Helicopter Medical Careers Webinar - 2 hours

The Helicopter Medical Careers Conference is the only event of its kind in the world. Building on the success of our 2019 face to face HMC conference, the virtual 2021 event took place on the 12th of January. The 2 hour event was a sell out success with 260 doctors, paramedics, nurses and students attending from 26 countries.

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If you are aiming for a career in pre-hospital major trauma care or helicopter critical care retrieval then this event is for you. Helicopter Medical Careers provides you with the information and inspiration you need to plan your training pathway and future career. Organised by Stephen Hearns, consultant with Scotland’s Emergency Medical Retrieval Service, the event has speakers who are experts in pre-hospital, retrieval and search and rescue medicine. During the webinar these clinicians share their experiences of practicing in this exciting and rapidly expanding medical speciality. They will let you know how they trained for the role, how they made helicopter medicine into a career and how it feels to work in leading pre-hospital, retrieval and search and rescue teams. The event aims to inspire those with a passion for helicopter medicine and guide them towards achieving a career in the speciality.

Speakers

Mike Henson

Having spent 16 years in the Royal Navy as aircrew, Mike has operated is some of the harshest environments on earth. During this time he conducted anti-piracy operations, anti submarine operations, delivered humanitarian aid and conducted search and rescue. Since leaving the military, he has served as a helicopter paramedic/winchman for Bristow Helicopter as part of the UKSAR organisation. Mike’s has a huge interest in human factors in prehospital care and is currently working towards an MSc in human factors with patient safety at Loughborough University; he also enjoys coaching and mentoring future paramedics and SAR winchman.

Jimmi Ronaldson

Advanced retrieval practitioner

James qualified as a Psychiatric Nurse in 2000. He helped establish an Early Onset Psychosis Unit at Lambeth Hospital, London. In 2002 with gentle persuasion from his wife he moved to Scotland where he completed his conversion course to be dual qualified. The vast majority of his post-registration experience has been in emergency nursing. Prior to joining the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) in 2013 he was working as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner/Charge nurse in a busy inner city Hospital. James has completed a number of external courses in adult, paediatric and neonatal pre-hospital and in-hospital critical care. He has an MSc in Advancing Nursing Practice from Glasgow Caledonian University and a diploma in retrieval and transfer medicine from Edinburgh's Royal College of Surgeons. He has a growing interest in human factors and point of care ultrasound (POCUS).

Sophie Jefferys

PHEM & EM trainee. Major British Army

Sophie is an Emergency Medicine and Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine trainee. After completing a six-week student select component with Essex and Herts Air Ambulance in 2010 she has continued to develop an interested in PHEM, leading to a national PHEM training post this year with the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service in Glasgow. Sophie worked in British Forces Cyprus as part of the blue light matrix and deployed to Iraq after joining the Defence Medical Services. During this time completed BASICS PHEC course and Diploma in Immediate Medical Care, before returning to Emergency Medicine training. She has a keen interest in teaching as an ALS, MIMMS and BATLS instructor, alongside improving clinical knowledge through research. Sophie has published work in areas including documentation in non-traumatic cardiac arrest, supplemental oxygen, supervision of isolated PHEM practitioners and the changing scope of practice of British Forces Cyprus ambulance service.

Cheryl Logan

HEMS paramedic

Cheryl is a Paramedic with the Glasgow Air Ambulance Division. In addition to clinical duties, this role includes operating as a Technical Crew Member on the H145 helicopter, fixed wing air transfers on the King Air and managing trauma asset response in Ambulance Control. Prior to graduating as a Paramedic from the University of Northampton in 2012, Cheryl was a Medic in the Royal Air Force. During her five years of service, she deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in various roles ranging from strategic aeromedical evacuation to tactical aeromed as part of the front line Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) on Merlin and Chinook helicopters. She often hears how well suited to helicopter work she is. This is entirely down to her being half the height of the average adult, allowing the pilot to take on an extra 20 mins of fuel.

Professor Mike Abernethy

Flight Physician UW Medflight

Mike Abernethy is the flight physician with the University of Wisconsins Med Flight program as well as a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine. He has a history as a prehospital care provider that started in the 1970s and has been a HEMS physician for over 30 years. He has an international reputation as an EMS educator and clinician and has been an invited speaker in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Cuba, Canada, France, Switzerland and Sweden. He is also faculty with ATACC and an examiner for the Diploma in Retrieval and Transfer Medicine.