St John NT’s Intensive Care Paramedic (ICP) Interns have begun Operational Readiness Week today, putting their specialist training into practice through a series of complex interagency scenarios across Darwin.
The six interns, Justin Houben, Rebecca Muir, Dylan Denmead, Fergus O’Gallagher, Joshua Everingham and David Clarke, are nearing the end of the six-week intensive phase of St John NT’s new two-year ICP Training Pathway.
Operational Readiness Week shifts the focus from classroom and clinical learning to realistic simulation, with interns applying advanced clinical management in the environments and alongside the agencies they may encounter as ICPs in the Northern Territory.
Across the week, they will take part in simulation exercises alongside NT Emergency Service (NTES), Territory Response Group, NT Fire and Rescue Service, Search and Rescue and Water Police, Toll Rescue and aeromedical crews.
The week began today with interoperability and safety training facilitated by NTES, including complex vertical rescue and cliffside casualty scenarios.
Other exercises across the week include:
- Road crash rescue
- Marine search and rescue
- Remote retrieval involving a helicopter stretcher winch
- Armed offender scenario.
Alice Springs Paramedic and ICP Intern Justin Houben said Operational Readiness Week was about bringing together the clinical knowledge, practical skills and decision-making developed throughout the program.
“The past few weeks have been intense. We’ve been building not just our critical care knowledge and skills, but the mental side of being a clinician, and this week is about applying all of that in more complex environments,” Mr Houben said.
“As ICPs, we need to make good clinical decisions under pressure while maintaining situational awareness across the whole scene, managing our cognitive load and keeping the job progressing.
“Working this closely with our partner agencies is where it all comes together. Strong interagency collaboration builds a shared understanding, sharpens role clarity and strengthens communication, and that translates into better outcomes for our patients.
“The scenarios are built to a high level of realism, so the team coordination we develop here can transfer directly to our performance on road.”
St John NT CEO Abigail Trewin AM said Operational Readiness Week was designed to build on the experience and capability the interns already brought to the pathway.
“These are skilled paramedics who are now developing the additional clinical judgement, treatment capability and leadership required for intensive care practice,” Ms Trewin said.
“Operational Readiness Week gives them the opportunity to apply that advanced learning in realistic, high-pressure scenarios alongside the agencies they may work with during complex incidents.
“That experience strengthens their practice while helping us grow advanced clinical capability within the Territory and improve the care available to our communities.”
