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Education

Cardiorespiratory Acute Skills in Hospitals (CRASH)

Do you want to build knowledge and confidence in the following areas?

  • Compare the pathways and trajectories of cardiorespiratory patients during acute ward-based admissions.
  • Develop the clinical reasoning and skills to assess and manage various ward-based cardiorespiratory populations.
  • Discuss the identification, assessment and escalation of high risk or deteriorating cardiorespiratory patients.

The CRASH course is designed for early career physiotherapists working in the acute hospital setting and final year physiotherapy students.

It is not an ICU course.

The course includes a comprehensive 10-hour eLearning package and a full day face-to-face course with simulations with professional simulated patients and clinical reasoning and skills workshops.

The course is facilitated by cardiorespiratory and clinician education experts

Who should attend?

Registered physiotherapists who are new graduates or new to cardiorespiratory physiotherapy.

Student physiotherapists preparing for final year acute placements are also welcome.

About the program

The program involves both theroretical and practical components. 

Theoretical component

This comprehensive self-directed learning package was created by professional learning designers and is delivered via an interactive eLearning format.

The content is essential preparation for the practical component.

Participants should allow at least 10 hours to complete the eLearning package.

Content includes:

  • Analgesia
  • Oxygen Therapy
  • Chest X-ray Interpretation
  • Assessment of Cough
  • Acute Exacerbation of COPD
  • Blunt Chest Trauma
  • The Surgical Patient (specifically thoracic, cardiac and abdominal surgery poulations)
  • Ward-based Tracheostomy Management

Practical component

This involves face-to-face attendance at a full day program with expert facilitators including:

  • Management of Acute Exacerbation of COPD patients and airway clearance in this population (including simulation scenarios)
  • Management of the postoperative thoracic, cardiac and abdominal surgical patients (including simulation scenarios)
  • Management of blunt chest wall trauma patients
  • Recognition of deterioration in the above patient populations
  • Physiotherapy management of the tracheostomised ward patient
  • Recognition and escalation of deterioration in the above patient populations

Course dates

The CRASH course runs twice a year and has finished for 2025.

Stay tuned for the release of our 2026 course dates

Contact us

Physiotherapy Department

Email: physioclinicaleducators@austin.org.au

Phone: 03 9496 3987

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