Assessment and Treatment of Trauma Facility Requirements

The physical surroundings are important in setting the stage for learning.

As part of the planning process, the Course Coordinator needs to calculate the maximum number of participants who can register for the course. To do this, the Course Coordinator must investigate the size of the lecture room as well as how many breakout rooms are available. In addition, the Faculty-to-participant ratio and the amount of equipment must be considered. The Faculty-to-participant ratio for the Scenarios and Skill Stations is 1:8 (or ratio set by the local continuing education accreditation agency).

To make sure the participants are prepared and comfortable, you should do the following:

• Rooms: When teaching adults, it is important to make sure that the rooms available for the course are well lit, of a comfortable temperature, and have sufficient space for the learning experience.
• Lectures: One room large enough to seat all participants is needed for the lectures. Make sure the lecture hall is appropriate for the size of the group. When a small group must use a very large lecture hall, section off the back portions (with strings or signs) to make sure the participants form an identifiable group. This room also needs to have the necessary audiovisual equipment, including a liquid crystal display (LCD) projector and screen, a computer with CD-ROM drive, and a digital video disc (DVD) player and monitor.
• Small Groups: At least four meeting areas for breakout sessions are needed. If there are more than 32 students enrolled in the course, additional breakout areas are needed.
• Scenarios: The room setup can be banquet style (chairs around small tables) or chairs setup in a circle. When information is to be shared among participants, it is important for them to be able to see each other without turning.
• Skill Stations: Make sure there is sufficient space for participants to walk all the way around each table. Include chairs at various points around the room so the participants can rest when necessary. When having more than one instructor to a room is unavoidable, remember to keep voices at the same level so participants are not distracted.