Prerequisites for DMT

[rickthompson]

I'm a marine biology student and may have the opportunity to take a DMT course paid by the scientific diving office at the university I'm attending. I have my NREMT-B, but only very limited practical experience (did a couple weeks of "ride alongs" but since I was certified the medics let me take vitals, assist with moves and lifts, etc.). I've noticed on DAN's page for their DMT course the prerequisite is EMT-B, but after looking at the NBDHMT's list of invasive skills required for certification, it appears as if DMT is more of a step above medic...

Can anyone elaborate on this?

 

[DocVikingo]

but after looking at the NBDHMT's list of invasive skills required for certification, it appears as if DMT is more of a step above medic...Can anyone elaborate on this?

Hi Rick,

I rather strongly suspect that DAN could. The DAN Education contact points are (919) 684-2948, ext. 555 & dmt@dan.org.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I'm a marine biology student and may have the opportunity to take a DMT course paid by the scientific diving office at the university I'm attending. I have my NREMT-B, but only very limited practical experience (did a couple weeks of "ride alongs" but since I was certified the medics let me take vitals, assist with moves and lifts, etc.). I've noticed on DAN's page for their DMT course the prerequisite is EMT-B, but after looking at the NBDHMT's list of invasive skills required for certification, it appears as if DMT is more of a step above medic...

Can anyone elaborate on this?

Hi Rick,

We just dove the DAN DMT class in the chamber here on Wednesday. Some of the skills that are taught are indeed outside the scope of practice of an EMT unless they are performed under protocols established by a supervising physician. A good example of this can be found in the commercial diving industry. Before my career change I was an instructor at the (former) College of Oceaneering. When we were training commercial diver medics we'd put them through a California state certified EMT class, then through what was known at the time as the NBDHMT Advanced Diver Medic course. The ADM curriculum included invasive skills like endotracheal intubation, suturing, intravenous therapy, and insertion of Foley catheters.

The hitch was that just because the students had been taught the skills didn't mean they were authorized to perform them. If a graduate decided to go to work for an ambulance company or hyperbaric chamber facility, he/she would not be able to intubate or start an IV because that was outside the scope of practice of an EMT in California. If they went to work as commercial diver medics, they would work under the auspices of the company physician, who had established treatment protocols much like those used by paramedics. In other words, they could perform those advanced skills in certain situations or if certain criteria were met. Example: if a diver presents with type II DCS symptoms, start an IV and infuse normal saline at 100 cc/hour.

The NBDHMT essentially got rid of the basic DMT qualification a few years ago and now all diver medics trained by NBDHMT-certified instructors and institutions (DAN is one) are trained to the level that the advanced diver medics used to be. The same thing applies, though. Just because you're trained by DAN, or whomever, to pass a Foley catheter doesn't mean you can go back to Pennsylvania (or on a dive boat in Palau) and do that on patients. You do see the odd DMT graduate who decides to go get himself/herself a suture kit and volunteer to sew up injuries, but that's a bad idea for obvious reasons and scope of practice is one thing that is stressed repeatedly in the DAN diver medic course.

Best regards,
DDM