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Advanced Disaster Life Support

Advanced Disaster Life Support is an advanced practicum course for those who have successfully completed the Basic Disaster Life Support course. It is an intensive, two-day course that allows students to demonstrate competencies in casualty decontamination, specified essential skills, and mass casualty incident information systems/technology applications. Using simulated, all-hazards scenarios and mass causality incidents, ADLS makes use of four interactive sessions in which participants treat simulated patients in various disaster drills and situations. Training is focused on the development of hands-on skills to allow participants to apply the knowledge learned in BDLS.

ADLS’s interactive scenarios and drills utilize high-fidelity mannequins and volunteer patients to simulate a realistic experience in treating pathologic patient conditions not routinely encountered by the responders and health care providers. Hands-on exercises teach practical skills, such as decontamination and use of protective equipment, and provide instruction in topics that traditionally are not addressed in health care education curricula.

Day 2 of ADLS is the “hands-on” day of training. Four skills stations reinforce the previous day’s learning. These skills stations are as follows:

• S.A.L.T. Triage - This challenging station allows the students to practice the concepts of the disaster paradigm with an emphasis on patient triage. Simulated disaster victims must be triaged and treated correctly while attempting to manage a chaotic scene and request appropriate resources.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) and decontamination - This station teaches important concepts about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and decontamination techniques. Students are given the opportunity to wear PPE and participate in a simulated decontamination while attempting to render medical care.
• Disaster skills - This station teaches vital skills necessary for medical disaster management. Students are taught about the Strategic National Stockpile and proper Mark-I kit use. Students are also allowed to practice smallpox immunization.
• Human patient simulator - Recognition of victims of a chemical and biological disaster is paramount. This station is designed to reinforce the detection and proper treatment of conditions that may occur during disasters that we do not normally treat. Treatment of chemical, biological, and traumatic patients is covered. The use of high fidelity human patient simulators allows the student to see, hear, and feel information that would normally be provided by an instructor, creating a more realistic experience than standard mannequins can provide.

Target audience

Physicians, registered or licensed practical nurses, paramedics or national intermediate EMTs, physician assistants, allied health professionals, dentists, pharmacists, public health professionals, public safety officials, veterinarians, health profession students and mental health professionals.

All course fees are covered through a grant from Metropolitan Medical Response Systems. Course materials, certificate of completion, lunch, and refreshments will be provided.