About the course

What is the purpose of the course?

The course trains Consultants in Anaesthetics, ICU, ED and Paediatrics to resuscitate and treat critically ill and injured children in hospitals which do not have PICU on-site. There are only 23 paediatric intensive care units in the UK, supporting 1229 acute hospitals. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of critically unwell children present to hospitals with no PICU.

We start where APLS finishes, covering all aspects of paediatric critical care that a consultant on call in a hospital without a PICU would need to know.

We recruit 10-12 candidates from a single hospital for each course, so that consultants have an opportunity to explore together how they will deliver paediatric critical care in their specific context, with their colleagues. The course is run by consultants for consultants, without the usual constraints of having their junior colleagues present.

Who is the course for?

Consultant doctors working in specialties where they may be called upon to care for critically ill children in their place of work, including airway management.

How often is the course run?

There are 4 courses per year.

How is the course delivered?

There are three separate teaching elements to the course: the majority of the course is delivered by remote learning as we are conscious of busy lives and precious study leave.

E-modules

●       Each e-module contains various topic-specific resources to aid a comprehensive understanding of the topic:

○       A very thorough look at the relevant physiology and anatomy

○       An executive summary of the above

○       Several cases of case-based learning

○       Online assessment questions: short-answer questions or multiple choice

●       Topics include:

○       Cardiovascular physiology: with an emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment of shock (including use of ECHO, ionotropes, and vasopressors)

○       Respiratory physiology: focussing on the treatment of life-threatening respiratory failure

○       Neurophysiology: neurological emergencies and neurocritical care

○       Trauma: identifying and managing major trauma outside of a major trauma centre

○       Neonates: rare and life-threatening pathology

○       Fluid management (optional module): focussing on endocrinological emergencies

○       Paediatric pharmacology (optional module): with an emphasis on drugs used in anaesthesia and resuscitation

○       Resuscitation equipment

Face-to-face small-group teaching

●       Five Zoom webinars, in which subject matter experts lead a case-based discussion which highlights the controversies, challenges and key points in each module.

●       Topics include:

○       Major trauma presenting to the trauma unit

○       Difficult ventilation in babies and small children

○       Sick neonates

○       The diagnosis and management of fluid-refractory shock

○       Atypical neurological emergencies

Simulation days

●       Two full SIM days, held in candidates’ hospitals, supported by an expert faculty of PICU consultants, during which candidates will practice caring for some of the most complex clinical scenarios that they might encounter

What is the time commitment for the course?

We will teach you everything you need to know about the management of critically ill children and much more. You will need to commit to 6 months part-time study, with 2 face to face SIM days at month 3 and 6 (making study leave straightforward to request). All webinars are recorded and can be watched at a later date. We are very aware of how busy consultant lives are, and have therefore made the course as flexible as possible.

How much does the course cost?

£800 per candidate for the whole 6 month course. We know this is substantially less than most 2 or 3 day courses.

For each course, one candidate helps to facilitate the course (liaising with the local SIM facilities, providing a list of candidates, helping to arrange equipment for SIM days) - this candidate receives a discount on the cost of the course

What can doctors expect to get out of the course?

Up-to-date knowledge on the practical management of critically ill and injured children via hours and hours of consultant-level CPD, in a consultant-only environment.

Practice implementing that knowledge through mental rehearsal and simulation training.

Revision of key topics through the one hour webinar sessions

Expert faculty who can answer questions which arise throughout the course.

Understanding how paediatric anatomy, physiology and pathology differs from adults, and how this impacts resuscitation and management of critically unwell children.

Learning and training with consultant colleagues in your trust who you will work with in real life scenarios.

CPD and college accreditation

The course will almost certainly satisfy your annual CPD requirements. It has been accredited for CPD with the Royal Colleges of Paediatrics and Child Health, Anaesthetics, and Emergency Medicine.

How can I enrol?

If you are interested in your hospital hosting the course, you will need:

●       10-12 consultants from paedaiatrics, emergency medicine and anaesthetics/intensive care who work in the same hospital. We unfortunately cannot take more than 12 consultants in order to keep faculty/candidate ratios high on the SIM days.

●       A functioning SIM suite to host the two SIM days.

Contact wherethereisnopicu@gmail.com with any enquiries