Author: Jeanette Dyson
In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a classification process for international Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) and in supporting national EMTs to progress within their country’s own accreditation system.
Since that time, we’ve worked closely with WHO and other organisations across the global EMT community, playing a pivotal role in evolving EMT training for teams around the world...
Since that time, we’ve worked closely with WHO and other organisations across the global EMT community, playing a pivotal role in evolving EMT training for teams around the world...
Through our partners, we now deliver a range of courses to ensure that any international EMT deploying to an emergency abides by the recognised minimum standards and principles. The EMT Initiative has significantly improved the international response to emergencies, by accelerating the mobilisation and coordination of quality assured teams. You can read more about the WHO EMT Initiative here.
To date, 32 teams have been internationally classified, while a further 70 teams are currently working towards classification.
To date, 32 teams have been internationally classified, while a further 70 teams are currently working towards classification.
Developing national capacity through training
For a number of years now, WHO and others have been developing the concept of creating national teams that can respond to emergencies within their own or neighbouring countries. Then, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the need for trained national teams became even more urgent. Almost overnight borders closed, international travel was - if not impossible - severely restricted and additional layers of risk and admin were added to the deployment of international EMTs.
A collaboration between WHO and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, however, led to the opening of the African Region EMT Training Centre in Addis Ababa in April 2021. The aim: to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services in the African Region during humanitarian crises.
As restrictions on travel gradually eased, in December 2021, our Training in Aid team was involved in one of the African Regional Training Centre’s first face-to-face training courses.
Twenty-three participants from Uganda and Namibia took part in the four-day Team Member (TM) Induction Course. One of the most important elements of the EMT’s learning pathway, the TM Induction Course is the entry point for roster members from all specialisms and provides a solid foundation for further technical training.
A collaboration between WHO and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, however, led to the opening of the African Region EMT Training Centre in Addis Ababa in April 2021. The aim: to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services in the African Region during humanitarian crises.
As restrictions on travel gradually eased, in December 2021, our Training in Aid team was involved in one of the African Regional Training Centre’s first face-to-face training courses.
Twenty-three participants from Uganda and Namibia took part in the four-day Team Member (TM) Induction Course. One of the most important elements of the EMT’s learning pathway, the TM Induction Course is the entry point for roster members from all specialisms and provides a solid foundation for further technical training.
Changing hearts and mind
From the start, the participants, were engaged and keen to learn more. However, informal conversations revealed that they were doubtful that EMTs would work, or indeed even relevant, for the African Region.
A senior participant on the course, who had heard and read about the EMT Initiative, explained her initial reservations:
“I knew that it [EMT Initiative] is mostly foreign teams that are well-resourced, well-equipped, and well-trained who are outside of Africa, and come to support this continent that is prone to many disasters and doesn’t really have health systems to support itself.”
Three days into the EMT Member Induction course, and the same participant admitted that her perception of EMTs had changed completely. The course dispelled many myths, including the idea that EMTs can only come from well-resourced countries. Almost overnight, the idea of national EMTs changed from an unattainable concept to an achievable reality.
She said: “By interacting with these teams I now know that these are concepts I can also learn and use in a national perspective.”
The course introduced systems, procedures and new ways of working that can be integrated into any EMT setting, facilitating and improving operations. It was the flexibility of the concepts and the fact that participants could see how the training translated into real benefits for their own teams that led to the change in viewpoint. By the end of the course, participants stated how they couldn’t wait to use their newly acquired skills to develop their own national EMTs.
“The teams were incredibly motivated from the start, but there was definitely a lightbulb moment when they could see how the training concepts translated into practical actions that would improve and facilitate their work in the field. The beauty of this course is that it introduces systems, procedures and new ways of working that are prescriptive for each team and can be adapted to any EMT setting.
“From a professional point of view, it was incredibly rewarding to see the renewed enthusiasm and determination that these teams had and their desire to put it into practice,” said Rich Parker, Founder, Training In Aid.
A senior participant on the course, who had heard and read about the EMT Initiative, explained her initial reservations:
“I knew that it [EMT Initiative] is mostly foreign teams that are well-resourced, well-equipped, and well-trained who are outside of Africa, and come to support this continent that is prone to many disasters and doesn’t really have health systems to support itself.”
Three days into the EMT Member Induction course, and the same participant admitted that her perception of EMTs had changed completely. The course dispelled many myths, including the idea that EMTs can only come from well-resourced countries. Almost overnight, the idea of national EMTs changed from an unattainable concept to an achievable reality.
She said: “By interacting with these teams I now know that these are concepts I can also learn and use in a national perspective.”
The course introduced systems, procedures and new ways of working that can be integrated into any EMT setting, facilitating and improving operations. It was the flexibility of the concepts and the fact that participants could see how the training translated into real benefits for their own teams that led to the change in viewpoint. By the end of the course, participants stated how they couldn’t wait to use their newly acquired skills to develop their own national EMTs.
“The teams were incredibly motivated from the start, but there was definitely a lightbulb moment when they could see how the training concepts translated into practical actions that would improve and facilitate their work in the field. The beauty of this course is that it introduces systems, procedures and new ways of working that are prescriptive for each team and can be adapted to any EMT setting.
“From a professional point of view, it was incredibly rewarding to see the renewed enthusiasm and determination that these teams had and their desire to put it into practice,” said Rich Parker, Founder, Training In Aid.
Sustainable training
A total of 12 representatives from the two teams remained on-site for the two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) course that proved a real game-changer. You can read more about Training In Aid’s ToT course in our next blog.