Creating Trauma Staff

For over 30 years the University of Chicago (UChicago) Medicine’s adult emergency department (ED) was not a state designated receiving center for patients with traumatic injuries. Prior to May 2018, patients who presented to the ED either self-presented or were transported based upon established Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Emergency Medical System (EMS) criteria. Trauma patients treated in the ED were either discharged, transferred to a trauma center, or expired in the ED (Health IDoP. Section 515.2030 Level I Trauma Center Designation Criteria. 2022. https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/077/077005150H20300R.html ). Given the absence of institutional trauma experience, when UChicago Medicine’s Board of Directors announced the hospital was seeking Level I Trauma designation, nursing and ancillary staff education throughout the hospital became a priority. A needs assessment was performed to determine the educational gaps. The assessment consisted of a questionnaire to determine the nurses’ knowledge and their comfort level in caring for patients with traumatic injuries as well as their competence in the proper use and understanding of equipment. Experienced trauma nurses, multi-disciplinary surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, and anesthesiologists were the subject matter experts that lead classroom didactics. These didactics covered: basic patient assessment and interventions, introductions to trauma equipment, movement through the care areas, and appropriate communication methods. Six months prior to receiving the first trauma patient, this multidisciplinary educational curriculum was implemented. More than 100 nurses and technologists participated in the training. This educational planning and preparation led to the development of a multidisciplinary team prepared to manage all traumatically injured patients.