19 May InfoBLOG: What’s In a Name … Clinician Titles Explained.
What’s In a Name: Clinician Titles Explained.
As Event Planners, NEMO has no doubt that there might be an odd occasion when you have booked event medical cover and the medical team arrive on site in their Hi-Viz Green & Yellow, and you wonder what each of their Clinical Titles represent. The following is a brief guide to those titles, their skill sets, and their roles.
Doctor: Event Doctors predominantly have a background in Emergency Medicine, Pre-hospital Medicine, Intensive Care / Anaesthesiology, Trauma, or are GPs with a BASICs qualification. Their skill set will include the assessment, treatment, and management of critically ill patients, inclusive of medical and trauma emergencies. In the event of a major incident at a large-scale event, they would identify as the Senior Clinician in attendance. GMC Registered.
Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP): Although having been a part of health care services for a number years, ACPs are a relatively new ‘senior clinician’. They work independently of supervision, will have qualifications for prescribing, and are experienced clinicians in their chosen field. Most ACPs are Nurses or Paramedics (or an increasing number of Physiotherapists), and they predominantly practice within Emergency Departments, GP Practices and Urgent Care Centres. NMC / HCPC Registered.
Emergency Nurse / Care Practitioner (ENP / ECP): These are primarily Nurses or Paramedics. They specialise in the management of patients with a minor illness or minor injury. As practitioners they mainly work in Emergency Department ‘Minors’ Areas, Urgent Care Centres or GP Practices. Skills will include clinical examination, wound closure, x-ray interpretation, resuscitation, some may have prescribing rights. They can work independently of supervision. NMC / HCPC Registered.
Paramedic: Pre-hospital clinicians who are experts in in the management & treatment of the critically ill or injured. They can administer a large range of emergency and analgesic medications (governed by Patient Group Directives), have a high level of autonomy in practice and possess examination / diagnostic / extrication skills. Primarily employed in Pre-hospital Ambulance Services and GP Practices. HCPC Registered.
Registered Nurse: Nurses who practice within Event Medicine predominantly have a clinical background in Emergency Care, Urgent Care or Primary Care. They will possess skills in clinical triage, resuscitation, wound closure, and support the administration of medications. Nurses are a mainstay of healthcare provision, and their overarching skill set is based on patient advocacy, patient safety, and clinical ‘speciality’ knowledge. NMC Registered.
Ambulance Technicians: (or Emergency Medical Technician – EMT) Provide care to high quality pre-hospital care, working alongside Paramedics or Emergency Care Assistants. Technicians will have Advanced Driving skills, and attend the full scope of emergency & urgent calls. They will have clinical exposure in caring for patients who have had a heart attack, or experienced a spinal injury, an acute asthma attack; including paediatrics and mental health patients.
Health Care Assistant: Provide support to Registered Nurses by monitoring patient’s vital signs, supporting wound closure procedures, and play a key role in ensuring patient safety & dignity. Some may additional skills such as applying splints / plaster casts, phlebotomy, and cannulation.
Emergency Care Assistants (ECA): Work under the supervision of Paramedics, and carry out essential emergency care. They predominantly work in the pre-hospital environment on ambulances, and provide care to patients in road traffic accidents, patients experiencing a cardiac arrest, sick children, or someone who has fallen. Skills will include Advanced Driving, vital sign monitoring, and resuscitation skills.
First Responder: They will have attended a minimum 5-day course in either First Response Emergency Care (FREC) or First Person on Scene (FPOS). They will be able to provide an initial assessment, initiate immediate first aid, and provide some life-saving interventions like defibrillation, or administering oxygen. Their knowledge base will be focused on medical emergencies and trauma.
First Aider: Will generally hold a minimum 2-day first aid qualification. As the backbone of any large-scale event medical team, they will act as mobile patrols at the event area, and respond to incidents as the primary point of response. First aiders skill set will include administering CPR and using a defibrillator, in the event of a cardiac arrest. Other skills will include first line wound dressings, ensuring patient safety, and scene assessment.
This is not an exhaustive list of Clinician Titles who you may meet as part of an Event Medical Team, other professionals you may encounter include Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Pharmacists, Nursing Associates, Sports Therapists, …. the list is extensive, and will continue to evolve in line with each health care professions ever widening scope of clinical practice.
As an Event Planner, do you ever consider if the event medical team is providing the correct clinician skill mix for your event? What do you want from your event medical team, a ‘reactive resource’ to ill health or medical emergency, or a medical team that also supports your event in preventative health measures, and public safety?
What are your thoughts and experiences? Do you have any questions?
Engage with NEMO, email: [email protected]