On November 27, 2023, our annual trauma week began! This year, our emergency is an explosion at an outdoor concert. and the decontamination of patients from the chemicals that come from this situation and how it affects the patients we will be following throughout the week. With great help from our local police department, Hazardous Material Unit, and fire station, we got to witness what would happen in real-time if an incident like this was to occur. I loved hearing from each of the units present to speak about their careers and their roles in helping to save not only our patients but the citizens in our city daily!
On November 28, 2023, the second day of our annual Trauma Week took place. Our patient has now arrived at the hospital and is located in the ER, with chemical burns to her chest, arms, hands, eyes, and respiratory tract. Keri Bryant, an ER nurse at our local hospital, brought not only herself but many other nurses on staff to discuss how chemical injuries are handled and treated upon arrival to the Emergency Room. Each nurse discussed a different area of the body how chemicals react and the severity of their effects. My favorite part of this day was seeing one of the nurses flush out their eyes with the Morgan Lens, just as our patient would have done to them immediately upon arriving at the ER. It was so eye-opening to hear just how many people it takes to take care of someone just like our patient in everyday medical situations!
On November 29, 2023, we reached the middle of Trauma Week with a lecture on inhalation injuries our patient is experiencing as a result of the chemical explosion at the outdoor concert. Dr. Peter Lutz, a pulmonologist with Pulmonary Associates, who could unfortunately not be with us in person, recorded an extremely detailed video explaining the upper and lower respiratory concerns and possible long-term effects these chemicals in his respiratory system could have, such as asthma. Although we could not speak with Dr. Lutz in person, it was extremely interesting to hear so much about how chemicals affect the respiratory system and how much of an impact
On November 30, 2023, Ms. Alicia Lintner, a nurse practitioner and thermal injury specialist from our local burn center came and discussed the various types of burns and the extent and depth of injuries she treats in her practices. Along with explaining the caustic burns our patient has suffered to her skin, eyes, and respiratory tract due to the chemical explosion, Ms. Lintner also explained what she typically sees as a nurse in a burn center. She showed us some pictures of patients she has had in her career and the outcome and life after these life-threatening burns from things such as batteries from vape pens, cooking or boiling water, electrical devices, house fires, and cars. After her lecture, we did an activity to calculate the fluid volume a patient would need to receive using the Rule of 9s, which is what real medical professionals use when they test to see how much of a person's body percentage is burned with their palms. I loved getting to know Ms. Lintner and I also loved how she ended her presentation with the positives of her job such as having a successful outcome, when most people think of a career in a burn center as a sorrowful and dreadful career.
On December 1, 2023, Our very own, Mrs. McCleery spoke with us on her experiences while working as a nurse before becoming our Culinary teacher! During her time as a nurse, Mrs. McCleery worked closely with eyes, which made her a great speaker for our trauma week wrap up! The chemicals from the concert explosion caused our patient to need a cornea transplant to regain their sight. It was our jobs today to "harvest" a cornea from a "cadaver" and place it into our patient. As cool as that would've been, we settled for cutting and suturing grapes instead. This was by far my favorite day of trauma week because I loved the grape lab and had a great time learning about how much a simple procedure like this could change someone's life!
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