Focuses On All Aspects Of Air Medical Transport Industry, From Pilots To Admin

The 32nd annual Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) will get underway in downtown Seattle, Washington on Monday. With the most robust pre-registration numbers in close to a decade, this year's conference promises unmatched education and networking opportunities for a combined attendance of flight crew and administrators, from clinical, administrative and aviation disciplines.

The conference will offer more than 160 education sessions, including three keynote speeches. Among the featured speakers is John Nance , one of the founding board members of the National Patient Safety Foundation in 1997. He brings a rich and varied professional background to healthcare and the cause of patient safety. Nance is a lawyer, Air Force and airline pilot, internationally-published author, national broadcaster, and professional speaker.

Major General Byron C. Hepburn is one of 15 Air Force pilot-physicians with significant experience in aeromedical evacuation throughout his 36 years of service. Currently serving as Commander of the 59th Medical Wing in San Antonio, TX, Major General Hepburn has oversight of Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams to support the movement of the military’s high-acuity patients. General Hepburn’s presentation at the AMTC will review the history of the military aeromedical evacuation and provide an overview on the current command and control structure, casualty and medical evacuation platforms and clinical teams performing various specialties.

And the AAMS Survivors Network will share their stories - through video clips, photos, and their own words. Six EMS helicopter crash survivors will share invaluable lessons ranging from risk mitigation to “surviving survival.” The group will be followed by internationally recognized crew resource management instructor, Mr. Randy Mains, who will speak to AMTC attendees about air medical safety in the United States and around the globe.

The sold-out AMTC exhibit hall features 169 vendors offering products and services specific to air medical transport providers. Tradeshow highlights include nine state-of-the-art EMS helicopters, a ground ambulance specially equipped for the transport of the most critically ill or injured patients, aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS), as well as both patient and flight simulators.
 
The exhibit hall will be the playing field for the CAE Cup, an annual competition in which two-member air medical teams compete head-to-head in real time to save the life of a simulated patient. With industry expert physicians judging them, the flight teams utilize their life-saving critical care skills while hundreds of onlookers critique their every move. At stake is the coveted CAE Cup, and bragging rights as the best air medical team for the next 12 months. The Finals to determine the 2012 CAE Cup winning team will be held on Tuesday, October 23 from noon until 1:30 p.m.

The AMTC celebrates the unique and crucial role that helicopter, fixed-wing and critical care ground medical transport play within the larger EMS system. Learn the unique needs and vital necessity of air and critical care ground medical transport worldwide. 

FMI: www.aams.org