Emergency Medicine

Medical Students Oregon Poison Center

Oregon Poison Center

The Oregon Poison Center (OPC) is a 24-hour health care information and treatment resource serving the states of Oregon, Alaska and Guam. The Poison center was established by an act of the Oregon State Legislature in 1978 to provide emergency treatment information for patients experiencing a poisoning or toxic exposure. The Oregon Poison Center is also responsible for providing public outreach and education to health care professionals.

Mission

The Oregon Poison Center's mission is to provide care for people exposed to poison in their homes and to make prompt referrals to hospitals or clinics when necessary. We are committed to cost-saving management of poison-exposed people. Poison prevention education is another important component of our mission.

Shift Information

  • Dress professionally, wear you OHSU ID badge.
  • Arrive at 9:00am for Poison Center conference.
  • Check in with Lynn Cox in Room 550 of the Campus Services Building (building next to the School of Nursing)
    • Take the elevator to the 5th floor, turn left as you leave the elevator, turn right down the hallway. Room 550 is down the hall to your left. (Phone# 4-2199)
  • Program for the Day:
    • 9 am to 11 am: Rounds in the poison center conference room 544 to discuss new cases admitted overnight.
    • 11 am - 1 am : In-patient consults in both the emergency department and ICUs., If there are no consults then the student may sit in on the call center to listen to calls during lunch. If the student desires a more complete call center experience they can arrange with Charisse Pizarro-Osilla, R.N. to spend one evening (5 pm to 9pm) listening to calls in the poison center during our peak time.
    • 1 pm to 2:45 pm: Afternoon didactic sessions which include lectures, journal clubs, M and M cases, chapter reviews, toxic history or disaster presentations. Student may leave to go to next session in the emergency department at 2:45.
  • Goals of Poison Center Experience:
    • Describe how state or regional poison centers reduce emergency visits and 911 calls on non-critical exposures.
    • Describe how medical toxicologists proved telephone case management to critical poisonings and environmental exposures.
    • Describe how medical toxicologist in-patient consultation service to emergency departments and intensive care units can improve utilization and treatment of toxicology patients.