The 3rd annual Emergency Care Conference was held again in the powder filled mountains of Rusutsu Resort, Japan

EMS Conferences were our hosts and kicked off the 5 day event from Monday the 5th of February with a welcome party which involved food, drinks and a relaxed atmosphere allowing us to meet the presenters and other delegates.

The content of this year’s event was presented at the 2.5hr evening sessions (1630-1900, Tue-Fri) in addition to the daily e-learning packages allocated to each morning. We found this worked well as it maximized time on the mountain during the day and we could still enjoy the amazing food at night.

The diverse range of presenters kept things interesting and seemed to spark plenty of discussion. As the conference draws even numbers of nurses, paramedics and doctors, the topics were based on acute care with a strong focus on ‘ what more can i do’. Highlights would have to include the presentations by Anaesthetic Consultant Dr Nicolas Lerch who presented the topic ‘Medical Care & Avalanches’ (very relevant considering the setting of the event), and the Director of Ballarat ED, Dr Nigel Beck who presented the topic ‘Managing Haemorrhagic Shock in Trauma’.

The organisers ensured that people were able to connect and network on the slopes through clever use of social media groups and a purpose built event website. As a first time visitor to Rusutsu, I was blown away with the quality of snow and lack of crowds on the slopes. The location is perfect. we were practically able to ski/snowboard into the conference! EMS Conferences claim to provide ‘excellent PD in idyllic locations’ and they definitely hit the mark with this wonderful event.

Drew Aris

SJA Paramedic

Western Australia