VGH Trauma Education

Schedules, descriptions and registration information for Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) Trauma education for health professionals, including Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), DSTC, Trauma Rounds and more.
About VGH Trauma education
Vancouver General Hospital is the Level 1 Adult Trauma Centre for British Columbia. As the quaternary referral centre for the province, VGH Trauma Services provides province-wide education to health-care professionals caring for patients along the trauma continuum of care.
Specialized certification programs, such as Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care (DSTC) are offered on an ongoing basis at VGH.
Weekly Trauma Rounds
Rounds are CME-accredited teaching rounds presented to a multidisciplinary group involved in the care of the trauma patient along the continuum of care.
When: Every Tuesday at 12pm noon
Location: This is an online program presented on Zoom. Registration is not required, see details below.
Audience: Health professionals. This group is made up of surgical residents and students, attending surgeons, Emergency and Critical Care nursing staff, military and paramedical staff.
Questions? Contact TraumaEduc@vch.ca
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How to join
Join online:
- Join session via https://ubc.zoom.us/j/92675681014
- Meeting ID: 94675834312
- Password: 834312
Join by phone:
- Dial 778-907-2071 (Canada). Callers will be charged for any long-distance charges that may apply
- Enter the Zoom Meeting ID 926 7568 1014, followed by “#”
- Password: 681014
Problems connecting? Contact Sandra Santander at sandra.santander@vch.ca or (604) 875-5292
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Past recordings
Regional Trauma Rounds are available from the links below and will be available for streaming one to two days after each presentation.
- November 28, 2023 Damage Control Approach. Presented by Dr. Abdulaziz AlKanhal, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- November 21, 2023 Trauma Based Massive Hemorrhage Guideline. Presented by Dr. Andrew Shih, Regional Medical lead, Transfusion Medicine, VCH
- November 14, 2023 Thoracoabdominal Injuries: Double Jeopardy. Presented by Dr. Valentina Olmedo Prado, Trauma fellow, VGH
- November 7, 2023 Radiology Rounds - Imaging After Damage Control Surgery. Preesnted by Dr. Mohammad Altayaran, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- October 31, 2023 CANCELLED
- October 24, 2023 An Overview of Psychological Injury and the Role of a Psychologist in Acute Trauma Care. Presented by Dr. Logan Nealis, Psychologist, Neuroscience & Trauma Unit, Royal Inland Hospital
- October 17, 2023 Facial Smash - Acute Management of Le Fort Injuries. Presented by Dr. Sean Staniforth, Head Emergency Medicine, Lions Gate Hospital
- October 10, 2023 Directed Peritoneal Resuscitation Presented by Dr. Erica Fitzgerald, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- October 3, 2023 Radiology Rounds - Postmortem CT. Presented by Dr. Ahmad Abu-Omar, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- September 26, 2023 Rib Fixation: Who, What When? Presented by Dr. Muhammad Mansour, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- September 19, 2023 Regional Trauma Rounds - SPH - ED Disposition of Traumatic Brain Injury; the BIG Question.
Recording is not available. Dr. Brian Lahiffe, UBC Dept. of Emergency Medicine Staff Physician St. Paul's Hospital - September 12, 2023 The Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Trauma Care Presented by Dr. Rebecca Afford, General Surgery Senior, VGH
- September 5, 2023 Radiology Rounds - Imaging of Cardiac Trauma. Presented by Dr. Awfa AlKhaled, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- August 29, 2023 Trauma Management in Provincial Chile. Presented by Dr. Valentina Olmedo-Prado, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- August 22, 2023 Skull Base Neurosurgery and Neurosurgical Oncology Presented by Dr. Serge Makarenko, Neurosurgery, VGH
- August 15, 2023 There and Back again: A Brief History of Transfusion Practices in Trauma Presented by Dr. Erica Fitzgerald, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- August 1, 2023 Minimal Aortic Injury. Presented by Dr. Farzaneh Shobeirian, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- July 25, 2023 Modeling a Trauma Surgeon's Intuition: Parallels with Modern Portfolio Theory. Presented by Dr. Alexandre Tran, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- July 11, 2023 The Right Care, in the Right Time - Informing Care of the Injured Patient from Bedside to System Using Trauma Outcomes Research. Presented by Dr. James Byrne, Trauma, Surgical Critical Care & Emergency Surgery, John Hopkins Hospital.
- July 4, 2023 Imaging of the Polytrauma Patient Presented by Dr. Saavas Nicolaou, Head and Medical Director, Radiology - VGH
- June 27, 2023 The Ins & Outs of Penetrating Chest Trauma. Presented by Dr. Dennis Kim, Medical Director, Trauma Services, Vancouver Island Health Authority
- June 20, 2023 Regional Rounds - Innovation in Trauma Systems. Presented by Dr. Harvey Hawes, Trauma Surgeon, VGH
- June 13, 2023 Colorectal Trauma Presented by Dr. Barak Raguan, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- June 6, 2023 Trauma Resuscitation in the Health Information Technology Age. Presented by Dr. Morad Hameed, Trauma Surgeon, VGH and Dr. Jenna Kroeker, Trauma Research Fellow, VGH
- May 23, 2023 Maximizing Utility of Clinical Trials for Trauma Care Presented by Dr. Alexandre Tran, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- May 9, 2023 CT Imaging in Diaphragmatic Injury. Presented by Dr. Amit Katyan, Emergency Truma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- April 25, 2023 End of Life Discussion in Trauma Presented by Dr. Anas Wess, Trauma Fellow, VGH, Julie Lockington, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Palliative Care
- April 11, 2023 Hot Topics from the Mattox Conference 2023. Presented by Dr. Barak Raguan, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- March 28, 2023 Chest Wall Injury - An Update. Presented by Dr. Philip Dawe, Trauma Medical Manager, Acute Care and Trauma Surgeon, VGH
- March 14, 2023 Training Trauma Surgeons Presented by Dr. Barak Raguan, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- March 7, 2023 Radiology Rounds: Craniocervical Junction Injury. Presented by Dr. Emtenen Meer, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- February 28, 2023 ECMO cold plunge. Presented by Dr. Sonny Thiara, Critical Care Medicine, VGH
- February 21, 2023 Paediatrics Falls from Height. Presented by Dr. Rana Swed-Tobia, PEM Fellow, BC Children's Hospital
- February 14, 2023 Spinal Cord Injury - Management Principles. Presented by Dr. Brian Kwon, Professor, Department of Orthopedics, UBC
- February 7, 2023 Bowel and Mesenteric Injuries in Acute Trauma Setting Presented by Dr. Muhammed Danish Sarfraz
Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH - January 31, 2023 Trust Presented by Dr. Morad Hameed Trauma Surgeon, VGH
- January 24, 2023 - A Look Under the Hood: The Trauma Services B.C. Annual Statistical Report. Presented by Dr. David Evans, Trauma Surgeon, VGH
- January 17, 2023 Thoracic Trauma Presented by Dr. Naisan Garraway, Regional Trauma Medical Director, VGH
- January 10, 2023 Health Care System Strategies in Crisis, Disasters, and Combat. Presented by Dr. Anas Wess, Trauma Fellow, VGH
- January 3, 2023 - Chest Bump: Pearls and Pitfalls in Thoracic Trauma Imaging Presented by Dr. Subin Thomas,
Emergency Radiology Fellow, VGH
Regional Trauma Rounds
Regional Trauma Rounds are held monthly with rotating presentations by each of the major VCH trauma centres and are available through videoconferencing to all interested BC hospitals.
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How to join
Need info
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Past recordings
Find previous Regional Rounds recordings through the CCRS. Regional Trauma Rounds are available from the links below and will be available for streaming one to two days after each presentation.
- November 21, 2023- Trauma-Based Massive Hemorrhage Guideline Presented by Dr. Andrew Shih, Regional Medical lead, Transfusion Medicine, VCH
- November 14, 2023 - Thoracoabdominal Injuries: Double Jeopardy Presented by Dr. Mohammad Altayaran, Emergency Trauma Radiology Fellow, VGH
- October 24, 2023 - An Overview of Psychological Injury and the Role of a Psychologist in Acute Trauma Care Presented by Dr. Logan Nealis, Psychologist, Neuroscience & Trauma Unit, Royal Inland Hospital
- October 17, 2023 - Facial Smash - Acute Management of Le Fort Injuries Presented by Dr. Sean Staniforth, Head Emergency Medicine, Lions Gate Hospital
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
ATLS is an internationally-recognized foundational course for teaching management of trauma. Participants will learn the framework for timely management of life-threatening injuries. Course includes online, didactic and practical sessions along with simulated assessment scenarios.
Participants will learn a structured approach to identify, intervene and manage injuries associated with major trauma.
The ATLS® course provides its participants with a safe and reliable method for the immediate treatment of injured patients and the basic knowledge necessary to:
- Assess a patient’s condition rapidly and accurately.
- Resuscitate and stabilize patients according to priority.
- Determine whether a patient’s needs exceed a facility’s resources and/or a doctor’s capabilities.
- Arrange appropriately for a patient’s interhospital or intrahospital transfer (what, who, when, and how).
- Ensure optimal care is provided and the level of care does not deteriorate at any point during the evaluation, resuscitation, or transfer processes.
Dates and registration information
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2024 and 2025 Provider Courses – Vancouver Coastal Health
Below is a list of upcoming ATLS® courses being held at Vancouver General Hospital.
- November 4 to 5, 2024
- January 20 to 21, 2025
- February 25 to 26, 2025
- April 14 to 15, 2025
- May 12 to 13, 2025
- June 9 to 10, 2025
- Refresher courses may be run in conjunction with the above dates. Please contact the course coordinator for enquiries.
Location: VGH Simulation Centre - 2nd floor of the Leon Blackmore Pavilion
Register: Register by email traumaeduc@vch.ca -
2024 Provider Courses – Island Health
Below is a list of upcoming ATLS® courses being held on Vancouver Island. If you would like to register for a course, please contact them directly at ATLS@islandhealth.ca.
- November 23 to 24, 2024 in Campbell River
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2024 ATLS Instructor Courses – Vancouver Coastal Health
If you have interest in becoming an ATLS Instructor, please contact the the VGH course coordinator at glen.purcell@vch.ca. If you would like to register for a course, please email us at TraumaEduc@vch.ca.
- January 22 to 23, 2024
- November 7 to 8, 2024
For additional course listings in B.C., please visit the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) website. You can also access a list of ATLS Coordinators located in Canada.
Location: VGH Simulation Centre - 2nd floor of the Leon Blackmore Pavilion
Register: Register by email traumaeduc@vch.ca
Definitive Surgical Trauma Care Course® (DSTC) for surgeons
The DSTC course was developed by the International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care (IATSIC) in response to the lack of written teaching material regarding strategic trauma resuscitation, early definitive care and surgical priorities. Since 1991, the course has been run in several countries and hosted at VGH since 2004.
The course is intended for surgeons who may infrequently care for trauma patients. This course has been developed for qualified surgeons with limited trauma experience or training. The course objectives are
- Improved resuscitation of the trauma patient
- Faster time to definitive care
- Improved surgical decision making
- Increased awareness of surgical sequelae
This course assumes all principles of ATLS and builds on them.
Dates: Email VGH Trauma at TraumaEduc@vch.ca to be included on the distribution list to receive information about the 2024 course.
Audience: Exclusively for surgeons
Contact: TraumaEduc@vch.ca
Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET®)
The one-day cadaver-based course follows a modular, body region approach to surgical interventions for the bleeding trauma patient. Each section begins with a short, case-based overview, followed by a hands-on exposure performed by students under the guidance of faculty. The student-to-faculty ratio is low, allowing extensive faculty guidance and interaction with students. The student assesses their ability to perform each exposure independently and is evaluated on knowledge and technical skills.
Audience: Mid-level and senior surgical residents, trauma and acute care surgical fellows, or any surgeon who wishes to undertake a review of this anatomy. It is an accredited course eligible for CME credits.
Register: Register by email traumaeduc@vch.ca
Rural trauma education
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Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC)
Building on the principles of ATLS®, RTTDC is a simulation-based course where providers work in multi-disciplinary teams to provide care in simulated trauma scenarios. It includes an interactive discussion tailored to the needs of the local site, hands-on skill portion, hands-on skill practice and simulation scenarios tailored to the needs of the facility.
Contact: TraumaEduc@vch.ca.Rural Trauma program details
The course takes place at the local site with scenarios taking place in the patient care spaces. Coordination in done in conjunction with local staff and experienced faculty are brought in. Also covered are ideal communication concepts, team-building discussions, and triage or mass casualty scenarios.Key concepts include:
- Resuscitation of major trauma patients
- Organized assessment and interventions
- Prioritization of treatment
- Medical and nursing management
- Team communication
- Ongoing treatment in low-resource settings
- Transfer decision making
- Optional topics include pediatrics, burns, triage, mass-casualty scenarios
VGH has supported RTTDC courses in the Coastal region since 2013 and is actively working with other health regions to deliver the courses in other regions of the province.
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Enhanced Surgical Skills (ESS) outreach
ESS physicians across Canada often provide trauma care at rural sites with limited surgical capability. VGH is working with select sites across BC to enhance the ability of these physicians to treat trauma patients prior to transfer.
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Remote Simulations
VGH trauma physicians have worked with the University of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority to facilitate in-situ multi-disciplinary simulations in remote sites. These simulations are done using established simulation education theory and available video conferencing technology.