They are important skills needed to save lives in emergency situations, and on Sunday, some local physicians and nurses took part in the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course at Deaconess Hospital.
Medical specialists tell 14 News that trauma is the leading cause of death in people ages one to 44 and that's why they want to make sure doctors have the skills they need to keep people safe in emergencies.
The injuries in the course may not be real, but medical instructors say what is real is making sure patients get the right type of care at the right time.
"The goal is one, to save lives and two, to return people back to work and fruitful living," said Matt Vassy, the Trauma Medical Director at Deaconess.
On Sunday, several people volunteered to act as patients made up with injuries like a person might get in a car accident or emergency situation. After some classroom training, physicians enrolled in the course were tested, diagnosing those volunteer patients and making sure they know what type of immediate care would be needed.
"We don't have a large institution like Deaconess as back-up with special ET care," said Dr. Alex Alvarez, a ATLS Course participant.
Doctor Alex Alvarez works in a small hospital in Illinois. He says this course teaches doctors in rural areas how to give patients initial trauma care without the amenities of a larger hospital.
"How to treat the patient and get it to a final destination like Deaconess for care, appropriate care," Alvarez said.
Medical staff are also learning differences in the treatment of children and adults, all to make sure they have the skills to save lives in times when an emergency room isn't just a step away.
"We also need to have a system in place that limits the amount of mortality and maximizes the amount of recovery that we can achieve," Vassy said.
Deaconess says they offer the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course twice a year, and they also give refresher courses as the material changes.
Sunday afternoon as doctors and medical staff learned about immediate patient care in situations like car accidents, volunteers got made up with pretend injuries.
