CARBONDALE (WSIL)----Staff members at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale were put to the test during a simulated training event.
"You do these simulations or drills such that it becomes rope memory. You know what to do, you don't have to think, you just move right down the line," said Dr. Sherry Jones, the Medical Director of Labor and Delivery.Â
It may have been all practice, but as soon as the mannequin was taken out of the ambulance and into the emergency room, it was all hands on deck.
"We want to make sure that we can hone in on our critical skills that we do, in a safe learning environment that we can then talk about it afterwards and make sure that we have all the processes in place that we need to do," said Terri Pursell, the Director of Women and Children's Services.Â
The patient, a pregnant mother with a gunshot wound to the chest.
SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale is a level two trauma center, and while these types of injuries are not presented often, it's important for teams to hone their skills.
"This was a simulated gunshot wound which is the most common injury during pregnancy, followed by car crashes and stab wounds. It's a high risk situation, we don't deal with them a lot, because 20% is the maximum we see, it's as low as 5%, so we need to know how to take care of mom and baby when they arrive in the trauma center," said Dr. Roy Danks, the Trauma Medical Director at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.Â
The drill was considered a success, but the purpose of the drill is not just being successful, but learning the best way to care for patients.
"That's why we do these. So we can figure out those kinks and what needs to be fixed so if a real trauma comes in, we can run it a lot smoother," said Pursell.
Because with any skill, practice makes perfect.
"And we prepare on a daily basis, we have a well trained staff, and we are ready to take care of patients in Carbondale and beyond," said Danks.Â
