Training Dive Medics Across the World
Demand is on the rise for IMCA Diver Medic Technician (DMT) training courses and the DMT Refresher courses which are required every two years to stay valid.
What is a Diver Medic Technician (DMT) Course?
The Diver Medic Technician (DMT) training course teaches participants to administer advanced medical aid and life support skills to help diving casualties. If a diver requires medical assistance at the scene, or whilst under pressure, the Diver Medic is the first (and possibly the only) person available to help.
We have certainly seen an increase in demand for both the full 10-day IMCA Diver Medic Technician (DMT) training courses, and the 5-day DMT Refresher courses. At the beginning of each year we schedule our courses, but recently we have found demand requiring us to insert additional courses.
The initial course takes 10 days, whereas the biennial (every 2 years) DMT Refresher course takes 5 days. The Refresher course is required every two years to keep Diver Medics in date with their certification.
Our DMT courses are accredited by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
Who Does a DMT Training Course?
Most of the Diver Medic students that we see are working as commercial divers, or are looking to move into the commercial diving sector. They can be working as inshore or offshore divers. Besides working in the oil and gas industry, they could also be working as media divers (e.g. for the BBC or independent TV production companies), or as part of archaeological, exploration or research diving operations.
We see quite a few students who are leaving the armed forces, often Navy Medics, who are looking to take a DMT course to help them move into a new career within the commercial diving sector.
The Diver Medic course can also be relevant to people working within the Super-Yacht / Mega-Yacht sector, perhaps with a more recreational diving focus.
People working with hyperbaric chambers, onshore or offshore, are also required to have a valid DMT qualification. Here, where we run a Hyperbaric Medical Centre with a 24/7 emergency hyperbaric response capability, all of our staff working within the hyperbaric chambers need an in-date DMT qualification.
What Does the Diver Medic Technician (DMT) Course Include?
The core activities cover:
– Familiarisation with diving procedures and compression chamber operation
– Administration of advanced first aid and life support
– Communication with the company doctor and execution of directions pending the arrival of more skilled medical aid.
– Assistance of the Diving Supervisor with decompression procedures and advising when medical assistance is required.
Core modules covered by the IMCA DMT courses include:
- Physiology
- Taking a medical history and measurement of vital signs
- Resuscitation and oxygen administration
- Trauma management
- Gas and fume exposure
- Management of diving illness
- Drowning
AND much more. The full list of core course modules, together with course dates and prices, can be found under the details of all our courses.
Where Can I Study for a DMT Course?
We schedule Full and Refresher DMT courses on a regular basis at our training centre in Plymouth, England. We also deliver scheduled DMT courses in Bangkok, Thailand, usually once or twice a year. Additionally, we can sometimes arrange to provide DMT courses to meet bespoke training needs (almost) anywhere in the world, provided there are sufficient numbers of students and adequate facilities.
If you are interested, no prior knowledge or experience is needed, but a reasonable standard of First Aid is required to pass the course. A basic knowledge of diving, physics and human biology would be helpful.
You are welcome to call us for a chat of course – we still have human beings as well as website pages!