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Prehospital Trauma Life Support PHTLS - NAEMT

Prehospital Trauma Life Support PHTLS - NAEMT

Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) is a trauma-care education program developed and administered by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), in cooperation with the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma. NAEMT+2AMA+2

Here’s a detailed overview of what PHTLS is, its purpose, structure, content, and certification:

 

Purpose & Philosophy

  • The mission of PHTLS is to promote excellence in trauma patient management by providers involved in prehospital care (EMS, paramedics, etc.). NAEMT
  • The program emphasizes critical thinking rather than rote protocols, with the idea that EMS practitioners, armed with good foundational knowledge and principles, can make reasoned decisions tailored to the trauma patient. NAEMT+1
  • PHTLS treats the multi-system trauma patient as a unique entity with specific needs, rather than as a sum of isolated injuries. NAEMT

 

Who It’s For

  • PHTLS is designed for prehospital providers such as EMTs, paramedics, nurses, physician assistants, physicians, and other EMS practitioners. NAEMT+1
  • It is suitable for both basic and advanced levels of prehospital trauma care. 911 TACTICAL MEDICINE+1

 

Course Format, Duration & Levels

  • The standard PHTLS Provider course is about 16 hours typically taught over two consecutive days. UCLA CPC+2911 TACTICAL MEDICINE+2
  • It combines lectures, skills stations, case studies, and patient simulation scenarios. NAEMT+2UCLA CPC+2
  • There is also a Refresher course (8 hours) for those whose provider card is still valid but need to renew their skills. Trauma & Critical Care Education+2UCLA CPC+2
  • A Hybrid format is sometimes offered, where didactic portions are completed online and in-person time is used for skills and scenarios. Trauma & Critical Care Education
  • A variant called PHTLS-FR (First Responders) is an 8-hour class tailored for first responders (e.g. fire, law enforcement, EMRs) with content focused on key trauma interventions relevant to their role. Trauma & Critical Care Education+1

 

Content & Key Topics

PHTLS covers the full spectrum of prehospital trauma care, emphasizing rapid assessment, prioritization, and interventions. Key topics include:

  • Physiology relevant to life and death in trauma NAEMT
  • Scene assessment (safety, mechanism of injury) NAEMT
  • Patient assessment—primary and secondary surveys NAEMT+1
  • Hemorrhage control (external bleeding, shock management) NAEMT+1
  • Airway management, breathing/ventilation, oxygenation NAEMT+1
  • Circulation, shock, and resuscitation strategies NAEMT+1
  • Trauma to specific regions (head, spine, thorax, abdomen, musculoskeletal) 911 TACTICAL MEDICINE+1
  • Special populations (pediatric, geriatric, burns, environmental trauma) 911 TACTICAL MEDICINE+1
  • Scene to hospital transport decisions, triage, and timelines NAEMT+1

The textbook (typically the PHTLS 10th edition) is used as a central resource. 911 TACTICAL MEDICINE+3UCLA CPC+3NAEMT+3

 

Certification, Validity & Continuing Education

The course is accredited by CAPCE (Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education) and recognized by NREMT. 

 

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