The short-term special cares course will be held by the anesthesiology and special care department of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The courses will be held at the special care division at Imam Reza Hospital under the management of four members of the academic board with specialties in the field of special cares (one associate professor and three assistant professors).
The purpose of passing this course is to gain a primary introduction of the basic principles of dealing with patients in the special cares division and also other hospital divisions, specifically the emergency divisions.
The short-term course for special cares is a two-month course held in a rotary manner at the general special cares, surgery, poisoning, heart surgery and burn departments. The trainees will become acquainted with the basic principles of managing airways, basic and advanced life support , managing heart threatening arrhythmias, dealing with patients suffering from shocks, principles of liquid therapy, methods of coping with infections and sepsis, prevention measures for infections in the special care division, renal failure and acid and base disorders, treatment of electrolyte disorders, methods of using painkillers and sedatives, principles of enteral and parenteral nutrition, hemodynamic monitoring, principles of mechanic ventilation, treatments of poisonings in the special cares division, caring for post-surgery patients after special surgeries such as heart surgery and caring for patients suffering from burnings.
The practical skills which will be gained upon completing this course include endotracheal tube placement, placing the central venous catheter and the hemodialysis catheter with and without using ultrasound, performing thoracentesis and placing the chest tubes, performing bedside tracheostomy on the patient, applying ultrasound and echocardiography in the special cares division, and adjusting the ventilators for different diseases.
The theoretical programs including a morning report, daily roundups of patients in the division, journal club, conferences, mutuality, and morbidity meetings will be held with the participation of active trainees.
During the course the trainees will be considered as residents responsible for obtaining a biography and examination of the patients and also writing reports in the patient records. Drug prescriptions and practical measures will be executed by trainees under the supervision of the respective professor.
Trainees will spend the first month of the course in the general special cares division. This division mostly treats patients suffering from underlying-infectious diseases and poisonings.
The second month of the course will be held in the form of three 10 day section at the special cares for surgery, heart surgery, and burn divisions.

Trainees will spend the first month of the course at the general special cares division which includes nineteen active beds. Patients in this division mostly suffer from underlying-infectious diseases and poisonings.
The second month of the course will be held in three 10-day sections at the special cares for surgery division (8 beds), the heart surgery division (20 beds), and the burn division (12 beds). The training program will start with morning reports at precisely 7 o’clock. Then, patients will be visited by the respective assistants and trainees. During the course, the trainees are considered as residents responsible for obtaining biographies and examinations from patients and writing reports in patient records. At exactly 9 o’clock in the morning, a daily roundup of patients will be executed by the professor and thorough discussions are made about the patients. After a short break, the necessary practical activities such as placing the central venous catheter, tracheotomy etc. will be performed by the assistants and trainees under the supervision of the respective professors. At 12 o’clock, every day the theory class programs including journal clubs and conferences are held for an hour. Then, the different divisions will give responses to technical consultations, and the newly arrived patients are accepted. The watch shifts start at 14:00 pm every day, and the trainees can cooperate with the shift assistants if they desire so.