Fundamentals of tactical medicine from an American expert
The Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care of the Medical Faculty of UzhNU No. 2 hosted a training on the basics of tactical and disaster medicine. The trainer, Tony Mc'Carty, is a retired US Army officer and instructor in combat tactics and medicine. This volunteer event was organised with the support of the InterFamily clinic and the Centre for Family Medicine and Prevention of UzhNU.
The training was conducted in English with partial translation into Ukrainian. During 1.5 hours, Tony vividly demonstrated the main points of the MARCH protocol and shared many practical nuances and tricks acquired over the years of his service. He noted that he came to teach both the latest techniques and the ‘old-school’ practices that have worked for centuries and remain relevant today.
The event was attended by over 20 participants. Most of them are students of UzhNU, both future doctors and applicants for non-medical specialities - Ukrainians and foreigners. All participants of the training were able to practice the assembly and proper use of the tourniquet, learn about ways to check the patency of the airways and much more. It came as a surprise to many that a piece of bed sheet can be used to stop bleeding in an emergency, and the victim's shoes can be used as a splint to mobilise the neck. During the event, there were many questions and heated discussions. The participants took away a lot of practical and relevant information from the training. First and foremost, they learned about their own safety, which the trainer also paid a lot of attention .
