Developed almost 25 years ago, as an alternative to ATLS, the Anaesthesia Trauma & Critical Care Course or ATACC, has been described as the most comprehensive trauma course available. Whilst it started as a typical 3 day resuscitation style course, it has constantly evolved to become far more than this and the Faculty now deliver what can only be described as a comprehensive educational experience and we are proud that it carries the badge of The Royal College of Surgeons, London.

The course is covers all aspects of major trauma from roadside to critical care and is 50% pre-hospital and 50% in-hospital.

ATACC is not traditionally advertised, but, our high-profile conference demonstrations, the social media hype and word of mouth recommendations, now draw candidates from all over the world. What is interesting is that whatever your background or level of experience in trauma and critical care, you will take something away from the course that is relevant to you.

From the point of registration, the experience begins. You have signed up for something totally unique that will educate you, prepare you and even change you. A bold claim for a course, but as we have said, this is not just a course and I think that it is really well summed up by Drs Cliff Reid and Brian Burns, Senior EM and Retrieval docs with Sydney HEMS, in their post ATACC RAGE podcast!

– The ATACC course ‘has had a profound and long-lasting impact on our outlook, training and how we take things forward in our practice’.

https://litfl.com/minirage-atacc/

The course includes short and highly focussed ‘TED-style’ lectures, delivered to a standard worthy of a conference. There are skill stations, masterclasses and truly immersive simulations on a both a small and a large scale. For years, we have known that ATACC not only teaches trauma and critical care skills, but it also builds teams and develops leadership skills. We have often wondered why we are teaching, established over more than 20 years, proves so effective, as we watch the candidates develop and gel into a truly high performing team. Many of these methods now have fancy educational names such as immersive simulation, experiential learning, stress inoculation and muscle memory, but ATACC has been utilising these for some considerable time and we are constantly developing more. For example our new wearable technology, takes emergency skills training to another level, delivering this care on a live professional actor, with realistic casualty simulation and in a totally believable environment worthy of Disney! Pulses race, band-width gets saturated and knowledge and skills get tested repeatedly.

This may all sound like hell to those who prefer a rubber mannikin on a table in a classroom, but those who come to ATACC want far more. This is not a course for ‘tick-boxers’ this is a course for those who want to learn and to test their skills. The Faculty are always drawn from a wide multidisciplinary background and they each bring a unique level of insight and experience to the course. As they monitor candidates, they are looking for the key skills being demonstrating to achieve the required pass, but then they start to progressively build the intensity, based on the individuals and the team. Initially, this pressure builds slowly and is easily addressed, but as the course moves on, so the intensity and challenge builds too.

In 2021 we made the exciting announcement that there will now be a Diploma in ATACC (DipATACC) and a Fellowship (FFTACC) will follow and this should officially go live, later in 2022. – watch this space. In support of this we will also be launching the new virtual ATACC manual, which will be an ongoing work, which will grow into one of the world’s most comprehensive trauma manuals. This text will never stand still as it will continue be updated and expanded with new material, including specialist expert views on key topics. The manual will be launching in a dedicated part of the new ATACC World, which is our educational Metaverse that will also be launching during 2022 – watch the website for the launch and replacement of our old 2014 ATACC Manual.

So ATACC is an intensive but comprehensive educational experience. It isn’t for everyone, but if you work in the acute management of trauma at the roadside or the resus room, then you will definitely get something out of it. In addition, you will meet some incredible people in the Faculty and as fellow candidates, who often become lifelong friends. Get yourself booked onto a course, invest in your development and come and see what all the fuss is about – you will love it!