Recently, at the St. Maarten Medical Center, 36 Critical Care Providers: registered nurses in ICU, ER and Anesthesia, Emergency Room doctors, one specialist and the Ambulance department registered nurses received their Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification/re-certification from Global Medical Educational Training (GMET)/Howard University Hospital Community Outreach program.
The GMET is an organization consisting of dedicated professionals with the experience, dedication, commitment and expertise to assist communities, companies, organization and institutions with their emergency health care training and educational needs.
The purpose of this course was to advance the education and training of all healthcare professionals who respond to patients that are experiencing a cardiopulmonary arrest or a life threatening cardiopulmonary emergency. The ACLS is an advanced, instructor-led classroom course that highlights the importance of team dynamics, communication, systems or care and immediate cardiac arrest care. Critical care workers have to be recertified in ACLS every two years.
Some of the modules taught in this course were key changes in advanced cardiovascular life support, basic life support skills, management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), air way management how to run codes, effective communication as a member and leader of a resuscitation team and effective resuscitation team dynamics.
The course was instructed by Ms. Doreen Gumb-Vines, CEO and President of GMET; Dr. Wendell Jones MD, Medical Director of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas Texas, Dr. Phil Rice, Chairman of ER at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston Massachusetts, Dr. Nkechi Ileka, Dimensions Medical, Laurel Regional Hospital in Laurel Maryland, Laurie Deery, Nursing Educator at GMET and Mr. James Vine Jr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GMET.
Preparatory classes were provided by Antonio Pantophlet, Manager Patient Care/Education at SMMC. The prep classes aided in the smooth running of the course, cutting the allotted three days of instruction into only two days.
GMET has given emergency medical training in St. Maarten for over 20 years, previously operating under the name Worldwide International Emergency Medical Services. They are also instrumental in educational training throughout the Caribbean, including Tortola, Jamaica and Anguilla, and they even render their services to as far as Nigeria.
The SMMC will continue to certify/re-certify their staff and extend the training to other critical care health care providers, because it is important that they continue to enhance their skills and knowledge ensuring that nothing less than the best of care will be given to our community.