Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS)

In the first program of its kind for medical students, the University of Louisville Global Education Office and the National Wilderness Medical Society is proud to bring you the Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS). Our program aims to provide medical students with knowledge and clinical skills training related to disaster and wilderness medicine in the hopes that when disaster strikes, students will be ready and able to help.

Topics Covered:

Active Shooter / Stop the Bleed
Incident Command (ICS) Certification
Mass Prophylaxis and Medical Sheltering
HAZMAT and Bioterrorism
Emergency Medicine Skills Training
Psychological First Aid
Mass Casualty Triage Training
Improvised and Alternative Medicine
Wilderness Emergencies & Trauma
~ And More! ~

Current Numbers

Total number participants = 154 students
- MS2 = 46 students (30%)
- MS3 = 67 students (44%)
- MS4 = 41 students (26%)

Ready to Sign-Up? Register here!

Learning Objectives

To provide students with the key knowledge and specific skills which inform and enable a high-quality response to the medical and technical aspects of specific areas in Disaster Medicine.
To provide this training by recruiting recognized subject matter experts (SME) to instruct courses.
To provide the opportunity for certified trainings in Incident Command System (ICS) protocols and ability to fulfill MS3/MS4 clinical elective credits.
To connect students to high-level training and certification opportunities in specific areas of Disaster and Wilderness Medicine.
To facilitate student involvement in community partnerships and real-time experiences that help people living in the greater Louisville area.

Student Benefit

Upon completion of the Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS), students will receive:
- Exposure to areas of Disaster Medicine not previously taught in the current medical curriculum.
- Opportunities for hands-on learning in simulated low-resource environments.
- The knowledge and ability to respond to statewide medical disaster relief through participation in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
- FEMA-certified training in Incident Command System (ICS) protocols.
- Official certifications in various areas of wilderness medicine and trauma protocols.
- Connections to organizations for life-long learning in Disaster Medicine and continued participation beyond medical school.
- Signed certificate of completion from University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Components and Point System

Completion of DMCS will be based on a point system. There will be a series of required core modules, and the rest will be available for students to complete based on their personal interests and goals.

4 of the 6 core modules listed below will be required in preparation for a yearly Mass Casualty Incident capstone event held at the conclusion of the MS2 academic year.

Required core modules include:

Active Shooter Training / Stop the Bleed
Mass Casualty Triage Training
Emergency Medical Skills / Wilderness Medical Skills Training (Low resource)
Hospital Incident Command System (ICS) Training / Evacuation Procedures
HAZMAT Decontamination Training
Psychological First Aid Training

If a student is unable to attend a required core module during one academic year, he/she will be able to attend the following academic year.

Additional membership requirements include:

Enrollment in the Louisville Metro Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)

The point system works as follows:

1 point will be awarded for minor didactic lectures

These include scheduled hour-long lectures (lunch lectures), online modules, and other primarily didactic lectures or talks approved by the DMCS

*Note* on-line modules can be viewed for a maximum of 3 points throughout the course of completion of the certificate

2 points will be awarded for the required enrollment in the Louisville Metro Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
3 points will be awarded for major skills training days

These include both the required core modules and other multi-hour training modules as marked on the topic lists below
Specific examples include active shooter trainings, wilderness medical skills training days, etc.

5 points will be awarded upon optional completion of the week-long “Hospital Emergency Response Training for Mass Casualty Events” Course (HERT course)

This course is taught at the FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) facility in Anniston, AL (See FAQ #6)

Requirements for Completion

In order to receive one’s certificate, a student must complete:
- An overall total of 20 points over the course of two consecutive academic years to receive the signed certificate of completion.
- Completion of at least 4 of 6 core modules for a total of 12-18 points (3 points each)
- Enrollment in the Louisville Metro Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) (2 points)
- Completion of FEMA ICS-100 and ICS-200
- Participation in at least one capstone Mass Casualty Event

Children’s Special Response Team

In addition to completing the Disaster Medicine Certificate Series, students will also have the opportunity to join Norton Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) Children’s Special Response Team (CSRT).

The CSRT is a crisis and disaster response team made up entirely of medical students from DMCS.
Students will receive training from NCH Staff on hospital HAZMAT and decontamination procedures, as well as acquire additional FEMA certifications.
At the completion of their training, students will have the opportunity to join the CRST and receive alerts to respond (if available) to pediatric mass casualty incidents for the remainder of their time at UofL School of Medicine, or until they request to be removed from the alert list.

If called in, students may assist in:
- Class C HAZMAT decontamination of casualties
- Family reunification
- Basic medical care
- Patient Transport
- Communication assistance
- Other duties, as needed