TCAR Programme Description
TCAR Programme Description
Unlike trauma education programmes that focus on prehospital and ED resuscitation, the TCAR course was specifically designed to give nurses and AHPs the foundational, evidence-based information and critical thinking skills necessary to care for injured patients BEYOND the resuscitative phase, in emergency, theatre, critical care, ward, and rehab settings. Using a case-based format, learners follow trauma patients across their care continuum, from admission through discharge.
TCAR covers a wide range of pathophysiologic and clinical concepts, and is designed to be a broad, core-level programme, rather than an advanced or speciality-specific course. Although nurses are TCAR's largest audience, the information contained in this programme is relevant to physiotherapists, paramedics, social workers, occupational therapists, and others who interact with injured, hospitalised patients.
For information about the course, click the Course Info tab.
Course Content
Part 1:
Participants focus on concepts relevant to the care of the injured, hospitalised patient:
- The trauma care spectrum
- The biomechanics of trauma
- The body's response to injury
Part 2:
Learners engage in interactive, expanding case scenarios that address the needs of hospitalised patients with injuries to major body systems. Each module introduces specific trauma care concepts including pathophysiology, patient assessment, and complications. Surgical, therapeutic, and nursing management options and outcome criteria are explored while analysing patients with:
- Thoracic injury
- Abdominal injury
- Musculoskeletal injury
- Head injury
- Spine and spinal cord injury
Each expanding case scenario promotes critical thinking, knowledge synthesis, and clinical reasoning skills by inviting learners to:
- Incorporate injury biomechanics information
- Analyse clinical assessment data
- Suggest appropriate care interventions
- Identify individuals at risk for deterioration
- Prevent, recognise, and manage complications
- Understand trends and issues in trauma patient care
- Predict each patient's care trajectory
- Set realistic goals and evaluate outcomes
Learner Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the trauma continuum of care.
- Identify high risk patient populations.
- Anticipate specific wounds and complications based on mechanism of injury.
- Recognise and influence the body’s multisystem responses to traumatic insults.
- Integrate physical assessment, imaging studies, vital signs, and laboratory data to evaluate the hospitalised trauma patient.
- Describe appropriate surgical, nursing, and allied health interventions for frequently encountered injuries.
- Coordinate with multidisciplinary team members to provide appropriate and timely care to injured patients.
- Prevent, identify, and manage complications common to the hospitalised trauma patient.
- Select realistic patient goals and evaluate care outcomes.
- Address the psychosocial needs of trauma patients and their family members.
