Optimus PRIME - Preparing for Retrieval In Medical Emergencies course

Optimus Preparing for Retrieval In Medical Emergencies (PRIME) teaches emergency health care staff how to care for critically unwell children. The course is a mix of individual e-learning content and an in-person course.

Who the course is for

Optimus PRIME is useful for health care staff who need to revive and stabilise paediatric patients waiting for hospital transfer including:

• mid-level responders who might need to resuscitate a patient waiting for retrieval services
• doctors, nurses or staff involved in transferring patients to intensive care
• staff who need to help prepare critically ill patients for hospital transfers.

The course also helps test the skills and emergency responses of your staff and department. It's useful as a refresher course for paediatric care providers to make sure their skills and knowledge are up to date.

Optimus PRIME expands on our Optimus CORE course. We recommend you do the Optimus CORE training first unless you have significant paediatric health care experience.

Learning outcomes

Optimus PRIME teaches you how to:

• recognise and treat paediatric shock and epileptic seizures
• provide advanced airway management
• manage paediatric emergencies
• prepare patients for retrieval.

It includes practical training about:

• using mechanical ventilators
• how to intubate patients as part of a team
• prescribing, preparing and administering peripheral inotropes for patients with paediatric shock
• managing and treating status epilepticus.

The course uses case studies and simulations involving diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), seizures and sepsis.

The course also considers the impact of human factors such as communication and stress when providing critical care.

Course structure

Optimus PRIME is delivered in 2 parts.

1. Individual online e-learning course
2. In-person course

The e-learning course is self-paced. You should complete it before in-person training.

The in-person course takes 8 hours and includes practical activities, simulations and case studies.

Enrol in the e-learning course

You and your staff can enrol in the e-learning course using iLearn on the Queensland Health website.

1. Register for an account
2. Search for Optimus PRIME
3. Select Enrol
4. Launch the course

You’ll get a certificate of completion in 48 hours of finishing the course. You'll need to bring the certificate to your in-person training.

In-person training

Contact your local paediatric educator to take part in the Optimus PRIME course.

Hospitals and paediatric medical experts can host the in-person training using our training resources and instructor's manual.

We can also help you provide the training to your staff. Use our online form to contact us and find out more.

Training resources

Optimus PRIME resources are free and open access.

Instructor Resources

Please download our Optimus Faculty Resource for access to all instructor manuals, certificates and PowerPoint presentations.

Tips for instructors

• Review the e-learning course and the instructor’s manual
• Choose a qualified staff member to manage each medical station included in the course
• Email participants the time, date and location of the training
• Make sure participants have registered for iLearn and completed the e-learning course
• Print out colour copies of the printable resources from Section 2 of the instructor’s manual PDF for each participant

You should also prepare an in-person training certificate of completion for each participant. Use our online form to get a copy.

Get support

If you’d like more information or need help running the course, contact us using our online form.

Give feedback

Your feedback helps us improve our courses and learning content.

If you delivered the course to your staff, use our instructor feedback form.