The Critical Trauma Nursing Course is a one-day, practice-focused program designed to equip nurses with the essential knowledge and hands-on skills to confidently manage major trauma patients.
Supported by pre-reading materials, the course combines group discussion, practical skills stations, and realistic case scenarios to strengthen assessment, decision-making, and teamwork under pressure.
Participants will explore trauma systems in the Australian context, perform systematic primary surveys, and apply evidence-based principles for managing head, spinal, and multi-system trauma. You’ll learn how to:
Explore the importance and structure of trauma systems across the country and how they impact patient outcomes.
Perform a systematic primary survey to rapidly identify and manage life-threatening conditions.
Understand various trauma mechanisms and anticipate injury patterns for effective care.
Examine how team roles, communication, and collaboration influence patient care and safety.
Discover key principles for safely managing patients with head and spinal trauma.
A highlight of the program is an exclusive guided walk-through The Alfred Hospital Emergency and Trauma Centre, Australia’s busiest and most renowned trauma facility.
What Makes This Course Valuable
This course is especially valuable for nurses working in non-trauma hospitals, regional, or rural settings. It provides the foundational trauma knowledge and hands-on skills needed to confidently manage trauma patients before they reach major trauma centres.
Participants will gain exposure to pre-hospital information, initial assessment, management, stabilisation of trauma patients, and trauma transfers, all essential for improving outcomes and ensuring patient safety in the critical early stages of trauma care.
What will I learn from the hand-on skill stations?
Hands-on practice is central to this course. Participants will rotate through guided skills stations, covering:
Assisting with Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI)
Philadelphia collar fitting and safe log rolling techniques
Chest drain setup and ongoing management
Care of fluid replacement and massive transfusion
Splinting techniques:
Combat Arterial Tourniquet (CAT)
Pelvic binder application
Femoral splinting with the CT6 devices
Who should attend?
This course is designed for nurses of all experience levels working in metropolitan, regional, or rural health settings, including non-trauma hospitals, who want to enhance their confidence and capability in trauma assessment, management, and teamwork.
Claire Schepers
Claire is a Clinical Nurse Educator with the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre (AEAC) and brings over 20 years of nursing experience in Australia and London. She is a critical care trained emergency nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Diploma (Emergency Care) and a Master of Nursing (Research).
Claire has extensive experience in both clinical practice and healthcare education. She worked in the Alfred Hospital’s Emergency & Trauma Centre for 10 years prior to joining the AEAC and continues to maintain her clinical role. Claire’s primary focus is the design, development, and delivery of high-quality education for nurses seeking to extend their knowledge and skills in clinical practice, education, or leadership. She is committed to delivering education within a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
Nikki Farmer
Nikki is a Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) with the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre (AEAC) and has over eight years experience as a CNE within Alfred Hospital’s Emergency & Trauma Centre. She has a strong clinical background in emergency nursing and extensive experience supporting nurses working in metropolitan and lower resource settings across Victoria, the Northern Territory and far north Queensland. Combined, this has shaped Nikki's practical, flexible, and context-driven approach to education.
Conor Jones
Conor is an Associate Nurse Manager at the Alfred Emergency & Trauma Centre, with over 10 years of nursing experience across Ireland, the UK, and Australia. More recently, he joined the AEAC as a research nurse. He is a critical care trained emergency nurse, holding a BSc in General Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing, and a MSc in Clinical Practice. Conor’s primary areas of interest include trauma reception and resuscitation, team performance, and clinical leadership.
