Search and rescue is a challenging field that involves many skills beyond just providing medical care. If you are interested in a career in search and rescue medicine, then this search and rescue course is just what you need to take your career to the next level and open up a wealth of adventurous opportunities.
Here we will be exploring more about what search and rescue is and why our course is one of the best ways to get started in the field.
What is search and rescue?
Search and rescue is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area.
Search and rescue can be required almost anywhere, from remote and extreme locales to urban environments. Search and rescue teams can be called into action to save individuals at sea, on mountains, in deserts or trapped under debris after a natural disaster.
Why is medicine important in search and rescue?
The skills required for a search and rescue medicine add additional complexity and challenges that go beyond the traditional training of a medical professional. In addition to the knowledge and ability to provide medical care for a range of ailments and injuries, an in-depth knowledge of the risks of that particular environment, as well as navigation skills and safe methods of extraction are essential for search and rescue missions to succeed.
What are the different types of search and rescue?
Search and rescue teams can often be split into different sub categories by the environments that they serve:
- Lowland/Ground Rescue – These search and rescue teams are responsible for locating and providing assistance to those who are lost or in danger on land.
- Mountain Rescue – Mountain rescue teams locate, treat and help to extract individuals who have become, lost, trapped or injured while in the mountains, such as climbers, hikers and cavers.
- Urban Rescue – Urban rescue is the practice of providing aid to those who have become trapped in urban environments such as collapsed buildings after a natural disaster.
- Maritime Rescue – These types of search and rescue teams are responsible for locating and extracting those who are in distress at sea, such as the crew and passengers of a sinking or stranded ship or those who have been carried away by the current while swimming or kayaking.
- Combat Rescue – Combat rescue is focused on the aid and retrieval of soldiers and civilians who have become lost, trapped, or injured in the vicinity of war zones.
Each of these areas does require a unique understanding of the environment, but our search and rescue course is a great way to get a feel for the essential skills and responsibilities required for any search and rescue mission.
Inside the world of search and rescue
If you need more inspiration, then prepare to dive into the thrilling world of search and rescue with this webinar, led by paramedic Jamie Pattison.
Jamie discusses and demonstrates the search and rescue and swiftwater rescue techniques used by the team in Northumberland as well as the ins and outs of trauma patient management…
Introducing our search and rescue medicine course
If search and rescue medicine sounds like an area you want to learn more about, our one-of-a-kind four day search and rescue course gives you a taste of the world of SAR in partnership with the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue team. The highly practical syllabus of the course helps to broaden your extreme & expedition skillset.
The search and rescue course will teach you the technical and medical aspects of search and rescue through both simulations and practical exercises, culminating in a full day’s training with the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Service.
The course will immerse you in the world of search and rescue by surrounding you with SAR experts, providing an unrivalled opportunity to learn from those with expertise and first-hand experience.
What skills will be learned on the search and rescue course?
Before you begin the search and rescue course, you will need basic navigation skills, a good level of fitness and a basic knowledge of expedition planning, but these skills will only be improved over four exciting and challenging days. In addition to these skills, the course will also develop your skills in:
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Technical skills
- Medical aid
- Innovation
- Ability to conduct search and rescue operations in challenging locations, from rivers to mountain tops
- Swift water rescue
- Crag rescue
- Casualty packaging and extrication
Who would benefit from search and rescue training?
Anyone who is pursuing a career in medicine but wants the ability to provide emergency aid and assistance in challenging environments can benefit from this fantastic course. Whether you are a medical or Allied Health professional, a medical or healthcare student, a first responder, or a mountain professional, the search and rescue course will arm you with a competitive skill set that can significantly expand your career horizons.
Even if you are not sure whether a career in search and rescue is right for you, the course awards an estimated 20 hours CPD, and promises to be some of the most exciting CPD of your annual quota. The course also includes content with significant relevance for traditional pre-hospital and in-hospital settings.
What careers could search and rescue training lead to?
Search and rescue training provides a unique skillset beyond those of a traditional medical professional. Whether you are hoping to move into PHEM, expand your pre-hospital skillset, volunteer for rescue organisations or develop your expedition medicine skillset, this course will deliver highly transferable skills for a range of extreme settings.
5 reasons you should choose our search and rescue course
- It is a rewarding, physical way to learn how to provide care in challenging environments
- It provides you with a unique skill set compared to others in your field
- It offers a great alternative to traditional CPD activities
- It will expand your career horizons
- It provides you with a unique experience to learn from experienced SAR professionals
If you are interested in opening up your medical career in a new and exciting way, head over to our search and rescue course page where you can learn all the details you need to know and book your place on the next course!