Apreski Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 As a new PA in a level three trauma ER, I would like some advice from those ATLS certified. I have been working for 6 months now and have some CME money to spend. I realize either option will be more education regardless, but would you recommend taking an ATLS course or attending an EM conference at this point in my career? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 30, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 30, 2012 ATLS. make sure you take a corse that gives pa's a card and lets you fully participate. some programs only let pa's watch and not do labs, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 lol how dumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiaroscuro27 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I would be more inclined to do the conference. It will give you a broader education on things you would see in the ED, and you can participate in workshops to add some skills to your toolbox. ATLS is great, no doubt. I think at this point in your career the conference will give you more bang for your buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treejay Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 How long are the ATLS courses in general? Do students do them? Or do you need experience practicing before you do them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 30, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 30, 2012 the full course is 2-3 days, the recert is 1 day. I took atls for the first time as a student right before my trauma surgery rotation. it covers a lot of adv. procedures that are hard to learn elsewhere. it includes lab experience. chest tubes, crichs, pericardiocentesis, central lines, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hubbardtim48 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Good to know! Thanks E! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMPA Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 The real question is as an ER PA will you be covering the level traumas or will the surgery team be covering the level traumas? If your not a direct part of the trauma team then i would vouch that you would get more usable knowledge from the em workshop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 1, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 1, 2012 The real question is as an ER PA will you be covering the level traumas or will the surgery team be covering the level traumas? If your not a direct part of the trauma team then i would vouch that you would get more usable knowledge from the em workshop probably true. at one facility I work at the trauma team gets all the "level 1 traumas" which are things obviously going to the o.r. and the er staff(including pa's) gets all the level two traumas, many of which later require a full activation to the o.r. after stabilization. the level 2 's are more subtle and may be nothing or may be a big deal disguised in a poor medic report and 1 set of stable v.s. A recent level 2 trauma pt of mine was a drug dealer worked over with a baseball bat by someone robbing him. he was high on heroin before they beat the crap out of him. made for an interesting eval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apreski Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 Thank guys! I think I will choose ATLS now and attend a conference/workshop early next year when I have more CME money. The coordinator for ATLS said I will do all required procedures and earn a certificate like every one else; so no standing back and observing, thank goodness! Yes, surgery covers some traumas in my ER. After the original post, i was working a shift....ER doc was away from the unit. Trauma walked in...guy completely cut off his own testicles! I ordered the obvious: T&C, blood, fluids and paged surgery. It was a pretty cool thing to see. I'm almost positive something like that won't cross my ER again for a long time! My trauma "high" quickly ended when the guy two rooms over complained because we were taking too long to treat his dental pain :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 5, 2012 My trauma "high" quickly ended when the guy two rooms over complained because we were taking too long to treat his dental pain :/ I was intubating someone a while ago, cpr in progress, etc, and a pt with chronic back pain started complaining about the wait from the door. I refused to see her. I was so mad I knew if I saw her I would say something that would get me fired so I left her for the oncoming doc......5 hrs later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apreski Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 This may or may not have slipped out of my mouth once or twice "What's your EMERGENCY today?" I've gotten over it and have accepted that these people will never get it. They also keep me in business :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted July 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 5, 2012 ATLS later honestly if you are going into the ER and have not worked pre hospital SOMEHOW you should go back and get a first responder or EMT card. YEah, not going to help you pass PANRE or anything else for that matter, but it really helpful to know what the guys and gals in the field go through..... I would stick to general medicine stuff right now for CME - learn the basics, then next year do ATLS (do ACLS now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 5, 2012 This may or may not have slipped out of my mouth once or twice "What's your EMERGENCY today?" I've gotten over it and have accepted that these people will never get it. They also keep me in business :) one of my attendings routinely says " so what is your two thousand dollar emergency today?" to which folks who are paying say "what do you mean" and he explains that is a typical er visit cost. those who aren't paying just ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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