Fall Trauma Nursing Conference 2022

Fall Trauma Nursing Conference

Register to watch the 27th Annual Fall Trauma Nursing Conference recorded live on October 22nd.

The Trauma Program is thrilled to present this year's Fall Trauma Nursing Conference! We would like to thank all of our presenters and express our sincere gratitude to our featured speakers; Nicole Cook and LeeAnn Wurster. 

Those who register to view this year's conference asynchronously will have access to the conference event site:

  • The recordings of all the speaker's presentations
  • Downloadable PDFs of the speaker's presentations
  • 8 hours of NCPD continuing education credits
  • Recordings and continuing education credits will remine available on the conference event until September 30th, 2023.

8 Hours of Continuing Education Credits!

Credit
Attendees must watch the entire conference and submit an evaluation of the presentation to earn 8.0 NCPD contact hours. Participants who successfully complete the above requirements will receive a Certificate of Successful Completion within 2 weeks.

Accreditation
OHSU is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Oregon Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation #4003172.

MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS

7:45 am
Welcome & Announcements

8:00 am
Assessment Soapboxes
Nicole Cook, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, CCRN, TCRN

9:00 am
Collaborative Relationship between ED and ICU nurses 
Lee Ann Wurster, MS, RN, TCRN, CPNP-PC

10:00 am
Break 

10:30 am
Trauma Informed Care in Trauma Patients 
Icahn Saelao, MS, QMHP

11:15 am
"Shining" a Light on our Trauma System
Heather Wong, MHS, BSN, RN, TCRN

12:00 pm
Lunch

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Adult Trauma Management:

1:00 pm
Trauma in Pregnancy 
Amy Hermesch, MD, PhD, & Justine Clark, MSN, RN, RNC-OB

1:30 pm
Medications for Acute Agitation in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Ethan Beckley, MD, PhD, DABPN 

2:00 pm
Salt Water and Red Stuff: Trauma Resuscitation Best Practices  
Nicole Cook, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, CCRN, TCRN

2:30 pm
Geriatric Trauma - Falls Risk Assessment & Intervention
Katie Drago, MD

Pediatric Trauma Management:

1:00 pm
Pediatric Critical Care Transport 
Kathryn Felmet, MD

1:30 pm
Pediatric MTP 
Trisha Wong, MD, MS

2:00 pm
Pediatric Trauma Resuscitation: 'Kids Aren't Just Small Adults' 
Lee Ann Wurster, MS, RN, TCRN, CPNP-PC

2:30 pm
Child Life
Kyli Mosher, MS

3:00pm
Break

AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSIONS

3:15 pm
Managing Burnout
Jenny Applegate, LCSW, MSW

3:45 pm
Mass Casualty Incident - The Pendleton Experience
Sarah Doherty, RN Trauma Nurse Coordinator at St. Anthony Hospital & Jim Critchley, Fire Chief at Pendleton Fire & Ambulance 

4:45 pm
Adjourn / Evaluations

National Guest Speakers

Nicole Cook, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, CCRN, TCRN

Nicole Cook, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, CCRN, TCRN

Nicole Cook is a Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist with nearly 19 years of nursing experience, including Med-Surg, Stepdown, Neuro and Surgical Trauma ICU, and Emergency Department. She is currently employed at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina where she oversees the clinical activities, outcomes and performance improvement for the organization's Level 1 trauma program. She is actively engaged at the bedside throughout the trajectory of care, and is consulted on specialty populations to include spinal cord injury and geriatrics. Nicole is a published author, and has presented at the state, national, and international level on a variety of emergency and critical care topics. She is passionate about the creation of best practices surrounding trauma resuscitation, and ensuring those she teaches are able to translate her lessons into everyday practice. She is a Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) director and Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) faculty, and has her CEN, CCRN, and TCRN

Lee Ann Wurster, MS, RN, TCRN, CPNP-PC

Lee Ann Wurster, MS, RN, TCRN, CPNP-PC
Trauma and Burn Program Manager   |   Nationwide Children's Hospital 

Lee Ann completed her educational training at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and has been a nurse for over 30 years. Her background includes Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Emergency Department and Med/Surg nursing.  After receiving her advanced degree, she worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in private practice before returning to the Emergency Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  She is a reviewer for the American College of Surgeons, Children’s Surgery Verification process and is currently the Trauma and Burn Program Manager at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Local Speakers

Jennifer Applegate, LCSW, MSW

Jennifer Applegate, LCSW, MSW   |   Emergency Department Social Worker, OHSU

Jenny is a clinical social worker in the Emergency Department, and has worked for OHSU in outpatient, inpatient, and research clinics. Prior to OHSU, Jenny worked in the Emergency Department at Weill-Cornell Hospital in New York, as well as the Chelsea Center for Special Studies working with individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Jenny also has worked as a private practice therapist for several years, with a focus on treating first responders and medical staff facing burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury. Jenny utilizes an intersectional feminist and anti-oppressive lens, practices from a trauma-informed and fat-liberation perspective, and specializes in service provision to vulnerable individuals experiencing mental health and medical crises, substance use, homelessness/houselessness, trauma and abuse.

Most people are surprised to know that Jenny has a Master’s degree and also won an award for her research on community greening initiatives. Her colleagues in the ED describe Jenny as passionate, enthusiastic, “loud” “churlish” and “we’re not sure how she’s still employed here.” Jenny also loves to use humor in her practice and probably could win a Hagrid look-alike contest. When she’s not doing an excellent job providing social work coverage in the ED, Jenny is active in community mutual aid projects as well as pestering Ted Wheeler online.

Ethan Beckley, MD, PhD, DABPN

Ethan Beckley, MD, PhD, DABPN   |   Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, OHSU

Ethan Beckley MD is a psychiatrist at OHSU whose care focuses on patients with neurocognitive disorders (TBI, delirium, dementia) and major mental health conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder) while they are admitted to the general hospital for other medical care. He completed all of his training at OHSU including fellowship in consultation-liaison psychiatry (psychosomatic medicine) before joining the faculty this year.

Justine Clark, MSN, RN, RNC-OB   |   Assistant Nurse Manager, OHSU Maternity Services (L&D/MBU/LC)

Justine Clark has worked in the OB field for over 9 years. She graduated from Linfield College in 2013 and was hired into Legacy Good Samaritan’s Nurse Residency Program on the Labor and Delivery/Maternal Health floor. She worked there for 8.5 years in numerous roles (floor nurse, newborn resuscitation nurse, charge nurse, preceptor coordinator and Interim Assistant Nurse Manager) until she moved into the Assistant Nurse Manager of Labor & Delivery/Mother Baby at OHSU in the fall of 2021. She has been working at OHSU for almost a year now and is currently in the Interim Nurse Manager role.

Justine has had a passion for maternal and newborn health since she was a kid (her mother was an L&D nurse as well) and loves helping other learn more about the field and how the medical community can better serve those populations by delivering the safest care.

Jim Critchley

Jim Critchley   |   Fire Chief at Pendleton Fire & Ambulance

Jim has had the distinct honor of serving as the Fire Chief of Pendleton Fire & Ambulance since August 2019. Prior to serving as the Fire Chief in Pendleton, Jim served as Fire Chief with the City of Tucson in Arizona.  In that time, he had spent 10 years on the Western Fire Chiefs Association board, which included time as President and International Director. Jim started his EMS career in 1982. The career included teaching at the local community college, paramedic for 10 years, directing training for 800 employees, and eventually Fire Chief. He received an MBA from the University of Arizona. Jim is married to a wonderful nurse and has 3 adult children.

Sarah Doherty, RN

Sarah Doherty, RN   |   Trauma Nurse Coordinator at St. Anthony Hospital

Sarah Doherty is the trauma nurse coordinator at St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, Oregon. After serving in the U.S. Army as an air traffic controller for 10 years, she attended nursing school in Dothan, Alabama. She graduated with her ADN in 2015 and started her career in the emergency department. She has been at St. Anthony Hospital since 2017 and has been a part of their trauma team since 2018. She previously served as the Eastern Oregon ENA Chapter President. Currently she is a board member of the Eastern Oregon EMS Conference.

Katie Drago, MD

Katie Drago, MD   |   Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, OHSU

Dr Katie Drago is originally from California and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2011 with her medical degree. She completed residency in Internal Medicine in 2014 and fellowship in Geriatric Medicine in 2015 at Oregon Health & Science University. Dr Drago joined the OHSU Division of General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics in 2015 to develop and run the Inpatient Geriatrics Program, providing consultative geriatrics care for hospitalized older adults in partnership with medical and surgical providers.

Dr Drago’s academic interest is in systems improvement focused on the care of hospitalized older adults. She has worked to improve the care for adults with delirium, standardize safe prescribing practices and enhance the care of older adults with acute fragility fractures.

Kathryn Felmet, MD

Kathryn Felmet, MD   |   Associate Professor of Pediatrics, OHSU

Kate Felmet specializes in the care of critically ill infants and children. She completed her critical care training in 2003, and returned to Portland to join the OHSU faculty in 2015.  She has experience in interfacility transport of critically ill children and serves as the medical director for the PANDA team.   In addition to teaching medical students, residents and fellows, Kate has a special interest in teaching referring hospitals to help them provide high quality care to critically ill children while PANDA is on their way. 

She spends her time off keeping her two young daughters out of trouble and sewing elaborate Halloween costumes.

Amy Hermesch, MD, PhD

Amy Hermesch, MD, PhD   |   Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OHSU

Dr. Hermesch specializes in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies that are complicated by maternal medical disease or fetal abnormalities.  Her other interests include clinical obstetrics and quality improvement. In addition to caring for complicated pregnancies, she has been involved in quality improvement projects that focus on reducing hospital cesarean delivery rates.

She views her patients as unique individuals and believes the best health care plans take into consideration evidence-based medicine, but also the specific concerns and needs of the patient.

After traveling across the country for training, from Tennessee, Illinois, Colorado to Portland, Dr. Hermesch is very happy to settle in Oregon to practice medicine and raise her family.  In her spare time, Dr. Hermesch enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters. Madelyn would like to be a “princess and a doctor” when she grows up. Aubrey just wants to eat ice cream every day.

Kyli Mosher, M.S., CCLS

Kyli Mosher, MS, CCLS   |   Child Life Specialist, OHSU

Kyli is a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) currently practicing in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Prior to becoming a CCLS Kyli practiced as an ABA therapist working one on one with children on the Autism Spectrum. Kyli was the first CCLS in the Emergency Department and has since developed and expanded the program. She focuses daily on advocating for patients, developing coping plans and providing support to pediatric patients and families experiencing medical emergencies. She is passionate about advocating for patients and reducing trauma during emergency visits.

Icahn Saelao, MS, QMHP

Icahn Saelao, MS, QMHP   |   Trauma Informed Care Program Manager, OHSU 

My name is Icahn Saelao (eye-khan; say-lao)

(he/his/him) and I am an Asian American counselor living and practicing in Portland, Oregon. I have been working within the field of mental health and counseling for the last 10 years where I worked with a wide spectrum of mental health issues. My work experience includes counseling for people of color, expats, men, women, and gender non-conforming individuals in addition to couples, partnerships, and friends. Common issues that I treat include depression, (social) anxiety, bipolar disorder, regulating and expressing emotion, distress tolerance, job-dissatisfaction and career advancement, and modifying attachment styles in adulthood.

At OHSU I am the Program Manager for Trauma Informed Care with Occupational Health. My role centers around interrupting and responding to incidents of workplace injury, burn out, and compassion fatigue through educational training and/or a robust trauma responsive service in which I work with folk in addressing the complex trauma exposure response following these stressors.

Heather Wong, MHS, BSN, RN, TCRN

Heather Wong, MHS, BSN, RN, TCRN   |   Trauma Program Director, OHSU 

Heather Wong has over 24 years’ experience working in Emergency, Critical Care and Trauma Nursing; holding staff positions in the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit, serving as a Patient Care Coordinator in the ED, as a Trauma Program Clinician and  Trauma & Emergency Clinical Nurse Specialist. In addition to her Master’s Degree from Athabasca University, her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Victoria, and graduated with honors from the British Institute of Technology, specializing in Critical Care and Emergency Nursing. Heather is published in her field and has provided many professional presentations across Canada and internationally. She continues serving as a Trauma Nurse Core Course, Rural Trauma Team Development Course, and Stop the Bleed instructor; in addition, she coordinates the Advanced Trauma Life Support and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care Courses.

In her free time, Heather enjoys reading, cycling, golf, and travel with her daughter and pets whenever they can get away.  Since the pandemic she has completed certification in cake decorating, artisan bread making, and chocolatier courses.

Trisha Wong, MD, MS

Trisha Wong, MD, MS   |   Associate Professor of Pediatrics, OHSU

Dr. Trisha Wong cares for children with blood disorders and helps patients of all ages who need blood transfusions. She is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist with special expertise in blood disorders in children. Her expertise includes sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and bleeding and clotting disorders. She also has a special interest in reducing inequality in the health care system.

When she's not working, Dr. Wong and her husband work to keep up with their two young daughters. She enjoys reading nonfiction and swimming laps at the pool.