWAY IN AN UNCONSCIOUS CASUALTY, ADMINISTER FIRST AID TO CHEMICAL AGENT CASUALTIES, iDENTIFY A CASUALTY WITH COMBAT STRESS, EVALUATE THE CASUALTY AND MORE. Training will include hand's on training with IV solutions, suturing, wound debridement, transportation and protection of wounded personnel (how to get them out) plus numerous practical exercises. This two day course costs only $250.00 for BOTH DAYS! Compare this to $200.00 PER DAY for courses that do not even cover IV's, suturing and other necessary skills. Pre-register here by March 1st and the course is discounted to $199.95 for the entire class! Space is limited in this class to preserve a low instructor to student ratio. Reserve your space now with a $50.00 deposit.

[Victory]

sounds like too much information for 2 days.

I'd rather have a course that concentrated mainly on BLS interventions to common combat injuries and was twice as long.

[RLDS45S]

If you are not practicing medical professional, you are best served by learning BLS skills! Trauma is a BLS job! Remote or primitive medicine is another issue!

Take a first responder course! From credible people!

[Rawhide20]

Thanks for the replies.

My goal was to get a basic amount of knowledge in survival medicine. I am not in health care, but have a taken a few Red Cross classes. The course does sound like an awful lot of information. Perhaps too much. Any other thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks
RH

[Victory]

here's the list of topics, the bold ones are the worthwhile ones for someone in your situation.

My recommendation for a basic combat lifesaver course is tactical response's civillian contractor medical package. It's a 5 day course and it's not cheap, but you learn the basic stuff and incorperate it with live fire exercises. I hope to take it in the future.

Short of that, a 40 hour first responder course will give you all the classroom skills you'll need for basic trauma's.

[CSNeoM4A1]

If you are looking for basic knowledge and skills I would recomend taking an EMT certification course. Granted not everything in the class will be useful to you, however some of it will. You will learn the basics of many different things, including how to intially treat people so they will still be alive when they get to the hospital (or a better trained professional).
After taking the course, I now know more in general about the human body, what to look for and how to take care of people in emergency situations.

[Victory]

That's another option if you have the time to invest for full EMT-B certification.

[CSNeoM4A1]

True, the EMT-B certification costs more than a brand new glock ( mine was $700-$800) and takes a whole semester usually (mine was 9 units of collge credit). I went twice a week 8am-5pm for one whole summer. But looking back, I am glad I did it. Haven't had to use any of my new skills however, which is a good thing!

[TerraMedicX]

Also remember that you can learn all you want about IV-therapy and suturing, but it is still illegal for you to preform any of these skills! I agree with everyone else that you would be FAR better served taking a First Responder or EMT-Basic class and then seeking separate tactical training.


Nate.

[jmshady]

That is more or less the combat lifesaver course tought to military personell so they can help us medics out. Don't waste your time or money. Give me an email link and I can give you my PPT slides and PDF copy of the text. It really sounds like the stuff but is however more or less basic first aid with some things thrown in. By the way I'm an Iraq vet also and I'll do it for 150.00. ;f

[Cavalry Doc]

"Taught by a physician's assistant and Iraq war vet who teaches the Combat Casualty Lifesaver course to the military"

That sure sounds familiar. I can see one of those in the mirror each morning. Of course almost all of the PA's in the Army have Iraq war experience by now. The last stats I've seen state > 92%. I don't mean to detract from the credentials mentioned. Heck, I probably know the guy. You can learn a lot in Iraq. I've taught 3 classes to the new standard and am teaching 2 classes in the next 2 weeks.


I'd ask if he is using the new protocol. TCCC or TC3. Basically the emphasis has changed. The thing that saves most casualties is winning the firefight. Superior firepower correctly utilized saves lives every time. Slap on a CAT and tell the guy to keep shooting. Then fix the problem when the shooting is over.

2 days is a very short amount of time. The current TCCC Combat lifesaver course is a minimum of 40 hours. I'm a little skeptical about the suturing class. I could teach 2 x 8 hour classes on that alone. Most of your end result success is going to be preventing further injury and stopping bleeding. Then get the guy/gal to diffenitive medical care.

Just keep in mind that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. People spend a large portion of their lives learning how to do this moderately well.

Doc
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[Rawhide20]

Thank you to everyone that responded. And Cav. Doc., that you for your service to the young men and women on the frontlines.

I decided against signing up for the course. The time crunch, the money and the rushed course are all factors( and the fact that the MG shoot is that weekend!). I found out about some local Emergency response classes that I can take. To clarify, I believe the teacher of these courses was a civilian PA, and then served in Iraq, and now is doing training stuff for civilians.

I may try to take a summer EMT-B course like you mentioned. I figure if we have the power to take life, we better know how to save it.

Thank you all very much.
RH