NETS team and training
Our staff are our most important asset.
Our nurses staff the clinical coordination centre and also form part of each retrieval team. Other nurses include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse consultants, clinical educators and nurse managers.
Our doctors include specialty registrars, consultant retrievalists and career medical officers who work as team members and retrieval consultants who chair conference calls and supervise clinical care.
Our emergency vehicle operators drive the highly specialised ambulances unique to NETS.
Biomedical technical officers support and maintain the life support equipment of the Service; much of which they also design and construct.
A small but essential group provides administrative support for the service in the areas of clinical information and quality, information technology, public affairs & fundraising, secretarial and business services.
Patient safety orientation
Patient safety is the key focus of our education and training. NETS provides staff with in-depth orientation and induction training, including completion of a core set of clinical skill and knowledge assessments.
NETS facilitates internal and external education opportunities for staff to maintain currency of practice, supporting ongoing professional development and mandatory training requirements.
Introduction to the retrieval environment
Introduction to the retrieval environment and workflow processes are paramount to the successful transition of any new member to the NETS team.
Accredited professionals deliver workplace, ambulance and aviation safety training including
- Fire and building safety
- Emergency driving protocols
- P1 driver training
- Pel-Air fixed wing computer based training modules
- TOLL General Emergency Checks and Helicopter Underwater Escape Training
- Manual handling and safe securing of NETS retrieval systems in various modes of transport.
Common conditions NETS staff are trained to care for
Common conditions NETS staff are trained to care for include
- Extreme prematurity requiring specialised neurodevelopmental care to aid the early transition from in-utero to ex-utero
- Cardiac requiring medication, Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Respiratory requiring medication, oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation
- Trauma requiring rapid extraction for life-threatening surgical intervention
Teaching methods and mandatory requirements
Teaching methods to ensure staff are given many opportunities to develop their clinical knowledge and skill include
- Competency skill and knowledge assessments
- Learning packages and online modules
- Case based discussions
- Clinical skills stations
- Simulation scenario training
- Workshop days including Advanced Airway training
- Research and Quality Improvement projects
- Attendance and presentations at conferences and seminars
- Attendance at courses such as
- Advanced Neonatal Resuscitation Simulation Training
- Advanced Paediatric Life Support
- Emergency Management of Severe Burns.
Mandatory training requirements at NETS are upheld in accordance with relevant regulatory bodies.
