Med Schools with Level 1 Trauma Centers

[AmoryBlaine]

---

Members do not see this ad.

A few things. #1, be open to the possibility that your ideas might change; do not orient your entire life around the EM decision. More than one hard-core EM devotee in my class changed their mind by fourth year, including the experienced top-notch EMT who was absolutely certain they were going into EM (surgery instead).

Yeah, just to really quickly expand on my previous post. The more I talk to EM residents it's not their trauma experience that they view as the most complicated/difficult aspect of their training. Almost everyone I've talked to has pretty much said #1. Peds #2. Medical train-wrecks.

As one attending described it to me, "trauma is 90% of the appeal to medical students and 5% of the practice of EM." It's sort of like saying you want to go into surgery because you really like manage sarcomas - you're going to learn how, you're just not going to do all that much of it.

 

[tae1703]

both south carolina schools

 

[nlax30]

Once UCF opens it'll join the list as well with ORMC in Orlando.

 

[falx]

the better question here is probably which american med schools do NOT have level 1 trauma centers. UCSD Hillcrest is a Level 1. Scripps Mercy, which is next door to Hillcrest, and is another hospital where we rotate, is also a Level 1. Children's is a Pediatric Level 1 where we also rotate.

check out this link to get a list.

falx

 

[little pebble]

the better question here is probably which american med schools do NOT have level 1 trauma centers. UCSD Hillcrest is a Level 1. Scripps Mercy, which is next door to Hillcrest, and is another hospital where we rotate, is also a Level 1. Children's is a Pediatric Level 1 where we also rotate.

check out this link to get a list.

falx

Of course, there's holes in this one, too, since Grady Memorial in Atlanta isn't listed. Why is that?

 

[TerraMedicX]

Actually I think Colorado is the only level 1 trauma center in some radius of the region. Not just the state.

WOW, SOOO not at ALL true! University of Colorado Health Science Center is only a level 2. They're associated very closely with Denver Health Medical Center and The Children's Hospital which are both level 1 trauma centers. There are two other level 1s in Denver (Swedish Medical Center and St. Anthony's Central), CU students I believe have limited rotations at both hospitals, but mainly they are at UCHSC, DG and TCH.

The four level 1 TCs in Denver ARE regional centers and I believe the next closest level 1 is in Salt Lake City to the west and eastern Nebraska to the east, but I'm not sure. I know they receive patients from all over Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and even parts of New Mexico.


Nate.

 

[ESzczesniak]

Anybody else have trouble finding a definitive list of trauma centers?

Here's a list by the American College of Surgeons, which allegedly does the certification, but it's missing at least 2 that I know of: http://www.facs.org/trauma/verified.html

There's only one Level I Trauma Center in Illinois and it's not even in Chicago?
Am I missing something?

Actually, I think the list is missing something. Although Maywood, where Loyola is, is essentially a near suburb of Chicago. I know Northwestern Memorial is level I, and I believe Cook County/Stroger is level I as well.

If I recall correctly, the primary criteria for level I vs. II trauma is whether or not your physicians are on site. Level I requires all on call surgeons, GP's, etc. to be at the hospital for the whole call. Since this is done by residents, almost any teaching hospital meets this. Level II gives these physicians something like 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

 

[evade]

#2, an amazing third year experience is one in which they actually let you do anything. Our school has an amazing trauma hospital in town, but we do not do a 3rd yr ED rotation at all (4th yr elective instead). On top of that, there are so many people rotating through this hospital including EMT students and everyone else, that there is a lot of competition to do everything. I got more hands-on ED and trauma exposure at a small-town hospital (Level 2) than I did in the city. In a big hospital, you will be at the back of the pack of 20 people in any major trauma case. In a smaller place, you will see the trauma cases that are going to get packaged and sent to the city, and there is a lot to learn there too.

I came in there to say just that. I'm a third year. I am rotating on trauma surgery right now, so I go to incoming traumas along with the throng of people who actually know what they're doing. 3rd year duties involve "clothes cutting" and "blanket fetching." If it's not a holy-crap-critical case, you might even get to do the Foley (ooh! ahh!), but that might not happen because 3rd years take too long.

This isn't to say I'm having a bad experience. . .quite the contrary. But I agree that it's a very, very different feel. We 3rd years don't do a lot with extremely complicated patients, and by default, major traumas are very complicated. They may be cool to watch, but at this stage of the game, we should be more focused on doing than watching. There's plenty of traumas to watch on TLC or whatever.

 

[Depakote]

I came in there to say just that. I'm a third year. I am rotating on trauma surgery right now, so I go to incoming traumas along with the throng of people who actually know what they're doing. 3rd year duties involve "clothes cutting" and "blanket fetching." If it's not a holy-crap-critical case, you might even get to do the Foley (ooh! ahh!), but that might not happen because 3rd years take too long.

This isn't to say I'm having a bad experience. . .quite the contrary. But I agree that it's a very, very different feel. We 3rd years don't do a lot with extremely complicated patients, and by default, major traumas are very complicated. They may be cool to watch, but at this stage of the game, we should be more focused on doing than watching. There's plenty of traumas to watch on TLC or whatever.

I can't wait to call home and tell my mom I did my first foley... 🙂