As healthcare professionals, much of our training around clinical deterioration and resuscitation focuses on our technical skills – how to perform effective CPR, how to use the defibrillator etc.

However, there is a growing awareness that our non-technical skills are just as important in a critical situation. Teaching and practice of skills such as role allocation, communication, leadership and planning are essential to improve outcomes for our patients.

The TRICS – Team Response in Critical Situations, course is designed to teach and practice these skills in a multidisciplinary team environment. The 4.5-hour course is held at the NCHER simulation centre and involves skills stations, simulations, and team debriefing, taught by nursing and medical faculty with critical care experience.

The course has been running for a few weeks, with many staff attending providing valuable feedback on the importance of this course.

“From my perspective, as a doctor working in ICU and anaesthetics who regularly attends Code Blues and MET calls, the improvement in communication, situational awareness, teamwork, and task management displayed by participants excites me and reassures me of the course’s value in enhancing patient safety.” – Dr Nathan Hanegbi, Anaesthetic SRMO.

“The TRICS study day is a wonderful opportunity to solidify your leadership skills in critical high stress situations. The course provided great theoretical knowledge which was then reinforced during some fun and engaging team simulations. I have since found my confidence in medical emergencies has greatly improved and I am better able to communicate with others throughout the event which allows me to be a voice for my patients and escalate concerns and needs appropriately.” – Kaytlin Wills, Registered Nurse, Ward 22.

“I thought there was a good mix of classroom explanation and bedside simulation. The simulation work was very helpful, not only as a Basic LIfe Support/Advanced Life Support  refresher almost, but mainly as a chance to take on a leadership role in a less high-stakes setting than actually in the hospital. The communication focus was a great benefit, because this seems to be what breaks down in work the most often. I’ve ended up using that experience I got in there in work a bunch of times since. I stepped up to Registrar recently and have been involved in and sometimes ran a lot of MET calls. The course acted as a good stepping stone towards those moments in work, and also gave me more confidence for those moments where everyone turns and asks ‘what would you like to do’, because we’d worked through a framework for those exact situations in the simulation room.” – Aaron Barry, General Medical Registrar.

The TRICS course is open to clinical staff working at Northern Health. Course dates and how to register can be found on the LMS here.