PTC Foundation Course
Immerse yourself in a two-day interactive course that will provide you with life & limb saving skills.
What to Expect
The PTC Foundation Course is an intensive two days, so come prepared to learn! Courses are normally run in a 2-1-2 format:
- A two-day foundation course
- A one-day instructor course (in which anyone who has completed the foundation course may be invited to learn the secrets of effective PTC teaching)
- A further foundation course (for new instructors to put their learning into practice)
When attending a PTC course, you will be provided with a free course manual which will help you to prepare, revise, and later pass on what you learned to others. You can download this manual from our Resources page prior to your course – this will give you a good head start on learning the course content.
The PTC Foundation Course
The PTC Foundation course is a practical two-day trauma management course that helps you organise much of what you already know about trauma. What we do is to teach you a framework that will help you not to forget something important when faced with a severely injured patient.
PTC focuses on using the resources you have available – mostly your own knowledge and skills, your eyes, ears, hands and (most of all) your brain – to diagnose, assess and treat life-threatening complications of trauma.
The PTC system, like other trauma systems, consists of a primary survey/treat as you find phase, followed by systematic secondary survey, leading to definitive care.
The course has been specifically designed for the needs of developing countries, where most of the world’s trauma deaths occur, and has been introduced into 87 developing countries since 1996. After successful completion of the course you will receive a PTC certificate, and access to educational materials to use yourself, and pass on to your colleagues.
The course consists of two intensive days, which combine talks, discussions, seminars, and practical workshops with “hands on” experience of practical skills such as airway management, chest drain insertion, and clinical problem-solving.
If you come, it’s essential for you to be there for the full two days.
The PTC Instructor course
PTC works by passing on responsibility for organising courses and teaching trauma training skills to the nationals of the countries in which you work.
Anyone who has completed a PTC course may be invited to join an instructor course, in which we share with you the secrets of effective PTC teaching, so that you will be able to pass on what you have learned to other people in your own country.
We have found this is a much more effective way of passing on the PTC training, than to depend on a group of foreigners coming to teach each course.
The instructor course focuses entirely on how to teach PTC materials, but you will probably find that what you learn is of great benefit to other teaching that you may do. It is a one–day course on which you will learn how to give a formal lecture, how to teach interactively, how to teach practical skills, lead a discussion and make effective use of visual aids.You will also learn how to organise a PTC course, get feedback and write a report, and hear about the worldwide activities of PTC.
At the end of the first instructor course in your country, we will ask you to choose a PTC national committee which will take on responsibility for further PTC teaching in your country. Some people compare PTC to joining a club or a family – for others it’s something that having received, you will want to pass on.
Curriculum
A printed copy of the PTC Manual will be available to you when you attend the course.
If you're a teacher and require the materials ahead of the class, please request them here.
The PTC course is used for saving people’s lives. Trauma is a massive problem in Haiti, in fact across the world. Why don’t you partner with us, so we can run more courses and save more lives?
Michelle Joseph
MBBS, MSc, PhD, FRCS, PTC Instructor, Haiti.
PTC training is vital if we are going to continue to save lives in the remote parts of this world. I have seen the effects of PTC training; it saves thousands of lives. I am proud to be part of the PTC team.
Dr Lucy Obolensky
MRCGP MSc DTM&H FRGS FBES, Associate Professor of Global Health + Remote Medicine, Plymouth UniversityPTC Instructor, Kenya
We recently saved a young lady who was hit by a car. She presented in shock. Chest trauma. Liver injury. Splenic injury. We saved her life by using the PTC systematic approach.
Akutu Manyika
MBCHB MMED Surgery FCS FACS, Namibia
PTC Course gallery
Here is a a selection from some of our global courses.
FAQs
We've listed some of the most frequently asked questions below. If you still have questions after reading these, please contact us.
How can I obtain a copy of the Primary Trauma Care Manual?
The PTC Manual is freely available. Get in touch to download it.
How can I obtain a copy of the Primary Trauma Care Instructor Manual?
The PTC Instructor Manual is freely available. Get in touch to download it. There are some additional materials that we cannot publish on the website as they are sensitive documents (certificates and MCQ answers). Please contact the PTCF Administrator for further information and guidance.
How long is a PTC course?
A PTC course is normally five days. We refer to this as a Five Day Model, which is a proven structure. This entails an initial 2 day PTC Foundation Course, followed by a 1 day Instructor Course, and then a further 2 day Foundation Course presented by the newly trained instructors under the supervision of the initial team.
Not everyone attends for the full five days – the standard Foundation Course only lasts for two days.
How can I obtain information about PTC activity in my country/region?
Information on PTC courses and activities can be found on our news page here. For additional course information and specific local activities you may also wish to contact your Country PTC Team (if you know them) or contact the PTCF Administrator.
How can I become a PTC Instructor?
Anyone with a legitimate professional interest in trauma management can participate in a PTC course. Please note that PTC courses are not presented on a regular basis in all regions. In order to obtain information on courses being conducted in your region, please contact the PTCF Administrator for further information and guidance.
